Last night I watched...

[Prime Time]

...ESPN's 30 for 30: The 85 Bears. It reminded me once again why I'm such a big fan of the game of football and the tremendous sacrifices players and coaches make to entertain us, the fans. Jeff Fisher was not mentioned because he was on injured reserve that season. 30 for 30 is the best, maybe the only good thing left on ESPN. If you haven't watched this episode yet, I highly recommend it.
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Chicago Now


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aya9QCGU2PY


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mI0kYTAfuDs

http://www.espn.com/30for30/film?page=85bears

Director's Take
In the the early '80s, the NFL was at a crossroads. The 1982 strike was still fresh in fans' minds; viewership was nowhere near what it is today, and Commissioner Pete Rozelle was clamoring for players with the type of personalities that could transcend the sport.

Enter the The '85 Bears, with a fiery head coach who barely spoke with his monomaniacal defensive coordinator, an unpredictable renegade at quarterback, a living legend at running back, a defense as ripe with characters as they were with talent, and a 325-pound cherry on top who would soon become the most recognizable athlete in the country.

But the '85 Bears were much more just characters. Aside from a Monday Night misstep in Miami, they were unbeatable, with a swagger to match. As hip-hop was first entering the mainstream, they cut hit rap record boasting of their inevitable Super Bowl appearance -- eight weeks BEFORE the game was played. (They remain the only Grammy nominated world champs in sports history.)

Their story began long before 1985 and continues to this very day. It was a privilege for our crew to chronicle the rise, the fall and the aftermath of the most culturally significant team of our lifetime. I hope viewers enjoy watching this doc as much as we enjoyed making it.

About The '85 Bears

Film Summary
It started with a letter. The glory of the 1985 Chicago Bears really began with a 1981 missive to 86-year-old owner George Halas that was written by defensive captains Gary Fencik and Alan Page and signed by the members of their unit.

Sensing that head coach Neil Armstrong was about to be fired, they implored Halas to keep their defensive coordinator, Buddy Ryan. Upon receiving the letter, the patriarch said he had never been more proud of his players.

Unbeknownst to the team, Halas had another letter on his mind. This one had been sent to him by the special teams coach of the Dallas Cowboys, a former Bears tight end who had once crossed Halas. He not only asked Papa Bear for forgiveness, but he also asked to be considered for a head coaching job should a vacancy arise. It was signed, "Mike Ditka."

The rest was, quite literally, history. ESPN's 30 for 30 will explore the famous and infamous Super Bowl XX champions on the 30th anniversary of that title with "The '85 Bears", directed by Emmy Award winner Jason Hehir ("The Fab Five"). Halas, Ryan and Ditka are only three of the legends Hehir revives in this extraordinary film about a group of misfits who became the toast of football.

There's the beer-drinking quarterback from Brigham Young, Jim McMahon, and the hugely versatile William "The Refrigerator" Perry. Viewers will again experience the greatness of running back Walter Payton and the fierce intelligence of linebacker Mike Singletary.

They will relive that epic season-the birth of the 46 Defense, the sweet-revenge victory over the 49ers, the loss to the Dolphins that ruined their perfect season, the "Super Bowl Shuffle" that was filmed the day after.

But more importantly, Hehir shows how this team was forged by men with differences who came together for a common cause at just the right time. The only real shame of that season was that Halas wasn't around to see his Bears become champions once again.

It was a letter that started it all, and it's a letter that ends this extraordinary chronicle. This one, a thank-you note written by Buddy Ryan, is read aloud by the men he coached: "I told you a long time ago, and it's true. You'll always be my heroes."

 

[dieterbrock]

The 30 for 30 series is great, really sheds new light on folks. Randy Moss and Allen Iverson episodes were incredible, I see them both differently now

 

[Mojo Ram]

30 for 30 is a fantastic series. Watched the Lakers vs Celtics rivalry just a few days ago. That '85 Bears episode is really good too.

 

[Noregar]

I hated the 85 bears at the time but now I actually have a strong appreciation for what they did even though they killed our Rams in in the NFC championship game. I have not seen the series about the Bears yet but I will definitely check it out. 30 for 30 is about the only thing on ESPN that I actually watch. I also saw the one about the Lakers & Celtics a few weeks ago and I thought it was well done.

 

[DaveFan'51]

The, or should I say Da Bears where a Great Team, and they had the Perfect HC in Ditka and a Great DC in Buddy Ryan!!
But I'm a Homer, and I'm going to For just a moment to talk about the '85 Rams vs Da '85 Bears!
OK! they kicked our A$$'s in the NFC Championship game 24-0! Accidents happen! It was our 1st year without Jack Youngblood and Kevin Green wasn't a starter yet!
BUT we had a Really good Team and we went 11-5-0 in the regular season!
Here's a glimpse at our Roster;
Starting O-Line:
Irve Pankey - Kent Hill - Doug Smith - Dennis Harrah - Jackie Slater
Other starter:
QB - Deter Brock and Jeff Kemp
RB - Eric Dickerson
WR's - Henry Ellard and Ron Brown
TE - Tony Hunter
Kicker - Mike Lansford
This is just to name a Few! The finished 15th in the League in Points Scored!
Our Starting Defense: ( 3-4!)
D-Line; Doug Reed - Charles DeJurnett - Reggie Doss
LB's: Mel Owens - Carl Ekern - Jim Collins - G. Anderson
CB's: Gary Green - Leroy Irvin
SS - Nolan Cromwell
FS - Johnnie Johnson

We should have beaten Da Bum's!! But the next two time we meet-up with them, in 1986 and 1988 we Beat them 20-17 and 23-20 respectively!:homercrawl:

Edit: I forgot to mention the Rams where 4th Best in the League in Points allowed in 1985!

 

[Noregar]

BUT we had a Really good Team and we went 11-5-0 in the regular season!

Agreed!!

Outside of the GSOT years, the 1985 Rams teams was one of the best Post 70's team the Rams ever fielded IMO. The only real flaw of the Rams 85 team was that they were just too one dimensional on offense even for that time period. Note: The game Dickerson had against the Cowboys the week before was a thing of beauty. After the Bears loss I thought Robinson implemented a gradual paradigm shift on offense to a become more balanced offense by opening up the passing game.

 

[Dan Poplawski]

Anyone know if Singletary will be with us in 2017?

 

[DaveFan'51]

Anyone know if Singletary will be with us in 2017?

He's not with us any longer, But I have High Hopes the Rams bring him back as a "Special Assistant" of some sort! Just my free thinking!!

 

[Prime Time]

Anyone know if Singletary will be with us in 2017?

No news on him that I can find. Here's something from earlier this year. He talks about his experience with the Rams as well.
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http://ftw.usatoday.com/2017/02/sup...les-rams-new-england-patriots-atlanta-falcons

USA TODAY Sports

Hall of Famer Mike Singletary explains exactly how he'd stop the Patriots and Falcons
By Steve Ruiz

HOUSTON — Hall of Fame linebacker-turned-coach Mike Singletary returned to the NFL after a two-year hiatus in 2016. He served as the Rams linebackers coach and had the opportunity to coach against both the Atlanta Falcons and New England Patriots this year.

Thanks to Hyundai, Singletary sat down with For the Win to discuss how the Super Bowl LI participants will match-up, coaching, Hard Knocks, Buddy Ryan and more…

You spent two years out of coaching before joining the Rams staff for the 2016 season. How did you spend that time away from the game?

In a strange sense, I never really left. What I did was, when I left Minnesota, the thing I wanted to do was to become a better coach. As I look around the league, I see coaches doing certain things. Praying on Sunday to win and hoping Monday you didn’t get fired. I want more than that. I want to be a great coach.

So I took off and went to the NFL, so I could figure out why other coaches do certain things. That next year, I traveled around the country visiting retired coaches to get more information. And then I wanted to get back in the game and go from there.

So what did you learn during your time off?

I was just taking the time to learn the game. Not just defense. Not just linebackers. But the defensive line, the DBs, the quarterback, the wideouts and to really get the details — the intricate things in terms of why they’re doing what they’re doing in terms of scheme.

Cover 2, Cover 3, Cover 4. What do those really entail? What does that mean for the d-line? What are some things we can do differently in Cover 1. What would allow us to play Cover 2?

Also, the way you train. The way players train today. What can we do to help some of these injuries that I’ve never heard of before. Those are things I’ve been thinking of. The Concussion. How do you really help a guy from not getting a concussion? How do you do that? What are the things you need to teach that young man for him not to go out there and get a concussion? How do you lower the percentages?

Coaches have complained about players not getting good coaching in college and making their jobs more difficult at the next level? Is it that much harder to coach players now compared to, say, a decade ago?

There are a couple things that have changed. The CBA. When I was playing, I could sit around and be with Buddy Ryan all day. Whereas now, in the offseason, a guy can look at his coach through the window but he can’t go talk to him. It makes no sense to me. It’s that relationship. It’s being able to have that one-on-one, and being creative enough to say, “How do I touch this kid.” Maybe using technology if you can’t be with him physically.

So the Rams coaching staff had a unique challenge this season. You guys had to coach a team playing its first season in a new city. What challenges did that present?

Well, first of all, it was coaching a young team, too. The youngest team in the NFL, actually. Also being a team that just drafted a No. 1 overall quarterback. So there’s more added pressure there. And then we’re in a place where you have to win.

You’re in L.A., and if you’re not winning, people say, “Hey I got a million other things to do.” So there was a lot of different distractions pulling at you at one time. And I’m very grateful I was able to be out there, and it will benefit me and whatever team I ended up being with in the future.

You guys also had to deal with the ‘Hard Knocks’ crew infiltrating your training camp. How was that?

I tried to stay as far away from the cameras as possible. They got me a few times. It was interesting. I mean, when I’m coaching, I like being in my element and not dealing with somebody right there. Go away, and let me do this. But, overall, it was pretty cool. The players liked it.

Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

Speaking of that rookie quarterback, do you see Jared Goff developing into a great passer?

I don’t know. All I know is when I saw him play, I saw his ability to throw the ball, and I saw his ability to be a leader. I think he can be really accurate. If he’s able to continue to grow, I think he can certainly be a good quarterback.

Can he be great? That comes with making sure he has all the pieces around him. Making sure that he has an offensive line to block for him. And making sure they have a running game. Those are all the pieces he needs to have in place in order to really answer that question.

The Rams played both teams playing in the Super Bowl, so you know these teams. What makes their offenses so difficult to defend?

With the Patriots, it’s the experience of Tom Brady. He has receivers that aren’t blazing speed guys. They got one or two that can get the field. But Tom’s ability to utilize those receivers. They duck in, they can find the open areas in a zone defense. They can present match-up difficulties for a man-to-man defense. Those receivers are perfect for Brady. And then you got Blount, who can come in and just kind of hammer it.

For Atlanta, they’re just all out. They’re just like, we’re coming at you lock, stock and barrel with everything we’ve got, and just get ready. Pick your number. And it’s going to be hard for you to stop them.

What’s the approach when playing a team with a quarterback like Tom Brady, who has seen just about every coverage and blitz you can throw at him?

When you’re playing against someone like Tom Brady, you have to pick your spots. Where on the field is he vulnerable? Depending on the spot on the field, the time, you look at where he likes to throw strikes and go downfield. So, maybe we go after him, because we’ll have a little more time to get to him.

Maybe it’s a situation where Blount’s coming in. They’re going to run the football. So maybe we can put more in the box. Because Blount doesn’t block too much in passing situations. So it just kind of comes down to which way you feel best you can bother him.

It will be interesting to see if these defenses on Sunday decide are we going to let these quarterbacks play and say whoever has the chalk last wins, or are they going to say, you know what, we can’t have this. We’re going to take this from you and send pressure.

So if you were coaching on Sunday, how would you, personally, attack these two offenses?

If I’m playing the Patriots, I’m going to get to Brady. I’m not going to let him sit back there and throw the ball. If I’m facing Atlanta, I’m going to focus on stopping the run. That’s the key to stopping that offense.

But how do you do that when you have to worry about Julio Jones out there on the perimeter?

I’m going to stop the run, and make sure he’s not catching the ball. Those are the main two things you need to do.

So do you put a safety over the top on Jones, and maybe leave the other corners on an island since you have to drop a safety into the box to defend the run?

It depends on the corner. If I had a corner who can get his hands on him and be physical with him, then I’ll put him on Jones, put a safety over the top and play a half-field coverage. If I have a corner who can travel with him all over the field, then I’ll be in great shape. Not too many of those going around, though.

Both of these teams play a lot of two-tight end and two-back sets. Defenses are getting smaller around the league, but with the success these teams are having going big, do you see the league going back to those more traditional personnel groupings?

It’s amazing how teams just kind of follow the others. Oh, they’re doing it, let’s do it. I think what it comes down to is every team has to decide what their identity is going to be based on their personnel. It’s one thing to say, “We’re going to be this team.” OK, great. Let’s look at what we’ve got to do that with.

The teams that are able to look at what they have and be honest about what they have and not try to fabricate it, and to be able to put in the offensive and defensive scheme that goes with what they have, are going to succeed. You have to have a long-term plan.

(AP Photo/File)

In a way, the move to more one-back sets really started with Buddy Ryan, who died in 2016, just blitzing the hell out the league. Teams stopped trying to match you guys and started to put more receivers on the field. Why was that defense so effective, to the point where it really changed the league?

We fell into that 46 defense because we lost all of our linebackers and we had to protect our DBs. Buddy wanted to create one-on-one matchups. And when you put someone over that center, and you put three-techniques over those two guards — those are normally your weakest guys on offense — so when you can do that, it creates a lot of tension for that quarterback.

Now when the QB gets that ball and drops back, he’s not looking downfield, he’s looking [at the rush]. And I’m not looking out there quick at my first read, I’m looking at what’s in front of me. So it changes my eyes, it changes my mechanics, it changes my timing.

And if I’m getting any kind of pressure in the middle, it changes my steps. Instead of just being comfortable and dropping back, now I got to deal with stress. Pressure makes a quarterback do interesting things.

OK, I can’t let you go without giving us a pick. Who wins on Sunday?

I’m going with Atlanta.

 

[dieterbrock]

Was Singletary ever officially a coach for the Rams? I thought he was just an "advisor" of sorts