Sep 17, 2023; Tampa, Florida, USA; Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus looks on during the second half against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports
The Chicago Bears fan base fondly remembers the 1985 season. It lives on in infamy in the Chicagoland area and even the league at large. From the “Super Bowl Shuffle” to “Refrigerator” Perry to the dominating defense, the ’85 Bears legacy lives on. Since then, the franchise has struggled to sustain any success and this season has reached a new low. Trying to put a finger on why the franchise has struggled is complicated. However, it all comes back to the ’85 Bears. The Chicago Bears are stuck in 1985.
The Chicago Bears In 1985
Let’s set the stage for the 1985 season. A couple of years prior, Virginia McCaskey, daughter of team founder George Halas took over the team with her husband Ed McCaskey taking over as chairman of the board. A year earlier, franchise legend Mike Ditka was hired as the team’s head coach. After a decade of struggles, the team finally saw some success. They reached the NFC Championship game in 1984 but it was 1985 that was the banner year. Behind a dominating defense, the Bears won Super Bowl XX. They only had one loss on the season to the Miami Dolphins.
Chicago Bears 1985 Defense
We need to appreciate how great this defense was partly because it is essential to my point but also because they deserve our appreciation. On the season the defense only allowed 198 points which allowed them to have a +258 point differential. That was 110 points better than the next closest team. Led by middle linebacker Mike Singletary, the defense had 64 sacks, 34 interceptions, and 27 fumble recoveries. In a sixteen-game season, the Bears’ defense was forcing almost four turnovers a game. Most games weren’t even close. In the Super Bowl, they blew out the Patriots 46-10. This came on the heels of back-to-back shutouts in the previous two postseason rounds. This is easily the most dominant defensive unit in NFL history.
The 1990s
The late 80s and 90s were largely considered a disappointment. The team stayed competitive but was never able to reach the Super Bowl again. Dave Wannstedt and Dick Jauron each led the team to one playoff appearance but that was it. The team retained many of their key players but started losing some of the 1985 roster over the years. Walter Payton only played two more years. Jim McMahon played for three more seasons but was never able to play a full season. The defense stayed intact for the most part but was never able to capture the same magic of 1985.
The Lovie Smith Era: The Beginning
After a couple of failed head coaches, the McCaskey group tried to find the next defensive stud for a coach. They settled on Lovie Smith who brought the Tampa-2 defense with him. He saw immediate success. The defense was now headed up by franchise legend Brian Urlacher with other cornerstones Lance Briggs and Charles Tillman being developed by Smith and his coaching staff. Devin Chicago won the division in Smith’s inaugural season and followed that up with more success the following season. They made their first Super Bowl appearance since 1985 though they lost to the Colts 29-17.
The Jay Cutler Trade
In April of 2009, the Bears decided to go get their quarterback. They traded for Jay Cutler who was a promising young gunslinger though he often had a problem with turnovers. Cutler and the offense struggled at first but in 2010, the team brought in legendary offensive mind Mike Martz to try and fix the offense. This was coupled with a spending spree that brought in Julius Peppers and Chester Taylor. The early results were great. The team clinched the second seed in the NFC playoffs and beat the Seahawks in the divisional round. This set up a NFC Championship matchup with the Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field.
The Beginning Of The End
The team lost 21-14 after Cutler went down with an injury. To make matters worse, the Packers went on to win the Lombardi Trophy that year. The team started out strong the next season but Cutler fractured his thumb and stud running back Matt Forte sprained an MCL and was lost for the season. Martz resigned and eventually retired after the season. Defense ruled the next season as the team became the first team in NFL history to return six interceptions for touchdowns in the first seven games of the season. The Bears would finish 10-6 but miss the playoffs after starting the season 7-1. This type of collapse led to the team firing Lovie Smith.
Marc Trestman: The Unproven Coach
The team decided to go with an offensive-minded coach in Trestman. In his first year, the team went 8-8 and barely missed the playoffs after losing in the final week to, guess who, the Packers. The offense set franchise records but the defense greatly regressed. The defense was even worse the next season highlighted by giving up six touchdowns in the first half to the Packers on a Sunday night. With the offense not being able to keep up, and the defense being a mess, the team fired Trestman after two seasons.
A Turning Point In The Coaching Search
It is at this point that we can see the lack of patience setting in. I think one of the reasons that Trestman was fired so quickly was that the identity of the team had been rooted in defense. The Chicago Bears of 1985 would never have let teams march up and down the field. Even the 2000s teams had the identity of defense. While the team did not actively ignore the offense and attempted to fix it, the defense always seemed to be the focal point of the hiring and personnel decisions.
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Trubisky And A Defensive Makeover
There’s not much to say about the John Fox era. It wasn’t good. Matt Nagy was hired to coach up Mitchell Trubisky, the second overall pick in the previous draft but the team didn’t forget about the defense. Khalil Mack was brought in after a blockbuster trade with the Oakland Raiders. The defense was not as historic as the Chicago Bears of 1985 but it was one of the best of the decade. The defense forced 47 turnovers (27 interceptions and 20 fumble recoveries) and had six touchdowns as a unit. While the playoff appearance ended in heartbreak thanks to the “Double Doink”, the promise was there. The Bears of old were back!
Crash And Burn
The defense came back to earth the next season. 2019 saw the team go .500 at 8-8 though Nagy’s combined 20 wins in 2018 and 2019 were the most by a Bears head coach in his first two seasons. Despite this, Nagy wouldn’t last long. In 2020, the team started with a 5-1 record but finished the season 8-8. A loss in the playoffs to the Saints saw the Bears move on from Trubisky and Nagy. Again we see the lack of patience. Nagy set a franchise record and the next year was fired.
Matt Eberflus And Justin Fields
Fast forward to now. The team is on a 13-game losing streak dating back to last season. Both the offense and defense are a mess though some of this is due to injuries. The team has gotten embarrassed yet again by their division rivals. An 0-3 start basically seals the deal on a missed playoff season yet again. The team is the laughingstock of the league despite there being a team that had 70 points dropped on them this past Sunday. What has gone wrong?
Recapturing The Magic
After combing through the history it seems that one thing is consistent. The Chicago Bears are trying to recapture the magic of 1985. They often make big splashes on defense. Whether it is hiring defensive-minded coaches or defensive free agents, the team is trying to solidify that side of the ball. It has worked in a lot of cases. The 2000s saw the continuing of the defensive identity under Urlacher. The late 2018 season had people thinking the ’85 Bears had been reincarnated. The offense simply has fallen behind. I think this all stems from the McCaskey family taking over and then immediately having success behind a legendary defense. It worked then and they are trying to make it work now.
Offensive Fixes Haven’t Worked
I hear what you are saying. Matt! The team has tried to fix the offense and nothing has worked. While this is true, I think the offensive fixes were deeply flawed. Mike Martz revolutionized the league with the “Greatest Show On Turf”. By 2010, that was old news. It was innovative in 1999 behind Kurt Warner, Marshall Faulk, Isaac Bruce, and Torry Holt. Ten years later it was the norm in the league. Receivers were brought in slightly past their prime. Offensive weapons weren’t utilized in new a creative ways. Defensive-minded head coaches were fine sticking to the offensive status quo.
Look at what has happened with the Dolphins. Tua Tagovailoa was on the fast track to draft bust. Then the team hired Mike McDaniel who came from the innovative Kyle Shanahan tree. Moves were made for players but ultimately, McDaniel has transformed the offense and made Tua into an MVP candidate. While other teams push the envelope for innovation, the Chicago Bears are stuck in 1985.
Evolution In Identity
Eberflus is probably done after this season. The Bears could end up with two top-five picks in the 2024 draft. The Chicago Bears were great in 1985. There is no denying that this team will always be one of the greatest in NFL history. It’s time to let that identity evolve. The Bears need to hire an innovator on offense. Someone who can take the ultra-talented rookie quarterback they will have and develop him into a top-ten quarterback. The past should be celebrated but the Bears need to get out of 1985 if they are going to turn the franchise around.
