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What do you think of Ditka now?
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- ditka80
- Pro Bowler
- 1268 posts this site
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Posted: 1/31/2013 6:49 PM
What do you think of Ditka now?
Obviously I was a fan at some point with my name here "ditka80" but what do you think of him now? He came out today saying Lovie's firing was wrong like he knows the answers. i was a fan of his personality and the fact that he won a Super Bowl with us. The classic SNL skit built him up even more and I was a kid at the time. As time has passed my viewpoint has slowly changed. I've heard more and more how that team won in spite of him and not because of him. I've heard he told players not to do commercials yet he did more. It seems he's more a character than substance?!
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Posted: 1/31/2013 7:41 PM
Re: What do you think of Ditka now?
He was a poor talent evaluator....stubborn...and an average coach. He was a good motivator and leader of men. He got too much credit for the Bears winning the SB. He's still a legend in Chicago but he really doesn't have anything relevant to say on tv these days.
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Posted: 1/31/2013 7:59 PM
RE: What do you think of Ditka now?
So....you respect Ditka less because he liked Lovie Smith? That's......retarded.
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Posted: 1/31/2013 8:09 PM
RE: What do you think of Ditka now?
Great player, mediocre coach. He was in the right place at the right time. Halas loved him and it worked out for one magical year. Somehow he was able to match Buddy Ryan's colassal ego. Buddy was a genius; a flawed genius, but a genius nonetheless. Ditka was not. Dotka was a Grabowski.
Kudos to Ditka for carving out a successful career at ESPN. He does a pretty good job I think.
oh what could have been with that team.
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Posted: 1/31/2013 8:50 PM
RE: What do you think of Ditka now?
There should have been more. Finks assembled the team. Ditka got them to play it out to a SB winning team. Even with all the animosity, they got it done... Superbowls are hard to win but, it shouldn't take 28 yrs. and counting to win another one.
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Posted: 2/1/2013 12:47 AM
RE: What do you think of Ditka now?
Ditka was a good coach just like Lovie. Da coach had better presence where Lovie was a follow the lead kind of guy.
I will miss Lovie a little but he couldn't get an offense going and that was his demise. If Lovie had a decent coordinator he'd still be our coach IMHO.
I just hope Trestman has the defensive balance to make us a complete team.
"Serenity Now"
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Posted: 2/1/2013 7:15 AM
RE: What do you think of Ditka now?
EVERY coach gets too much credit. After all, they are not on the field playing the game every week. If a team sucks, they can't just go fire all 53 players and start from scratch, so somebody has to be the scapegoat, and more often than not, it's the coach.
In fact, I'd be more likely to say that the POSITION coaches are more important and valuable. After all, they attempt to teach the players the nuances of their position, how they can be the best they can at their position. A Head Coach is more of a motivator, sort of like the ships captain, making sure the ship goes in the right direction. Some are better at THAT than others.
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Posted: 2/1/2013 7:57 AM
RE: What do you think of Ditka now?
Let's have some balance here. If you want to talk about how too many fans still cling to the 80's, and maybe the organization could have done some things differently at the end of the decade, those are valid discussions. However, Mike Ditka was a hall of fame player, won a championship as a player, then went 106-62 and won a Super Bowl as head coach of the Bears. He should be considered a legend in Chicago.
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Posted: 2/1/2013 9:00 AM
RE: What do you think of Ditka now?
Lovie has a better winning percentage than Ditka.. maybe he knows something about that.
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Posted: 2/1/2013 9:15 AM
Re: What do you think of Ditka now?
I think Ditka kinda emotionally checkout the day Jerry Vainisi got fired. Vainisi was no Jim Finks but he was still a very good GM who was a strong evaulator of talent and made good draft picks as Bears GM and later, the Lions (the only stupid thing he did as Bears GM was fire the Honey Bears). From that point on, he focus too much on being a celebrate then being the Bears HC. Not saying that was right but I think Ditka knew deep down with Finks & Vainisi gone they didn't have the organization in place to substain the momentual of the 85' Bears. That is why they had to hang on to the 85' core for so long which Ditka did a good job though but ultimately his shortcomings as a evaulator and being too stubborn lead to his demise.
To me, he is Lovie as a coach but was lucky enough to have the greatest team maybe ever assembled in 1985. But like Lovie though, he deserves credit for helping to turn around a franchise that was in the basement of the NFL.
Edit: As far as what I think of him, he is a pure character of a human being. It's almost embarrasing but you have to tip your cap on how many millionares he still makes particularly in this town even though he hasn't been a NFL Head Coach in over a decade.
"Illusions Micheal, illusions. Tricks are something that a whore does for money.....or cocaine". - Gob Bluth
Last edited 2/1/2013 11:22 AM by Cubfan41
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Posted: 2/1/2013 10:57 AM
Re: What do you think of Ditka now?
Ditka was a great player and he is in the hall of fame for what he did as a tight end for the Bears. I was in the third grade when the Bears won the 1963 NFL Champioship and I remember seeing him play. He was a tough guy.
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Posted: 2/1/2013 11:01 AM
Re: What do you think of Ditka now?
I have a copy of the photo where Ditka is flipping off somebody as he is coming off the field as a coach. I still love his attitude and he is only one worth listening to on ESPN Sunday Countdown.
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Posted: 2/1/2013 11:11 AM
Re: What do you think of Ditka now?
I remember watching a game in 1965 or 66 or 67 against the packers and Dikta caught a pass over the middle and put a forearm into MLB Ray Nitchski and knocked him on his ass and ran right over him. I wish we had a tight end like Ditka on our team now.
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Posted: 2/1/2013 11:20 AM
Re: What do you think of Ditka now?
I always heard it was Virgina who wanted to get rid of the Honey Bears. The Bears will never win a Super Bowl until they bring back the Honey Bears. It is curse and curses only work on Chicago teams. All those good looking women in Chicago and no cheerleaders!
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- ditka80
- Pro Bowler
- 1268 posts this site
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Posted: 2/1/2013 8:20 PM
Re: What do you think of Ditka now?
I always love classy guys like you ChiFan, I feel at times I'm on an elementary playground.
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Posted: 2/2/2013 2:33 PM
RE: What do you think of Ditka now?
Great tight end. He almost singlehandedly changed the tight end position.
He was the right coach at the right time. I have no problem with him or Lovie or Ditka voicing his opinion. I disagree with him but that doesn't change my opinion of him.
"Football players, like prostitutes, are in the business of ruining their bodies for the pleasure of strangers." ~Merle Kessler
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Posted: 2/2/2013 6:51 PM
Re: What do you think of Ditka now?
ditka80 wrote: I always love classy guys like you ChiFan, I feel at times I'm on an elementary playground. Sorry, but I don't know what else needs to be said. |
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Posted: 2/3/2013 3:31 AM
Re: What do you think of Ditka now?
Ditka was avery good coach with some serious flaws, both personally and as a coach. He certainly benefitted from Buddy Ryans defenses and from Jim Finks personnel decisions. For that matter McMahon was the more overrated player benefitting from personal hype as much as Ditka. He was an excellent game manager quarterback who handed off to Walter and took shots at Willie Gault. It was a brief period where McCaskey family disfunctionality was overridden by a great general manager, excellent drafting, dominant Defense and a running game. They held the ball close to 40 minutes some games. Ditka was a part of the success for sure but Jim Finks, Buddy Ryan, and Walter Payton were more important in my opinion.
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- edjy71
 - Pro Bowler
- 1236 posts this site
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Posted: 2/3/2013 7:04 AM
Re: What do you think of Ditka now?
For the most part, I'm generally indifferent on the Ditka front. He did some good things, he could've done better but hey you can't always get what you want.
I also think that he made more of an impact on the game at TE. He was ahead of his time as a receiving weapon from the TE position.
I'm not surprised Ditka took up for Lovie. He has a long track record of being loyal to the coaching fraternity. Any time a coach is fired, he's going to be sympathetic.
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Posted: 2/4/2013 6:43 PM
Re: What do you think of Ditka now?
Ditka knows how hard it is to win in the NFL year in & year out, and that's why he supported Lovie.
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