Analysis : Who Really Did Coach Bears to Championship?

The image was so plain that it will remain forever etched into the memories of the Chicago Bears’ Super Bowl XX victory over New England.

Hoisted by Bear players was the imposing figure of Mike Ditka, wearing a Bears’ sweater and clearly enjoying the taste of an NFL championship. A few yards away, another imposing if not heftier figure, Buddy Ryan, was also being carried off by Bear defensive players. It was a scene generally considered unprecedented--where a defensive coordinator merited such attention, loyalty and accolades as the one Ryan had received.

It begged the following question: Who actually coached the Chicago Bears to their championship?

a--Mike Ditka

b--Buddy Ryan

c--Neither

d--George Halas

e--All of the above

To hear the sparring going on since the victory, any of the above could fit in as the right answer.

Ditka and Ryan, now the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, never were close and were hardly considered friends. But Ditka, who earned United Press International’s coach of the year honors for leading Chicago to a 15-1 regular season, had enough good sense to know that Ryan was a defensive genius.

“Buddy pretty well did his thing and Mike did his,” said fullback Matt Suhey.

Defensive players insist it was more like Ryan ran the defense, Ditka ran the offense and nary the twain ever met.

“Buddy ran the defense. He was the one that made it go, made it tick,” said safety Dave Duerson. “It won’t be the same without him around.”

Of course, the real answer as to who actually coached the Bears of 1985 may not be known until well into the 1986 season.

Without Ryan and his complex “46” defensive scheme, Ditka and the Bears who claim Ryan’s influence was minimal will have have to put up or shut up.

“We had five defensive players in the Pro Bowl. Next year, we might have eight,” Ditka says. “These guys have talent. The Bears have always had a strong defense. That didn’t happen just when Buddy Ryan arrived.”

Ditka insists the key to the Bears was teamwork and the interworking of the offense, defense and special teams. He also prides himself on the improvement the offense--the unit he calls the plays for--made during 1985.

Observers, however, contend the offense was only as good as the defense made it look for the NFL champs. The defense not only constantly awarded the offense solid field position but gave it turnover after turnover. Additionally, the Bears seldomly had to come from behind during the 1985 season and not once did Ditka and the offense have to use a two-minute offense in the second half.

Ryan’s defense put so much pressure on opponents that teams usually abandoned their game plans early in the contest. While it was pressuring the other team’s offense, it was reducing the pressure on the Bears’ offense to perform.

If Chicago, with volatile Jim McMahon at the helm, would stall on offense there was no problem. The defense would give the ball back quickly.

The truth is more likely that both Ditka and Ryan co-coached the 1985 Chicago Bears. Ditka stayed out of Ryan’s way, Ryan stayed clear of Ditka.

Credit Ditka for having the good sense to leave Ryan alone. Some coaches with more fragile egos would have demanded full say over everything. Ditka knew the defensive player loyalty and performance levels rested in Ryan’s hand.

Without Ryan, Ditka will look to Vince Tobin, the team’s new defensive coordinator. But it is clear Ditka has finally completed a four-year process of consolidating his authority, which began with the resignation of former general manager Jim Finks and has ended with Ryan’s departure to the Eagles.

“It’s going to be an exciting challenge for the Bears,” Ditka has said. What he really is saying he is looking forward to proving to the skeptics, including those in the media, that he actually earned all of those accolades and coach-of-the-year awards in 1985.

If the Bears match or come close to matching the 1985 season record in 1986, Ditka will receive more credit than he has been getting for the success of the Super Bowl championship team.

If the Bears falter, especially on defense, then it will be Ryan who will have the last laugh on Ditka and the team that made him the talk of the NFL.

A good answer could come when the Bears host the Eagles--and Ryan--during the regular season. Many will point to that as a good test, but the Eagles don’t claim to have the talent level the Bears have and a better barometer should come when the wins and losses are added up in December.