Life Can Be Unbearable in Mike Ditka’s Doghouse

The dunce cap has been passed down the line in the Chicago Bears’ locker room this season. Coach Mike Ditka has been the resident haberdasher, custom fitting his players before shoving them into the nearest available corner.

Bears cornerback Lorenzo Lynch knows all about life in Ditka’s corner. In a lost season measured best by galling defeats and Ditka tirades, last month Lynch found himself the scapegoat for the former and the object of the latter.

The Bears were burned on an onside kick by the Washington Redskins late in the third quarter of a 38-14 loss Nov. 26. It was a pivotal play, leading to a Redskins touchdown, and Lynch was singled out as the responsible party.

After the game, Ditka stepped to the podium and turned his Decibel Tour ’89 into the stuff of legend.

“Our coach tells the guy it was an onside kick,” Ditka said. “Tells him! You tell me that guy belongs in the NFL, or am I cruel?”

Lynch would rather not answer that question. One of two former Sacramento State players in the NFL--guard John Gesek of the Raiders is the other--Lynch has learned that abuse is not limited to the field.

“Sometimes the way he talks to you can take your confidence right out,” Lynch said. “He just rips everybody up. But since I’ve been here, I’ve learned that he says stuff he doesn’t always mean.”