''We felt we were ready to play a football game today,'' he said. His voice was composed, his tone was analytical, and his remarks were brief. Later, he stood on a wooden platform looking down at the crowd of questioners, his back leaning against a wall. As Ditka left the field at the end of the game, surrounded by three security guards who were even larger than the 6-foot-3-inch, 220- pound coach, he was nearly under the stands when a paper cup, and the beverage that had been inside, sailed down in his direction. This time, his anguish was kept locked inside. This week, there were no thrown clipboards or outward displays of anger. When the television cameras were not following the game, they closely followed the coach. When the time has come to explain the failures of his team, Ditka has criticized decisions of coaches, especially his own decisions.Ī week ago Sunday, after a victory at Philadelphia, he answered questions abruptly and remained dissatisfied. He injured a hand during a temper tantrum five weeks ago, and promised to control himself. This week, the record is identical, but fortunately or unfortunately, seven weeks remain.ĭuring games, Ditka has been observed raging on the sidelines. A year ago, the players' association strike meant that the Bear season ended with a record of 3-6. So each week, fans and less passionate observers have watched him undergo the second year of a painful initiation process. Just as significantly, he brought home memories of his days as an all-pro tight end and a name that Chicago football fans could revere.ĭitka's training in Dallas had taught him the intricacies of the game but failed to include the one requisite for coaching the Chicago Bears: how to lose. When the 44-year-old Mike Ditka became the coach of the Bears before the 1982 season, he brought nine seasons of experience as an assistant coach with the Dallas Cowboys. He brought a pumpkin, with the words ''Go Bears'' carved into it, and a banner that read, ''Ditka's Haunted House.'' Soldier Field had received a new name. One of them arrived at his seat in the first row of the north end zone prepared for the depressing occasion. When Ditka looked up to watch, he saw the Bears manufacture a remarkable combination of dropped passes, bad bounces, missed tackles, unintentional kicks, fumbles, interceptions, false starts and assorted penalties. His team reached a new low in its 38-17 loss to the Detroit Lions, its sixth in nine games. Ditka's position may not have been ideal to observe a football game, but the artificial surface was a more pleasant sight than the activity going on before him. For much of last Sunday afternoon at Soldier Field, Mike Ditka, the coach of the Chicago Bears, stood with his hands on his knees, his head pointed down toward the thick white sideline.
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