News broke Monday that Washington’s most recent head coach is indeed in pursuit of the defensive coordinator role for the Los Angeles Rams.
Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports reported Monday morning that Rivera had interviewed over the weekend for the position.
The Rams recently lost Raheem Morris when he was named Falcons head coach. Looking to fill the defensive coordinator position, the Rams have thus far interviewed Rivera, Ravens defensive backs coach Dennard Wilson, Cowboys defensive line coach Aden Durde and former Chargers head coach Brandon Staley.
Rivera was a linebacker for the Chicago Bears (1984-1992), including the 1985 Super Bowl championship team.
Five years after retiring as a player, Rivera launched his coaching career with the Bears, becoming the defensive quality control coach (1997-98) on Dave Wannstedt’s staff.
Next, it was on to Philadelphia, as Andy Reid became the Eagles head coach, hiring Rivera to his staff as the linebackers coach (1999-2003).
Lovie Smith became the Bears’ head coach in 2004 and hired Rivera as defensive coordinator (2004-06). Led by LB Brian Urlacher, the 2006 Bears won the NFC before losing to the Colts in the Super Bowl.
Norv Turner took over as Chargers head coach in 2007, and Rivera was hired to coach the linebackers before moving up to the defensive coordinator (2008-2010).
At age 49 in 2011, Rivera began a nine-year run as Carolina Panthers head coach. He had three winning seasons, including going 15-1 on the way to Super Bowl 50 in the 2015 season. But with only three winning seasons total, Rivera was fired during the 2019 season by then-new owner David Tepper.
Four losing seasons followed with Washington as head coach and head of player personnel.
Rivera has 13 years as head coach under his belt. Though only three were winning seasons, Rams HC Sean McVay may be considering that Rivera’s overall breadth of experience could be of value to the Rams staff.
McMahon was Ron Rivera’s teammate on the 1985 Bears’ Super Bowl squad.
What quarterback — past or present — would you compare Washington Commanders QB Sam Howell to?
Names such as Baker Mayfield, Drew Brees, and even Colt McCoy were some of the names mentioned when discussing Howell’s size and style of play.
Obviously, Washington fans are hoping for Brees, but that’s a high bar. After all, Howell has 19 career passing attempts.
Kay Adams of FanDuel was in Ashburn Wednesday for training camp. Adams interviewed multiple Commanders, including Antonio Gibson, Chase Young, Sam Howell, Jahan Dotson and head coach Ron Rivera.
When Adams talked to Rivera, she asked him if there was a quarterback that he’d been around that Howell reminds him of.
Rivera’s answer: Former Chicago Bears quarterback Jim McMahon.
McMahon was Rivera’s teammate — and starting quarterback — on one of the greatest teams in NFL history, the 1985 Chicago Bears. McMahon was one of the most colorful personalities of the 1980s.
“You know, he’s got a little bit of Jim McMahon, a little bit of that gunslinger in him in terms of the arm……….. I’m talking about the moxie,” Rivera said. Adams loved the comparison, which Rivera explained further.
Moxie like Jim McMahon? Pocket moves like…
Ron Rivera had some interesting comps for his QB Sam Howell 👀
“He’s a little bit quieter, you know what I’m saying; he’s a little more reserved. He’s got great movement in the pocket, reminds me a little bit of Drew Brees, but again, I’m not comparing him to Drew Brees; I’m just saying he reminds me of Drew because [of how] he moves” [in the pocket.]
Rivera then praised Howell’s arm strength.
“He’s got a really live arm, he throws a good deep ball, very accurate underneath and he’s got a quick release,” Rivera said.
Not a bad scouting report from his head coach.
The Commanders open the preseason next Friday against the Cleveland Browns.
Seahawks great Doug Baldwin for one says debating the two is silly.
The two best defensive units in the NFL over the last decade were the 2013 Seattle Seahawks and the 2015 Denver Broncos.
While Denver’s D was formidable that season, it doesn’t compare to the run that Seattle’s all-time great units had. No other team in history has led the league in scoring defense four years in a row. As for that specific 2013 unit, they utterly dominated that best scoring offense ever in the Super Bowl en route to a 35-point win. That puts them on another level of domination not seen on this side of the ball since the Chicago Bears in 1985 – the consensus greatest defense of all time.
Seahawks great Doug Baldwin for one says debating 2015 Denver vs. 2013 Seattle is silly.
“One of the cool things about having you as coach is you get to give us a glimpse of playing on one of the legendary Bears teams. Not asking you to make any comparisons, but the team that you have, the defense and the characters, the people you have now on this team: Do you have any similarities between the times when you were with Dan Hampton, the Fridge, Jim McMahon. I mean there are characters on this team too. Sometimes do you laugh at some of the similarities?”
Bless Ron Rivera; he reflexively went along with the question and answered in the affirmative. But as he was answering the question, I couldn’t help but notice Rivera never compared the games, the results, the type of games, beatdowns, etc.
RR: “I do; there are some things that do remind me. I’ll start with Buddy (Ryan). Buddy spoke his mind, and that is what I get with Jack (Del Rio). He is honest, upfront, and speaks his mind.
Jack’s on us up front, and he speaks his mind. I think that’s cool. I think it’s important for the players to know where they stand. You sit there, and you look at some of the personalities that we have on that defensive line, and you know, Jonathan [Allen] reminds me an awful lot of a [Hall of Fame Chicago Bears Defensive Lineman] Dan Hampton type guy. He really does. He’s a tough hombre type of guy, and that’s what you get with Jonathan. You get that toughness. You got a little bit of that gunslinger when you talk about Taylor [Heinicke], and you compare that to Mac [Former Bears QB Jim McMahon] in terms of personalities, I mean each team has its own personality, and we got some guys with personalities.”
Well, the Commanders are 7-5-1 after 13 games. The ’85 Bears didn’t lose until their 13th game, a road MNF game in Miami 38-24. They only had three games all season they did not win by at least two scores.
I was age 22 during that 1985 NFL season. The Bears were the most dominant team I had ever seen. The 1972 Dolphins had won every game, finishing 17-0, beating Washington 14-7 in SB VII. Yet, that Bears team not only beat teams, they often humiliated them. Many games were a beatdown.
How good were the 1985 Bears? Washington was 10-6 that season. But when they went to Chicago, the Bears embarrassed them 45-10. Dallas also finished 10-6, so when the Bears went to Dallas they humiliated the Cowboys on national TV 44-0.
How good was the ’85 Bears defense? Their starting quarterback Jim McMahon had a TD/INT ratio of only 15:11. Yet, he won all 11 games he started. When McMahon was injured, the Bears backup Steve Fuller had a TD/INT ratio 1:5. Yes, you read that correctly, 1 TD to 5 INT. Yet the Bears went 4-1 in those five games.
When they reached the playoffs, facing the best the NFC had to offer, the Bears shut out the Giants 21-0 and then the Rams 24-0. Then in Super Bowl XX, they destroyed the Patriots 46-10. Consequently, the ’85 Bears outscored their postseason opponents 91-10.
In this week’s Throwback Thursday, the Bears were shocked by the Dolphins, losing their only game of their legendary 1985 season.
Every Thursday throughout the 2021 regular season, Bears Wire will take a look back at some of the most memorable moments in Chicago Bears history that occurred on or near that given day.
December 2nd, 1985: Chicago Bears get shocked by the Miami Dolphins, lose only game of the season to end undefeated streak
When it comes to the 1985 Super Bowl champion Chicago Bears, there weren’t many blemishes from that special season. In fact, there’s really just one game that stands out in a negative way. I’m talking, of course, about the prime-time loss to the Miami Dolphins that ended the undefeated season.
The Bears were still without starting quarterback Jim McMahon, who had missed the last three weeks due to an injury, meaning Steve Fuller would once again get the start. But the matchup everyone wanted to see was the Bears’ suffocating defense against Dan Marino. Surprisingly, Marino won this battle in a knockout.
Miami decided to roll Marino out of the pocket more frequently to avoid the Bears pass rush and it worked to perfection. Marino was able to easily connect with his receivers and struck first, finding Nat Moore for a 33-yard touchdown. Fuller and the Bears responded in kind, scoring a touchdown of their own when the quarterback called his own number to get into the endzone. Unlike the Bears previous two games where they combined to shutout their opponents 80-0, they knew this one was going to be different.
Early in the second quarter, the Dolphins kept coming and took a 17-7 lead, putting the Bears in a spot they’re not accustomed to being in. By halftime, the Dolphins had this game wrapped up, leading 31-10. The mood was tense in Chicago’s locker room, with reports of head coach Mike Ditka and defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan going at it after Ditka tried to meddle in defensive affairs, which Ryan didn’t appreciate.
Chicago trimmed the lead early in the third quarter thanks to another Fuller touchdown run, but the Dolphins responded right away with their own scoring drive to keep their 21-point lead. Marino had himself a day, throwing for 270 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. It was the best performance a quarterback had against the legendary defense.
Though Fuller finally threw a passing touchdown later in the quarter, he was removed near the end of the game for McMahon. Fuller finished the day 11-for-21 with 169 yards, one touchdown and two picks. McMahon also threw an interception, attempting just six passes. The only standout offensive performer was Walter Payton, who accumulated 121 yards on 23 carries.
The Bears wound up losing 38-24 for their one and only loss of the 1985 season. To make matters more interesting, they recorded their famous “Super Bowl Shuffle” the very next day, despite some concerns about the optics coming off a loss. It turned out to be the thing they needed though, as they wouldn’t lose another game en route to their first Super Bowl title.
In “Mad Mac: The Jim McMahon Story,” dive into the former Bear’s career and the years following as he dealt with injuries and CTE.
Former Chicago Bears quarterback and Super Bowl champion Jim McMahon has always been known to bend the rules and march to the beat of his own drum. Whether it was ignoring play calls from head coach Mike Ditka or plastering the name of former NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle’s name on a headband, McMahon was one of the most unique individuals in football.
Now, a new documentary focused on the “punky QB” dives into those moments during McMahon’s career and the subsequent years following as he dealt with injuries and Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE).
“Mad Mac: The Jim McMahon Story” details the former quarterback’s rise to prominence with the Bears with engaging interviews and never-before-seen footage. Directed by C.J. Wallis, the documentary features interviews such as sportscaster Dan Patrick, head coach Andy Reid, former Super Bowl champion Joe Namath, teammate Steve McMichael and many more. The film is scheduled to debut in late 2021 or early 2022.
A special private screening was held in mid-August at the new Hard Rock Northern Indiana, showing an extended 30-minute clip of the documentary. The clip centered around McMahon’s season in 1985 and all of the trials and tribulations of navigating the road to Super Bowl XX while in the limelight.
A Q&A session was held with fans as well and the event featured a special performance by the Chicago 6 band, headlined by 1985 Bears legends Dan Hampton and Otis Wilson.
Jim McMahon (center) on stage with Dan Hampton (left) and Otis Wilson (right) at the Hard Rock Northern Indiana.
When asked about the documentary and what stands out in comparison to other pieces surrounding the 1985 Bears, McMahon stressed fans will hear from new people and gain different perspectives.
“When C.J. called, I asked him, ‘What’s going to be different that hasn’t been done?'” McMahon told Bears Wire. “He said he wanted to come at it from a different angle, talk with different people. He’s talked to a ton of them, not just football players. Actors, baseball guys, just people I’ve run into over the years. I haven’t seen the full thing yet so I’m looking forward to it.”
Wallis, who has directed other documentaries such as “Perfect Bid: The Contestant Who Knew Too Much” and “Stu’s Show,” has been working on the film for nearly a year and wants to showcase how vital McMahon was to the Bears, even though he might not have gotten the recognition some of his teammates did.
“I feel like he was under-appreciated from watching the footage,” Wallis told Bears Wire. “A lot of people don’t give him the credit that he deserved.”
During the sneak peek of the film, McMahon and Wallis detailed some of the off-field storylines, from the lightheartedness of the Super Bowl shuffle leadup to the frightening death threats he received leading up to Super Bowl XX in New Orleans. McMahon wasn’t fazed by any of it though.
“I just blew it off. I knew all I had to do was play and win,” he said. “We did that, everything would go away. It didn’t go away, but I didn’t really give a [expletive] what was going on. All that stuff you do off the field didn’t really matter to me. It’s what you do when you’re on the field and on the field we did alright.”
While the off-field antics certainly get plenty of attention, McMahon’s play on the field deserves just as much. The documentary highlights plenty of on-field moments, notably the comeback victory against the Minnesota Vikings in 1985.
“The Minnesota game was obviously a highlight, the way things turned out,” McMahon said. “I don’t remember a lot of games, but that’s one I remember because I see it all the time anyone shows something about me, they show that game. But every game was special to me. Just being able to play. When I couldn’t play, that sucked and I hated it.”
Jonathan Daniel /Allsport
McMahon didn’t get to play in the Minnesota game to start as he was dealing with injuries, but wanted to get the game. Trailing 17-9 in midway through the third quarter, he got his wish. McMahon found his way into the huddle and managed to throw three touchdowns on seven attempts to lead the Bears to a win. It was one of the catalysts early in the season that led them to their historic record and Super Bowl victory.
The documentary doesn’t end with McMahon partying in New Orleans, though. It dives deeper into his later years and how injuries affected him throughout the rest of his career and beyond, beginning the very next season.
In 1986, McMahon and the Bears were rolling through the NFC yet again, though the quarterback had been dealing with injuries to his rotator cuff.
“I played six games with no labrum in my shoulder,” McMahon said. “Every time I moved my arm, it would pop out of its socket. Then finally we play Green Bay, I get dunked on my head. We get a bye week so I go out to Los Angeles and see Frank Jobe and he tells me my arm is coming out of my socket. All [the Bears doctors] did was keep shooting me so I could play. I was amazed I was able to play after that. The damage I did to my shoulder playing like that was beyond repair.”
McMahon getting “dunked” in Green Bay was the infamous hit by nose tackle Charles Martin, a hit that impacted McMahon for the rest of his playing career which is also a major moment in the documentary. From that point on until Martin’s death in 2005, McMahon never reconciled with the former defender.
“I never talked to him,” McMahon said. “Never wanted to.”
Though McMahon never reached again the heights of quarterbacking the Bears to a Super Bowl, he stuck around the league for 15 years jumping on with various teams. Only seven of those years were with the Bears, though, and McMahon pinpointed the moment when he realized he didn’t want to be in Chicago anymore.
When asked about the possibility of the McCaskey family selling the team, McMahon says it’s past due.
“I said it 35 years ago that they should sell the team,” McMahon said. “There’s so many great fans of the game in Chicago that want to buy the team and make them competitive every year.”
The former Bears quarterback then detailed a meeting he had with then-president Michael McCaskey about his motives for the team.
“I had one meeting with Mike McCaskey when he was president. He told me ‘we don’t really care if we’re in the playoffs every year as long as our stadium’s full,'” McMahon said. “That’s when I knew I didn’t want to play there anymore. I’m a player. We only have so many years to play. We want to win. We don’t give a [expletive] about your stadium being full.”
While he doesn’t necessarily care about the stadium being full, McMahon does believes the Bears’ rumored move to Arlington Heights would be a great decision.
“That would be a great move for the fans,” he said. “They’ve been renting that stadium forever, they don’t even own it. Seems like every other team has their own stadium, but the Bears rent theirs.”
If McMahon had his way, the ownership group would change and the Bears would own their new, state-of-the-art stadium.
“Mad Mac: The Jim McMahon Story” will give fans a deeper insight into the quarterback they loved and appreciated throughout the 1980s. From the highs to the lows, it’s sure to teach everyone something new about McMahon and the tumultuous life he lived both during and after his playing days.
Unfortunately for the Chicago Bears, there isn’t a lot about the present or that has happened in the last 35 years that gives a whole lot of joy.
“I don’t believe in living in the past. The past is for cowards. If you live in the past, you die in the past.” – Mike Ditka
Unfortunately for the Chicago Bears, there isn’t a lot about the present or that has happened in the last 35 years that gives a whole lot of joy.
Today marks 35 years since the Bears won their only Super Bowl, a 46-10 thrashing of the New England Patriots. If you’re reading this you’re already aware that the Bears have been back just once since and aside from the opening kickoff, there wasn’t a whole lot else that went right that evening in Miami.
I wasn’t even born yet when the Bears won that Super Bowl, but it remains as beloved of team as any the NFL has ever seen.
On a snowy day in Chicagoland where snow is falling from every direction, let’s take a look back at 10 things you may have forgotten about that special day in The Big Easy.
