Steve McMichael is the seventh member of the 1985 Bears to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Chicago Bears great Steve McMichael has done his waiting, but he’s finally joining his 1985 Bears teammates in football immortality. McMichael was one of three Bears named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2024, along with Devin Hester and Julius Peppers.
McMichael becomes the seventh member of the ’85 Bears to be inducted into the Hall of Fame — joining Walter Payton, Mike Singletary, Dan Hampton, Richard Dent, Jim Covert and Mike Dikta.
McMichael is the fourth player from the legendary ’85 Bears defense, widely considered to be the greatest ever, to be enshrined.
“For Steve to be in the Hall of Fame, it means that we’re together again in a place that no one can take away from him,” Singletary told the Sun-Times. “In the football world, he’s finally home.”
McMichael has been waiting a long time to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, and unfortunately time isn’t on his side. McMichael has been battling ALS for the last couple of years. He revealed his diagnosis in April 2021, and he’s now full paralyzed and lost his voice.
“It’s a victory with an asterisk,” former Bears safety Gary Fencik said. “We’re happy and celebrating success, but we’re also looking at Steve’s condition.”
McMichael spent 13 seasons with the Bears, where he was a member of the 1985 Super Bowl team. McMichael was a two-time First Team All-Pro, three-time Second Team All-Pro and two-time Pro Bowler. His 92.5 sacks ranks second in franchise history, behind only fellow Hall of Famer Dent (124.5).
“I’m not sure Steve really saw himself as a special player, but the greatest asset that Steve McMichael brought to our team was consistency,” Singletary said. “He was not really concerned about stats. The most important thing was that you always knew, come hell or high water, Steve was gonna do his job.
“For a middle linebacker, I always knew he was gonna be where he was supposed to be, and that takes all the second-guessing out of it. It makes you play that much faster. It makes all the difference in the world.”
“It’s gonna mean the world to them,” said Jim McMahon. “Maybe now he can let go. How he’s survived this long, I don’t know. He’s been through so much, and he’s still here. Hopefully now he hears great news and he can go in peace.”
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.
The last time the Bears selected an offensive lineman in the top 10 of the NFL Draft, they became a Hall of Famer.
For years, the Chicago Bears have neglected the offensive line early on in the NFL Draft. They took swings at some players in the first round within the last two decades, such as Marc Colombo in 2002, Chris Williams in 2008, Gabe Carimi in 2011, and Kyle Long in 2013. Long was the only player to pan out while the other three were busts in the navy and orange. But they were also players mostly picked later in the first round.
That changed with the selection of Tennessee tackle Darnell Wright with the No. 10 overall pick. The Bears traded down one spot with the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for a 2024 fourth-round pick and still got their guy in Wright, who projects to be the team’s starting right tackle almost immediately.
You have to go back 40 years to 1983 to find the last time the Bears spent a top 10 pick on an offensive lineman. That was where they selected Hall of Fame tackle Jimbo Covert with the No. 6 overall pick in what turned out to be a loaded draft class.
Covert was a key player during the Bears’ dominant run in the 1980s. He made multiple Pro Bowls and helped pave running lanes for legendary running back Walter Payton while giving Jim McMahon enough time in the pocket to make plays downfield. Covert helped the Bears win Super Bowl XX and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2020.
Nov 20, 1988; Tampa, FL, USA; Chicago Bears tackle Jimbo Covert (74) in action against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Tampa Stadium. FILE PHOTO; Mandatory Credit: USA TODAY Sports
The Bears sought a solution to help their new franchise quarterback in McMahon (selected one year earlier) stay upright. Covert played left tackle and the offense improved each season he was on the team. They invested in their valuable offensive players and it led to success the Bears haven’t come close to seeing since. Now the 2023 Bears are doing the same thing, drafting one of the top offensive tackles in the draft to help protect Justin Fields.
This certainly isn’t to say Chicago just drafted a future Hall of Fame tackle or that they’ll go on to win the Super Bowl in a couple of years. But the offense improved considerably when top resources went to the offensive line back in the 1980s. For one reason or another, the Bears neglected to spend a top-10 pick on that position over the years, despite having ample opportunities while passing up elite talent that was still on the board. They took a swing this time and the hope is Wright pays dividends for not only Fields, but the rest of the offense as whole.
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Justin Fields made his 12th career start Sunday vs. the Packers. Here’s how he stacks up against other quarterbacks drafted by the Bears.
The Chicago Bears have drafted 32 quarterbacks in the Super Bowl era. Not all of them went on to be starters for the team, as some quarterbacks were drafted to add depth to the quarterback room. Others, like Justin Fields, were drafted to be the face of the franchise.
After 12 starts, it’s hard to tell where Fields is. It’s worth noting that he has shown flashes of greatness in his young career, but he’s also shown a lot of struggles. We’ve seen a lot change for the young quarterback since he hinted at his first preseason game being easy, with this quote: “It was actually kind of slow to me, to be honest.”
With Fields’ 12th start in the books, let’s take a look at where he stacks up with other notable quarterbacks drafted by Chicago, dating back to 1983 with Jim McMahon.
The inept quarterback history of the Bears has been well documented over the last century.
The inept quarterback history of the Chicago Bears has been well documented over their 100+ year span. They’ve never had a 4,000-yard passer and never had a player throw for more than 30 touchdowns in a season.
It’s truly never been a strength of this team, even when they have been winning. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that their quarterbacks who have started in a Super Bowl aren’t exactly barnburners.
A recent ranking of all the quarterbacks who have started a Super Bowl was released by Gregg Rosenthal of Around the NFL on Thursday. Rosenthal ranked all 65 quarterbacks who have started in the Big Game, including Matthew Stafford and Joe Burrow, who will square off for the title next week in Los Angeles.
As you can imagine, the top of the list features Tom Brady and continues with other players such as Peyton Manning, Joe Montana, and Brett Favre, all within the top 10. But where do Jim McMahon and Rex Grossman, the two Bears quarterbacks, fall in the rankings? They’re pretty far down the list.
McMahon comes in at No. 57, trailing behind Doug Williams, Jared Goff, and even current Bears quarterback Nick Foles. McMahon famously quarterbacked the Bears to Super Bowl XX, winning 46-10 against the New England Patriots behind a dominant defensive performance.
The Punky QB had a lengthy career, though he dealt with numerous injuries while with the Bears before bouncing around to other teams. His ranking is pretty dismal, but it’s nothing compared to Grossman’s.
The man with a cannon for an arm comes in at No. 65, good for dead last in Rosenthal’s rankings. Carried by an elite defense, Grossman helped get the Bears to Super Bowl XLI where they fell to the Indianapolis Colts 29-17.
“Grossman only had three seasons where he started more than three games (2006, ’07, 2011), but at least “Sexy Rexy” has a nickname that will live forever.” Rosenthal wrote.
Indeed, his career was short and he dealt with injuries and was benched during his brief Bears run. But he still had enough “wow” moments to nearly bring Chicago another title.
Hopefully soon, another Bears quarterback can be added to this list. Maybe they can even crack the top 50 at some point. But let’s keep it to one miracle at a time.
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.
One of most notable quarterbacks in Chicago Bears history joined the FatMike Chicago Sports Show and had strong criticism for the organization.
Jim McMahon stated in the episode that the Green Bay Packers was the best organization that he has ever played for and went on to say quarterbacks “go to die” in Chicago.
The Super Bowl winning quarterback in Super Bowl XX also mentioned that it was a typical Bears draft move when they traded up to pick Mitchell Trubisky.
After playing for the Bears, McMahon went on to play for the San Diego Chargers, Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings, Arizona Cardinals and finished his career with the Packers.
McMahon played in six games for the Packers and was 4-for-5 on passes with no touchdowns or interceptions. However, in his final season, McMahon would finish his career as a Super Bowl champion.
Even though McMahon was a member of the Packers championship team, he showed up to the White House in his Bears jersey.
Since McMahon’s last season with the Bears in 1988, the Bears have had 35 different starting quarterbacks. Free agent acquisition Andy Dalton will make it 36 quarterbacks.
Trubisky is out of Chicago as he signed this offseason with the Buffalo Bills on a one-year contract.
The NFL Draft is two weeks away, but there’s a good possibility the Bears will be looking to add another quarterback to their roster.
