Da Bears!

February 28, 2011
Delsohn provides a fast, unfiltered history of the 1985 Super Bowl Champion Chicago Bears, "the most dominant team" that longtime NFL commentator John Madden claims to have ever seen. To mark that memorable 15-1 season's 25th anniversary, ESPN "Outside the Lines" reporter Delsohn (Talking Irish) tracked down several characters to speak candidly about a season rife with controversy and conflict. We learn that head coach Mike Ditka and defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan rarely spoke to (and often contradicted) each other, quarterback Jim McMahon routinely called audibles on and off the field, and several Bears recorded the seminal "Super Bowl Shuffle" before the playoffs even began. Delsohn grew up in the Windy City and is a Bears fan, but not a fan boy, and his assessment of the team seems fair. Most notably, he addresses the sheer brutality of the Bears' defense, led by middle linebacker Mike Singletary. Many of the Bears' tackles have since been outlawed by the NFL, including the crushing blow right linebacker Wilber Marshall delivered with his helmet to Detroit Lions quarterback Joe Ferguson, who was reportedly knocked unconscious before he hit the ground.

October 1, 2010
The 1985 Chicago Bears rolled through the regular season with a 151 record and demolished three opponents in the playoffs by a combined score of 9110, including a 4610 dismantling of the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl. It was arguably the most dominant NFL team in a generation. Delsohn, currently a reporter for ESPN, provides a context by detailing the process by which the team was assembled, including the then-controversial hiring of head coach Mike Ditka and the retention of defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan. The Ditka-Ryan dynamic was infamously contentious but may have contributed to the internal competitiveness ultimately directed against opponents on Sunday. Quarterback Jim McMahon emerges as a pivotal talent and leader; Delsohn ascribes the teams inability to establish a dynasty to McMahons subsequent injuries. The details of the Ditka-Ryan imbroglio are hilarious in hindsightnot so much at the timeand the insight offered into the teams other dominant personalities (Walter Payton, Richard Dent, Mike Singletary) are also enlightening. Relying primarily on interviews with key participants and secondary sources, Delsohn gives Da Bears a fine tribute on the twenty-fifth anniversary of their triumph.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)