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OK, not Mr. Perry himself, but as more and more comes out on the possible reasons that Coach Smith decided to let Ron Rivera go, things start pointing to the 85 Bears as the reason.
We Chicago fans, love our Bears, but did the love for those Bears put undue stress and responsibility on Coach Smith?
Almost as soon as Coach Smith started putting his defense in place and we started seeing the results, the comparisons started and they didn't stop. Is Urlacher as good as Singletary? How does Smith stack up to Dikta? Even during the Super Bowl, people seemed more interested in asking about the 85 Bears instead of this year's Bears. I bet Lovie was begging for more Rex Grossman questions on media day.
When Ron Rivera was announced as defensive coordinator, Smith and his crew were invited to a gathering with the 85 Bears. Smith sat quietly in the back as the old timers gave this year's team their blessing, like it was needed.
Twice in the past 2 years, Rivera wanted to bring on board Leslie Fraizer, who as you recall was also a member of the 85 Bears and led the team in interceptions that year with 6. Even back in the Dick Jauron days, he was trashed by the media for not bringing Mike Singletary on board as a coach. Good ol Wanny after leaving has spoken a couple of times about is respect for Dikta, but also how the comparison is a monster to deal with.
Could the 85 Bears be overstepping their bounds in trying to be a part of this team or when history writes about this team, they want their names to be mentioned? Could those Bears be worried that if Coach Smith's squad wins a Super Bowl that the city of Chicago will forget them or think of them less? Is this the reason Smith is distancing himself from all things 85?
I don't know the answers to all these questions and I certainly don't know what transpired between Smith and Rivera, but if any of the assertions that have been made about the 85 Bears are true, then I would have to wonder if they have any idea about what it is like to be a Bears fan. We don't forget, to this day we still talk about Butkus and Bill George. Most still talk about Sid Luckman being our best QB to this day. Maybe they just don't want to share the spotlight.
In the end it probably was them jut going 'different directions', but more and more points elsewhere.