jason Posted January 26, 2016 Report Share Posted January 26, 2016 On the 30th anniversary of the Bears 1986 SB trouncing of New England, a post I saw somewhere asked the question: "Would the 1985 Bears win it all today?" I think we all believe that team to be the best of all time, but could that collection of talent beat the 2015 teams? For the sake of argument, I'm only talking about whether the defense would dominate. Eight members of the defense were multiple-time probowlers. Only The Fridge, Mike Richardson, and Leslie Frazier were not. That doesn't concern me much since Fridge's role was a run-stuffer/blocker-occupier, and the CB duo of Richardson and Frazier never had to cover anyone more than a second or two. So, could the defense hang? In terms of pure talent, I think that's an unequivocal yes. DEs Some have argued they lack the size. The Broncos of this year, who most closely align with the 85 Bears dominating defense, are an interesting comparison. Their DEs (6'5"-289) and the Bears' DEs (6'5"-264.5) compare well. The scheme differences make this an unequal comparison, but Dent and Hampton were absolute terrors, and HOFers. I'd say they did as well vs the run as the Denver guys, and did much, much better rushing the passer. No comparison. Advantage Bears. LBs This is where there is a substantial difference in size. The Broncos LBs averaged 6'2"-249.5 and the Bears LBs averaged 6'1"-229.3. Twenty pounds is pretty big. In the Bears' defense, however, each of the three were considered excellent in their area. Singletary was one of the most intelligent MLBs of all time, always in the right spot. On top of that, he was as sure a tackler as there ever was. And, oh BTW, he's a HOFer and one of the top couple MLBs of all time. Marshall was a freak of nature, considered by some to be one of the best pass-coverage LBs of all time, and averaged over 100 tackles a season during the season in which he was fully used. Wilson is often overlooked, but he had 10.5 sacks in 1985. Von Miller by comparison? 11. For all the hype and talk, 11 sacks. He's certainly had more consistency, but Wilson had superb pass rushing talent. Demarcus Ware is similar to Miller in that he didn't dominate this year, but he's a better career rusher than Wilson. I think Ware is the only HOFer on the roster. Trevathan and Marshall are no comparison. Samurai is the big difference here, Advantage Bears. Secondary Fencik > Stewart. LOL. Not even close. Duerson > Ward. Closer than the FS battle, but still not close. I'd order them Talib, Richardson, Frazier, Stewart. So it's close to a wash, but the Broncos have the CB edge. Secondary in total? Big difference in safeties, Advantage Bears. I tried to be fair, but honestly there is no comparison overall. The Bears' D would still tear the entire league apart. If the Broncos D can thwart the Patriots, then the Bears D certainly could. And if the piss-poor Falcons can stymie the Panthers offense of Cam Newton, Greg Olsen, and no-names, then certainly the 85 Bears could. Anyone care to make an argument against the Bears offense? How they would be the downfall if playing today? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mongo3451 Posted January 26, 2016 Report Share Posted January 26, 2016 How dare you? Lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason Posted January 27, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2016 How dare you? Lol This is an offshoot of that same article and line of reasoning. I'm not calling it into question. But a lot of people are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZ54 Posted January 27, 2016 Report Share Posted January 27, 2016 Comparing athletes from different eras isn't always fair because sports science has improved a lot over the last 30 years. You just can't directly compare raw performance numbers (weight, speed, etc.). However it's safe to say that if those players were able to take advantage of what we know today in terms of training they'd be just as dominate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adam Posted January 27, 2016 Report Share Posted January 27, 2016 On the 30th anniversary of the Bears 1986 SB trouncing of New England, a post I saw somewhere asked the question: "Would the 1985 Bears win it all today?" I think we all believe that team to be the best of all time, but could that collection of talent beat the 2015 teams? For the sake of argument, I'm only talking about whether the defense would dominate. Eight members of the defense were multiple-time probowlers. Only The Fridge, Mike Richardson, and Leslie Frazier were not. That doesn't concern me much since Fridge's role was a run-stuffer/blocker-occupier, and the CB duo of Richardson and Frazier never had to cover anyone more than a second or two. So, could the defense hang? In terms of pure talent, I think that's an unequivocal yes. DEs Some have argued they lack the size. The Broncos of this year, who most closely align with the 85 Bears dominating defense, are an interesting comparison. Their DEs (6'5"-289) and the Bears' DEs (6'5"-264.5) compare well. The scheme differences make this an unequal comparison, but Dent and Hampton were absolute terrors, and HOFers. I'd say they did as well vs the run as the Denver guys, and did much, much better rushing the passer. No comparison. Advantage Bears. LBs This is where there is a substantial difference in size. The Broncos LBs averaged 6'2"-249.5 and the Bears LBs averaged 6'1"-229.3. Twenty pounds is pretty big. In the Bears' defense, however, each of the three were considered excellent in their area. Singletary was one of the most intelligent MLBs of all time, always in the right spot. On top of that, he was as sure a tackler as there ever was. And, oh BTW, he's a HOFer and one of the top couple MLBs of all time. Marshall was a freak of nature, considered by some to be one of the best pass-coverage LBs of all time, and averaged over 100 tackles a season during the season in which he was fully used. Wilson is often overlooked, but he had 10.5 sacks in 1985. Von Miller by comparison? 11. For all the hype and talk, 11 sacks. He's certainly had more consistency, but Wilson had superb pass rushing talent. Demarcus Ware is similar to Miller in that he didn't dominate this year, but he's a better career rusher than Wilson. I think Ware is the only HOFer on the roster. Trevathan and Marshall are no comparison. Samurai is the big difference here, Advantage Bears. Secondary Fencik > Stewart. LOL. Not even close. Duerson > Ward. Closer than the FS battle, but still not close. I'd order them Talib, Richardson, Frazier, Stewart. So it's close to a wash, but the Broncos have the CB edge. Secondary in total? Big difference in safeties, Advantage Bears. I tried to be fair, but honestly there is no comparison overall. The Bears' D would still tear the entire league apart. If the Broncos D can thwart the Patriots, then the Bears D certainly could. And if the piss-poor Falcons can stymie the Panthers offense of Cam Newton, Greg Olsen, and no-names, then certainly the 85 Bears could. Anyone care to make an argument against the Bears offense? How they would be the downfall if playing today? Jason, nice comparison, I agree that the 85' Bears would beat the Panthers or Broncos. Now what about the Seahawks? I know they got pounded in the 1st half, but I think they match up, player for player a little better with the 85 Bears. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madlithuanian Posted January 27, 2016 Report Share Posted January 27, 2016 They easily dominate... Next! On the 30th anniversary of the Bears 1986 SB trouncing of New England, a post I saw somewhere asked the question: "Would the 1985 Bears win it all today?" I think we all believe that team to be the best of all time, but could that collection of talent beat the 2015 teams? For the sake of argument, I'm only talking about whether the defense would dominate. Eight members of the defense were multiple-time probowlers. Only The Fridge, Mike Richardson, and Leslie Frazier were not. That doesn't concern me much since Fridge's role was a run-stuffer/blocker-occupier, and the CB duo of Richardson and Frazier never had to cover anyone more than a second or two. So, could the defense hang? In terms of pure talent, I think that's an unequivocal yes. DEs Some have argued they lack the size. The Broncos of this year, who most closely align with the 85 Bears dominating defense, are an interesting comparison. Their DEs (6'5"-289) and the Bears' DEs (6'5"-264.5) compare well. The scheme differences make this an unequal comparison, but Dent and Hampton were absolute terrors, and HOFers. I'd say they did as well vs the run as the Denver guys, and did much, much better rushing the passer. No comparison. Advantage Bears. LBs This is where there is a substantial difference in size. The Broncos LBs averaged 6'2"-249.5 and the Bears LBs averaged 6'1"-229.3. Twenty pounds is pretty big. In the Bears' defense, however, each of the three were considered excellent in their area. Singletary was one of the most intelligent MLBs of all time, always in the right spot. On top of that, he was as sure a tackler as there ever was. And, oh BTW, he's a HOFer and one of the top couple MLBs of all time. Marshall was a freak of nature, considered by some to be one of the best pass-coverage LBs of all time, and averaged over 100 tackles a season during the season in which he was fully used. Wilson is often overlooked, but he had 10.5 sacks in 1985. Von Miller by comparison? 11. For all the hype and talk, 11 sacks. He's certainly had more consistency, but Wilson had superb pass rushing talent. Demarcus Ware is similar to Miller in that he didn't dominate this year, but he's a better career rusher than Wilson. I think Ware is the only HOFer on the roster. Trevathan and Marshall are no comparison. Samurai is the big difference here, Advantage Bears. Secondary Fencik > Stewart. LOL. Not even close. Duerson > Ward. Closer than the FS battle, but still not close. I'd order them Talib, Richardson, Frazier, Stewart. So it's close to a wash, but the Broncos have the CB edge. Secondary in total? Big difference in safeties, Advantage Bears. I tried to be fair, but honestly there is no comparison overall. The Bears' D would still tear the entire league apart. If the Broncos D can thwart the Patriots, then the Bears D certainly could. And if the piss-poor Falcons can stymie the Panthers offense of Cam Newton, Greg Olsen, and no-names, then certainly the 85 Bears could. Anyone care to make an argument against the Bears offense? How they would be the downfall if playing today? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madlithuanian Posted January 27, 2016 Report Share Posted January 27, 2016 Put the pipe down Adam! 85 Bears destroy the Shehawks... Let's not forget who was on offense too... Jason, nice comparison, I agree that the 85' Bears would beat the Panthers or Broncos. Now what about the Seahawks? I know they got pounded in the 1st half, but I think they match up, player for player a little better with the 85 Bears. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason Posted January 28, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 28, 2016 THIRD?! http://bearswire.usatoday.com/2016/01/28/8...bowl-team-ever/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madlithuanian Posted January 28, 2016 Report Share Posted January 28, 2016 Pardon my French...but freakin BULLSHIT! I could stomach SF for argument's sake at 1...but WASH 2? F off whoever wrote that! Um, they lost 2 games at minimum! THIRD?! http://bearswire.usatoday.com/2016/01/28/8...bowl-team-ever/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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