Jim McMahon is a guy who never shies away from having an opinion. He honestly doesn’t care what other people think. He’ll be heard one way or another. That’s a big reason so many Chicago Bears fans love him to this day. Often his strongest statements have been reserved for people he’s butted head with including his former head coach Mike Ditka. However, people forget how much the “Punky QB” hated Michael McCaskey.
For those who don’t recall, he was the oldest grandchild of George Halas. The man who took over as team president of the Bears when the iconic owner died in 1983. It didn’t take him long to start asserting his authority over the roster. He assumed GM duties in the mid-1980s and began to half frequent disagreements with Ditka for the types of players being acquired.
McMahon sensed the problem with the eventual team Chairman almost right away. Where Halas didn’t mind players with personality and fiery character, McCaskey was the complete opposite.
He ripped Ditka — nicknaming him “Sybil” after a TV character with 16 personalities — and team Chairman Mike McCaskey every chance he got. In his autobiography, he declared that McCaskey would prefer a team of robots: “Then everything would go along peacefully. You might not win many games, but at least there would be no headbands.”
Jim McMahon was proven correct as McCaskey gained more influence
All one has to do is evaluate McCaskey’s draft work in the late 1980s and into the 1990s. More and more the Bears started selecting players who, while physically gifted weren’t always known for their outspokenness. They tended to have more reserved personalities. Guys who could be called good soldiers. They’re quiet and do as they’re told. That can be fine at times, but history shows championship teams can’t be built with those alone.
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- Brad Muster over Thurman Thomas.
- Stan Thomas over Brett Favre.
- Dave Wannstedt over Bill Parcells.
- Curtis Conway over Jerome Bettis.
- Walt Harris over Ray Lewis.
- Curtis Enis over Randy Moss.
- Dick Jauron over Brian Billick.
Whether it was acquiring players or head coaches, McCaskey avoided names that looked like they might talk to the cameras a bit too much or draw unwanted attention like the plague. Even if that meant sacrificing significant potential in terms of talent. It wasn’t until after he was forced to relinquish his power over the roster by his mother Virginia McCaskey that the Bears finally got back on track. The same year that happened, they drafted Brian Urlacher and Mike Brown.
It seems McMahon was right on the money.
