Dennis McKinnon is among the more revered wide receivers in Chicago Bears history. Not so much because he was prolific on the stat sheet. He topped 700 yards just once in his career. It was more his clutch playmaking skill and unselfishness that keeps him close to the hearts of fans to this day. Being a member of the vaunted 1985 Bears certainly doesn’t hurt either.
Since retiring McKinnon has kept close tabs on the team over the years, appearing as a special guest on local news channels to offer his thoughts. This year has to be of particular interest to him. Why? The Bears made arguably the largest infusion of wide receivers to their roster in recent memory via both free agency and the draft.
McKinnon, being a former receiver who had success in Chicago, would be a valuable opinion to get. While he’s excited about the additions made and where the Bears offense is pointed, he’s a particular fan of rookie second round pick Anthony Miller. His reason? Surprisingly it has nothing to do with catching the football.
Dennis McKinnon loves Miller’s embracing of the art of blocking
One of the unsung values of Miller as a player is that he’s not just about receptions and yards. He loves to block. That’s something rare for a wide receiver. Yet the tape shows he not only did it at Memphis but did it well. He explained his mindset in this regard as to why it’s such a big deal.
Subscribe to the BFR Youtube channel and ride shotgun with Dave and Ficky as they break down Bears football like nobody else.
“If they don’t have that physical element, then you know that’s a chunk, a chunk of the game that they don’t have, you know what I mean? I feel like the game’s not all finesse, you know you’ve got to stick your nose in there sometimes.
“So you can’t be a pretty boy.”
Few men know this better than McKinnon. The Bears in the 1980s were a running football team. That meant the wide receivers were expected to do their part. McKinnon embraced this philosophy and was a key reason the team led the league in rushing for half the decade. It’s also why his favorite memory in Chicago wasn’t any of his big catches but a block.
He told John Mullin of NBC Sports Chicago that the de-cleater he had on New York Giants all-time linebacker Lawrence Taylor in 1986 remains his favorite memory. In fact, the Chicago Tribune noted that exact moment after the game, one that got Taylor so furious he tried to pick a fight with the entire Bears sideline.
“Fullback Matt Suhey was the first Bear to get under the skin of New York Giants` All-Pro linebacker Lawrence Taylor.
By the end of Sunday`s game, Taylor and Bears` coach Mike Ditka were exchanging unpleasantries.
“He wanted to fight everybody on the sidelines,“ Bears` tight end Emery Moorehead said of Taylor. “Too bad, because he`s really a great player.“
When Dennis McKinnon flattened Taylor with a legal crackback block in the final two minutes, Taylor lost whatever poise he had left and went after McKinnon with a cheap shot on the next play.”
It wasn’t easy to get under the skin of someone like Taylor. McKinnon had steadily chipped away at him over the course of the day. First it was with two big touchdown catches to give the Bears a commanding 21-0 lead. Then came the block as the final straw. McKinnon must have no doubt that Miller will end up having that same type of impact.
Bears fans can only hope.
