Call it a conspiracy theory, but to this day, I can't figure out how a team that finished 5-11 and looked putrid much of the time could rise up and beat the AFC-leading Pittsburgh Steelers 30-6. The Pittsburgh contest at Soldier Field happened to be Mike Singletary's last game, and it was interesting to see the team pull out all stops to defeat them. And look horrible for the other eight of the final nine games of 1992. This leads one to wonder, did some of the players quit on the coach?

A player that definitely didn't quit on the coach was Steve McMichael. The day after Ditka's firing, the ever-quotable McMichael called January 5th a "dark day in professional athletics." "Mike Ditka is the embodiment of professional football, and for him to be fired is a travesty," McMichael said. "I played hard for that man, I really did. And it made quite a difference when it's the fourth quarter and you're dead tired, and there's nothing but pride standing on that sideline," he said. Former Bear Dan Hampton chimed in to the defense of his former coach, stating "if they're going to use a vacuum cleaner in Chicago, they're going to need some extra big bags. That team laid down like a bunch of dogs..." Who in particular would Hampton have been referring to?

Neal Anderson had a publicized rift with Ditka in 1991, but he and others such as Jim Harbaugh were too professional, in this writer's opinion, to "lay down." Hampton may have been referring to Richard Dent. Dent always took offense to Ditka's cute habit of referring to him as "Robert" Dent. Dent held out prior to the 1993 season, and offered some insight to his relationship with Ditka. He told Fred Mitchell of the Chicago Tribune about an incident that occurred following the Bears' 1991 playoff loss to Dallas. "We were coming off the field and Ditka said some things to me and, of course, I said some things back. He called me some things that I don't allow folks to say to me. Later, Ditka said one of us has to go, and Mike McCaskey had a meeting with me and Ditka and Bill Tobin. That's when I told them to get me out of here," Dent said. Whether this situation impacted Dent's play in 1992 is pure speculation, and the coach's benching of players such as Harbaugh, Anderson, Roper, Carrier and Stinson couldn't have helped morale. But one has to wonder what would have happened if the team would have played with the heart they showed against the Steelers.

 

The Hilgenberg Trade: The sticky situation with Jay Hilgenberg's contract during the 1992 preseason would be an ominous sign of things to come during that tumultuous Fall. Hilgenberg was signed as a free agent prior to the 1981 season, served as the backup to veteran Dan Neal from 1981-1983, then went straight to the Pro Bowl from 1985 to 1991. During that time, "Hilgy" was regarded without question as the best center in professional football, despite his "smallish" stature of 6'2" and 260 lbs. In addition to his stellar play, Hilgenberg was incredibly durable, starting an amazing 130 games out of the 132 played since he became the starter midway through 1983. Hilgenberg's contract expired after the 1991 season, and in this final year prior to the advent of free agency in the NFL, players with expired contracts remained the property of their current team. In 1991 Hilgenberg made $560,000, and as 1992's training camp opened, Hilgenberg was a holdout. Hilgenberg and his agent Steve Zucker were asking that the center become the highest-paid player at his position in the league. This figure was reportedly $1.6 million per season. The Bears offered $850,000 and would not budge. This standoff continued throughout training camp, with Zucker making public comments such as "if this were any other player and team, we wouldn't be negotiating this much, but Jay loves Chicago and wants to finish his career with the team for which he's done so much." The Bears, led by VP of Finance Ted Phillips and VP of Player Personnel Bill Tobin, countered that centers didn't make that much in the NFL. The situation reached a climax on August 28th, the day of Chicago's final preseason game against Dallas. That day, Chicago traded Hilgenberg to the Cleveland Browns for a conditional draft pick in the 1993 draft. The pick would be a second-rounder if Hilgenberg made his eighth-consecutive Pro Bowl, or a fourth-round pick if he didn't. The Bears would eventually receive a fourth-round pick, as the only Hilgenberg to make the 1992 Pro Bowl was Jay's brother Joel, who played for New Orleans. After the trade, Hilgenberg signed a two-year, $1.8 million deal with the Browns, and varying sources stated the Bears and Zucker were only $100,000 apart. Hilgenberg played one year for Cleveland, and spent his last season backing up brother Joel in New Orleans.

Anthony Morgan: Chicago was desperate for speed at the wide receiver position during the 1991 draft, and were hoping they picked up a "Willie Gault on a budget" when they selected Tennessee's Anthony Morgan in the fifth round. Morgan opened 1991 as a starter and caught 13 passes his rookie season, including a 84 yard catch-and-run at Indianapolis. The team hoped that Morgan would emerge as a true threat in 1992, but due to off-season knee surgery he didn't play until week four against Atlanta. The following week against Tampa, Morgan caught the longest pass of the year, an 83-yard touchdown from Jim Harbaugh. Against Cincinnati on Sunday night, he caught a 46-yard TD strike, and gained 51 yards rushing against Pittsburgh in December. Morgan continued to flash brilliance, but his numbers were still stagnant in 1992, when he caught 14 passes for 323 yards and 2 touchdowns. The following season, the new coach with a love for speed in all areas of the game would attempt to work him in as a starter.

Ditka's Benchings: After two national-TV letdowns in weeks 9 and 10 of the 1992 season, Head Coach Mike Ditka decided to shake up his defensive roster to see if that would motivate his players. Out were linebacker John Roper, safety Mark Carrier and cornerback Lemuel Stinson; starting in their places were Ron Cox, David Tate and Richard Fain. The gamble didn't change any outcomes, as Chicago lost heartbreakers at Tampa 20-17 and vs. Green Bay 17-3. Against Cleveland on November 29, Ditka shifted his shakeup to the offense, starting P.T. Willis at quarterback over veteran Jim Harbaugh and Darren Lewis at halfback instead of Neal Anderson. Lewis supplanted Anderson as the starter for the remainder of the season, and Ditka never went back to Harbaugh as his full-time starter. The result was eight losses in the final nine games of the season.

Ditka's Rage: Mike Ditka's sideline tirade against Jim Harbaugh at Minnesota on October 4th will never be forgotten by Bear fans, and certainly paved his way out of down. Some other choice "Ditka-ism's" from 1992: Addressing the media after the Minnesota game: "After 299 of the plays I've been calm and after one I've been excited. Yet you sonofabitches had to make a big deal out of it. If you want to talk football, talk football. If you think this is a God Damn soap opera, you're full of sh**. Now, what else ya wanna know?" Ditka nearly went into the stands after a heckling fan while walking to the tunnel after the game at Tampa November 15th. Several of his players and coaches restrained him. An animated shouting match was shown on the sidelines during the second half of the Pittsburgh game. Its combatants-Ditka and tackle Stan Thomas. Wouldn't we all like to know what was said...Thomas was supplanted in the lineup by massive rookie Lewis Age for the final two games, and was released prior to the 1993 season by Dave Wannstedt and staff.

Ditka's call-in show on WSCR radio became more and more animated as the season wore on and losses mounted. The coach had a falling out with good friend and one-time radio partner Ed O'Bradovich, and Ditka finally snapped in December. When criticized for his personnel moves by now-infamous caller "Neal from Northlake", Ditka said "What you are I can't say on the air, but I tell you what. My office is at 250 N. Washington...I'm 52 years old, but you come down here and I'll whip your ass." (This coach didn't need anyone to come to his defense against angry callers.)

A new era in the NFC Central began in 1992, with three new head coaches. Sam Wyche took over in Tampa Bay, Dennis Green in Minnesota, and Mike Holmgren in Green Bay. Green Bay and Tampa had been bad for years, while Minnesota reeled primarily from the ill-advised 1989 farm sale for Herschel Walker. Holmgren was hired by new Packer GM Ron Wolf, who had coveted QB Brett Favre at New York in the 1991 draft. One of Wolf's first moves was to trade a first-round pick to Atlanta for Favre, and the rest of that story is history. Wolf's move looks especially smart when looking at the other quarterbacks drafted in the first round that year: David Klingler by Cincinnati and Tommy Maddox by Denver. Dallas completed its turnaround from a 1-15 team in 1989, to securing homefield advantage throughout the playoffs in 1992. The Buffalo Bills won a weak AFC conference, defeating the wildcard Pittsburgh Steelers in the championship game. Dallas upset San Francisco 30-20 in the NFC Championship, then annihilated Buffalo 52-17 in the Super Bowl.