Richard Dent knows a thing or two about what winning teams are supposed to look like. He was part of every notable Chicago Bears team that made the playoffs from 1984 to 1991. Then after leaving in 1994, he joined the San Francisco 49ers and helped them win a Super Bowl as well. So the man is well-versed in what great teams are supposed to look like.
That's why his words on this current Bears team going into 2019 are so meaningful. He's been following them like everybody else since GM Ryan Pace laid the foundations back in 2015. He has seen the growing pains, the successes, the failures, and how much closer the players seem to become with each passing day, week, and month.
So for him to compare this group to the one he played with back in 1984 and 1985? That says a lot. Not just about where they're at, but where they might be headed in the near future.
“To me, this team looks just like us in ’84, ’85. We really started to jell, to be the best that we can be. We beat one another, and when you beat one another, no one else can beat you but yourself. That’s what drove us to be the best that we can be.
You can’t double everybody. That’s just like us.”
Richard Dent has a point about this Chicago Bears group
Obviously people will balk at the idea that this Bears team is anywhere close to the 1985 group. However, there are similarities to the 1984 version. That team won in much the same way the 2018 Bears did. They had the best defense in the NFL led by a vicious pass rush. They won the division championship for the first time in seven seasons. Last but not least, their playoff run ended at the hands of a recent Super Bowl champion.
Those lessons they learned were vital in helping transform that group into what the '85 team became. The general feeling around this 2019 team is similar. They're still a fun-loving group, but beneath the surface one can feel a greater confidence and greater sense of purpose from them. All their other goals have been achieved. The only thing left is a Super Bowl.
Dent knew what that feeling did for his team 34 years ago. Will it deliver again?
