It’s been a brutal offseason for the Chicago Bears. They went from dreams of Russell Wilson to locking in Andy Dalton as their Week 1 next year starter. Chicago fans reacted as you might expect, and who can blame them? And now their former Super Bowl-winning quarterback Jim McMahon is here to pile on. He recently appeared on 1252 Sports and didn’t mince words.
When McMahon was asked which franchise he thought was the best to play for, he didn’t hesitate to say the Green Bay Packers:
“It was the best team, or the best organization, that I’ve played for of the seven teams I’ve played for,” McMahon said. “By far. From top to bottom it was great people.”
What a dagger right through the heart of Bears fans everywhere. It’s like if Brett Favre said the Minnesota Vikings were the superior franchise. McMahon is best known for being the Bears quarterback from 1982-88. But he also played for the San Diego Chargers, Philadelphia Eagles, Vikings, Arizona Cardinals, Cleveland Browns, and the Packers. He played his final two seasons in Green Bay and retired after the 1996 season.
He was the starting quarterback for the last Bears team to win a Super Bowl, a title Bears fans still bring up as if it was yesterday instead of 1986. Let me clarify: McMahon was the starting quarterback for the ONLY Bears team to win a Super Bowl.
Having the long-tenured, Super Bowl-winning Chicago legend say the Packers were the best franchise he played for in his career when he was a backup in Green Bay for two years is just tremendous audio. It’s sweet music. Let’s not forget that McMahon also scooped up a ring with the Packers when they beat the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXI. Perhaps he even cherishes that ring a little more. Who knows?
As if that wasn’t enough, when Chicago’s current quarterback situation came up, McMahon didn’t have much input on whether the Bears should’ve stuck it out with Mitchell Trubisky or if the Dalton signing was a solid move. Instead, he responded by saying:
“I think it’s where quarterbacks go to die.”
What a cherry on top. Should we feel bad for posting this article? There are some genuine feelings of pity for Chicago fans percolating inside me right now.
First, the only starting quarterback to ever win a title in Chicago says playing for the Packers was a better experience, even though he was a backup. Then he calls Chicago a quarterback graveyard.
He may have a point, though.
We all know Green Bay’s narrative. Two primary starting quarterbacks since the early 1990s: Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers. A fairytale scenario that any NFL franchise would sign up for. One Hall of Fame quarterback getting the torch taken away and given to another Hall of Fame quarterback. Watch Jordan Love be the next in line.
Meanwhile, it’s been a mess in Chicago.
Names like Rex Grossman and Kyle Orton come to mind. Chicago fans still have nightmares about the Caleb Hanie game in the 2011 NFC Championship game against the Packers. Sprinkle in some Cade McNown and Brian Griese and top it all off with the Mitchell Trubisky era.
Jay Cutler was the most successful of the bunch since the early 1990s, and even he had more than his fair share of struggles in Chicago.
Meanwhile, Green Bay transitioned from one Super Bowl-winning MVP quarterback to another Super Bowl-winning MVP quarterback.
Let’s beat this dead horse into the ground just a little more. When asked what the Bears should do in the NFL Draft in a couple of weeks, McMahon could not have sounded more disinterested if he tried.
“I don’t know, don’t watch them, don’t care. I wouldn’t know what they need or who they’re thinking of drafting.”
Hey Jim, even if you don’t watch them and don’t care, it’s always a safe bet to assume the Bears need a quarterback. And, as luck would have it, they might be in the market for another one in this year’s draft.
Tip of the cap to Jim McMahon for showering dirt over the casket.
