Yeah. When I talk about a team like the Bears of the mid 80s failing to win multiple titles due to the lack of a consistent franchise QB, I definitely also mean a consistently healthy QB.
Like you say, McMahon (when healthy) was one of those guys that was good enough to win with if you had a stacked team. But I’m not sure I’d count him as one of the actual stackers... if that makes sense.
That’s why I put a guy like Aikman above a McMahon in terms of value to an already good team. Aikman helps them be great and stay great... which historically seems really hard to do without a HOF level QB.
Although Butch’s points about the Bears coaching situation turning to shit is also an important factor in the team’s downfall.
I sometimes wonder if Buddy Ryan ever really had the personality to be just a defensive coordinator without causing some kind of discord in the organization. Did he ever really play nice with other coaches?
I mean contrast him with a guy like Dick LaBeau who also had the undivided loyalty of his defensive players, yet could also happily accept his role without ever stepping on the toes of the HC or dividing a locker room.
Can you imagine Buddy Ryan having to work opposite Todd Haley? He would have probably thrown a lot more than one punch, and made Gregg Williams look like Todd’s BFF.
Now THAT’S a Hard Knocks I’d pay to see.
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https://youtu.be/ArHNrCvwq4c
Or maybe it was the other one...