RIP Dave Duerson

With the commissionership comes a Ph. D. in advanced hypocrisy.

 

Goddamit, this is mind-boggling. I'm already cringing in anticipation of the whitewash treatment that will come from the league office.

 

Let's hope DeMaurice Smith will not sell out retirees like his predecessor did.

What's mind-boggling is the tragedy surrounding the '85 Bears. First Walter, now Duerson. Chances are the Fridge will soon make three significant members of that team dead by 50.

 

Todd Bell was a year-long holdout from that team. Also dead. Heart attack while driving.

 

Dead by 50 is about the average for football players, isn't it?

 

Holy shit, did not know that. Along with Al Harris, that holdout turned out to be one of the dumbest in sports history.

 

I don't get how anyone could think this is anything but a negotiating ploy.

"Owners, you have to give up something too!!!"

"Ah, OK . . . I guess we'll drop this whole 18-game thing. Man, what a sacrifice!"

 

Yep. Cost himself a ring. And portended the full flexing of the Halas/McCaskey cheapskate genes that would demolish that defense, in record time.

 

That might be believable if he weren't so persistent about it, using the ubiquity of "the fans" as justification. Then, it's the same commissioner who won't budge on an iron-fisted blackout rule during a recession trending toward depression, offshore regular season games, European Super Bowls, lorded over the deep-dicking ticket fiasco two weeks ago, so on, so forth. Greed is good, for Roger and friends.

 

Yep, and he was coming off a Pro Bowl season in 84. That 85 Bear team was arguably the greatest defense ever, yet they should've been even better. They had another All Pro safety sitting at home.

 

It's the most beloved single-season team in the history of the league, Bears fan or not.

 

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