The Bears are the first Super Bowl champion to win their first five games the following season. They are the first National Football League champion to go 5-0 the following season since the 1962 Green Bay Packers, who went 10-0 on their way to 13-1 and a second straight title.
This means nothing other than the fact that Bears have shown no signs of abdicating. A more telling statistic is that they have once again climbed to No. 1 in the league in rushing.
The ability to run the football remains one of the most constant factors in determining solid teams.
Because no teams since the 1978-79 Steelers have won two straight titles, the Bears have been told they can`t do it either. Several reasons are always mentioned, such as complacency, affluence, truancy, jealousy and all manner of unpredictable adversity.
A more basic reason teams have not repeated in the `80s might be their inability to sustain a good running game.
This is another commercial for Walter Payton, the greatest football player of all time and also the greatest running back. With 61 more yards running or receiving against the Oilers on Sunday, Payton will reach yet another milestone in NFL history: 20,000 combined yards rushing, receiving and returning. Let`s hope the 61st yard will come on a run, not a pass, just for the sake of symbolism.
The Bears have led the league in rushing three years in a row. They are the first team to do that since the 1965-67 Cleveland Browns. If they hold onto their lead this year, they will tie their own record set in 1939-42. Bear teams, realizing the essence of good football from the time George Halas invented it, have led the league in rushing 15 times. Cleveland is second at six.
Rushing alone is not enough to win, as all the frustrating seasons during Walter Payton`s great career will attest. But without a strong rushing attack, quarterbacks and defenses both are less effective. Ask Dan Marino and the Dolphins, who can throw for six touchdowns and score 45 points and lose 51-45. Not coincidentally, Miami is 26th in the league in rushing.
A close look at Super Bowl champions reveals interesting parallels between running and repeating.
The 1966-67 Packers, the `72-73 Dolphins and the `74-75 and `78-79 Steelers all had great running games. They are the only teams to win back-to- back Super Bowls.
Since 1979, here is what has happened:
The 1979 Steelers finished second in the league in rushing. In 1980, they slid to 15th in rushing and failed to make the playoffs. Franco Harris was nursing nagging injuries and missed three games.
The 1980 Raiders won the Super Bowl with the No. 10 rushing game, but that was without Marcus Allen. In 1981, they slid to 14th, failed to make the playoffs and drafted Allen.
The 1981 49ers won with the 19th-ranked rushing game, testimony to their ability to control the ball with short passes. But in 1982, they sank to last in rushing and failed to make the playoffs.
The 1982 Redskins won with the No. 10 running game and are the only champion of the `80s to improve their running the following year. In 1983, they had the No. 3 running game and became the only team of the `80s to get to consecutive Super Bowls.
The 1983 Raiders won with the No. 10 running game. In 1984, they slipped to No. 17 and lost their first playoff game, as a wild card. They had Allen both years, but quarterback Jim Plunkett was hurt for most of 1984.
The 1984 49ers won with the No. 3 running game. They had acquired Wendell Tyler and Roger Craig since their 1981 title. In 1985, they slipped to No. 10 and Tyler had knee surgery toward the end of the season. He tried to play in the wild-card game, but the 49ers lost.
The 1985 Bears won with the No. 1 running game. They also had the No. 1 defense and quarterback Jim McMahon, but the running game enabled them to control the ball for more minutes than any other team.
The ability to run allows a team to avoid interceptions and poor field position. It enables a team to physically punish a defense until it is worn down. How many times has Payton broken a big run or won a game in the fourth quarter?
A team that can run reduces football to its most elemental nature, thereby reducing risk and excuses. When a team can run, there is less need for luck, tricks, mirrors or all the psychological baggage attached to Super Bowl winners.
Coach Mike Ditka routinely lampoons himself whenever he forgets to use the most obvious weapon in his arsenal to full advantage. If he could have back the only game he has lost in his last 24, he would run the ball down the Dolphins` throats the way everybody else does.
The Bears can`t win without McMahon, and they can`t win without their defense, and they can`t win without Willie Gault and the offensive line, and maybe not without Keith Ortego.
They can`t even begin to think about winning without Walter Payton and their running game.
