A football game broke out Friday night at the end of a curious, somewhat stressful week for the Bears off the field.
Sticking with their starters longer than usual, the Bears (1-3) won their final preseason game 20-13 over the Dallas Cowboys (2-3) in Texas Stadium.
If final impressions are the most enduring, the Bears just might be ready for the start of the regular season after all.
A crowd of 60,218 and Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson watched more in grand anticipation of the team`s regular-season opener against Washington, their hated NFC East rival, than this mandatory yet meaningless exercise.
Only hours after bidding goodbye to center mainstay Jay Hilgenberg in a trade with the Cleveland Browns, the Bears went back to business on the playing field.
”We miss him. He`s a good football player. And we appreciate all he did for the Chicago Bears,” said coach Mike Ditka. ”What`s done is done. You can`t undo it.
”He will go on and hopefully play well for them. And hopefully the people we have will go on and play well for us.”
The Bears will play host to the defending NFC Central champion Detroit Lions in their opener Sunday at Soldier Field. And if they pick up where they left off here, the Bears should be in decent shape.
They built a 20-3 lead after three quarters Friday night before the Cowboys roared back in the fourth against the Bears` backups.
”The guys who played for us in the beginning played pretty solid football. That`s all we can ask,” said Ditka.
The Bears had specific goals entering Friday night`s contest.
”All we wanted to do was try to play with a little continuity and play as a team,” said Ditka. ”And I saw that out there.”
”I am the first one to realize that we played a very good football team and they did not play all their people. We understand that. Yet we have to try to improve on our own. We made some improvement over what we did over the past three weeks.”
There were a number of concerned individual players entering the final preseason game. All NFL teams have to trim their rosters to 47 players by Monday morning.
”We are going to try to keep the best people, and I don`t know who the best people are right now,” said Ditka, who plans to study the films with his staff over the weekend.
”I am relieved we got through this game with no key injuries. Tim Ryan hurt his leg (bruised quadricep) a little bit, but I don`t think it is bad. Darren Lewis got a stinger (numb shoulder), and I don`t think that`s bad, either.”
The Bears opened the scoring early in the second period with a 37-yard field goal by Kevin Butler, who wound up the preseason perfect in the placekicking department. The drive, which covered 60 yards in 10 plays, included a 38-yard pass to Neal Anderson (who totaled seven rushes for 30 yards and two catches for 40 on the night).
A devastating block by wide receiver Wendell Davis sprung Anderson around the left corner.
Dallas` Troy Aikman played the first quarter, completing four of seven passes for 18 yards. Steve Beuerlein followed and went 7 for 11 for 80 yards. The Bears went up 10-0 on a 7-yard pass from Jim Harbaugh to tight end Keith Jennings with 5 minutes 56 seconds left in the half.
The 71-yard scoring drive included a 13-yard pass to Tom Waddle and a 16- yarder to Davis.
”I had all the time I needed and really never had to hurry that much,”
said Harbaugh.
Harbaugh completed eight of 11 passes for 95 yards in his first-half stint. Peter Tom Willis took over with :58 left before intermission and wound up 2 for 3 for 23 yards. Will Furrer was 3 of 6 for 40. Paul Justin did not play.
After Willis threw low and wide on a third-down attempt to Anthony Morgan at the end of a short drive midway through the third, Butler came on and added a 32-yard field goal to increase the Bears` lead to 13-3.
The drive was set up when Dallas` Alexander Wright, returning Chris Gardocki`s 52-yard punt, coughed up the ball. Dante Jones forced the fumble and made the recovery at the Cowboys` 33.
Gardocki averaged 47.3 yards on three punts in his first game since veteran Maury Buford was released.
”I was very impressed with Chris` kicking,” said Ditka. ”Then again, Dallas did not come after him. When it counts, there is going to be a little bit different look out there.”
Lewis (75 yards on eight carries) and Mark Green (45 yards on eight)
highlighted the Bears` next scoring drive. Green burst over from a yard out to make it 20-3 with 2:26 left in the third period. Lewis ran for 25 yards on three carries and Green 20 yards on three in the drive.
”I thought we sustained blocks better and all the backs ran well,” said Ditka.
The Bears, with first-round pick Alonzo Spellman starting at right end, held Dallas to 86 yards rushing, led by Michael Beasley`s 64 on 10 carries.
”Don`t forget, Emmitt Smith (NFL rushing leader last year) wasn`t in there,” said Ditka. ”You don`t control the line of scrimmage with him.
”I thought we did a pretty good job. But we have to do a better job.”
