What a collection of misfits.
That’s what many of the 1994 Bears were before coach Dave Wannstedt provided them with a contract, confidence and a place to excel.
Six free agents with undistinguished credentials joined the Bears in the spring of 1994, hoping to improve a young ballclub that finished 7-9 in 1993.
Improve they did.
The Bears stormed to an 8-4 record, stumbled in customary fashion in December, yet managed to earn a wild-card playoff berth despite a 13-3 loss to New England in the regular-season finale.
Sunday’s first-round contest against the Minnesota Vikings (10-6) is the Bears’ payoff for a regular-season performance few observers predicted.
None of the Bears free agent signees had been an elite player with his former team in recent seasons. Quarterback Erik Kramer had been shuttled between the starting role and the third string for several years in Detroit. Quarterback Steve Walsh was going to be the third-stringer, at best, in New Orleans if he had not asked for and received his release last April so the Bears could pick him up for $600,000.
Andy Heck was deployed at both guard and tackle with Seattle before signing with the Bears (4 years, $10 million) and finding a home at left tackle.
Tight end Marv Cook was the odd man out with New England because of the emergence of Pro Bowl performer Ben Coates. He contributed 21 catches for 212 yards.
Wide receiver Jeff Graham, who led the Bears with 68 catches, was going through the motions of a so-so career in Pittsburgh before being traded to the Bears for a conditional draft pick during the off-season.
Tailback Lewis Tillman was a perennial backup for the Giants behind Rodney Hampton and Ottis Anderson before gaining 899 yards in his first season as a Bears.
For the first time since 1975, no Bears were voted to the Pro Bowl team. What Wannstedt may lack in personnel evaluation, he makes up for in team motivation.
“There is free agency and people are thinking more about their individual glory and individual careers. But football, at the heart, is a team game,” says Bears president Michael McCaskey. “So those head coaches and their coaching staffs that can get everyone pulling in the same direction for a common goal, those are the coaches who are going to be winners. I think Dave Wannstedt has shown already that he is a winner. He relates extraordinarily well to the players. Gets them enthusiastic and excited, and has an outstanding coaching staff.”
The Bears qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 1991. An upset victory at Minnesota would send them on a more improbable journey to San Francisco, where the most successful team in the NFL this season will host an NFC playoff game.
In 1984, the Bears beat Washington 23-19 in a first-round playoff game before losing to the 49ers 23-0. But it was a breakthrough game for a future Super Bowl champion.
“That ’84 team was hungry and on the rise,” McCaskey said. “After beating Washington, this team knew they could jump up to that next level. Then, after our defeat in San Francisco, I never saw a team that felt quite as bad about a loss as that particular one. And people just dedicated themselves to being really prepared. And the next year was the Super Bowl year.”
Key Bears players who can become free agents at the end of this season are Walsh, safety Mark Carrier, defensive tackle Chris Zorich, cornerback Jeremy Lincoln, safety Shaun Gayle, linebacker Joe Cain, linebacker Vinson Smith, safety John Mangum, nickel back Maurice Douglass, punter Chris Gardocki, kick returner Nate Lewis, wide receiver Greg McMurtry, guard Jay Leeuwenburg, running back Tim Worley and wide receiver Tom Waddle.
Lincoln and Leeuwenburg would be restricted free agents, meaning the Bears would have the right of first refusal if they were offered a contract by another team.
The period for clubs to begin signing other teams’ unrestricted free agents begins Feb. 17.
The Bears have had preliminary talks with several of their players who can become free agents at the end of the season.
Rookie draft picks John Thierry and Marcus Spears made inauspicious debuts for first- and second-round choices, respectively. Thierry, a college linebacker converted to defensive end, had only 10 tackles and two passes defended in limited action. Spears, an offensive tackle from Northwestern (La.) State, was designated inactive for the entire season.
Third-round choice Jim Flanigan contributed on special teams with seven tackles and a forced fumble. But fourth-round pick Raymont Harris was the most productive rookie, recording 464 yards rushing on 123 carries (3.8-yard average) and one TD. Harris stepped in as the starter when veteran free-agent fullback Merril Hoge was forced to retire in October after suffering two concussions. Harris also caught 39 passes for 236 yards.
The Bears were the NFL’s fifth youngest team in 1994, perhaps accounting for their streakiness. They had a three-game and four-game winning streak. And three two-game losing streaks.
Although the Bears finished the season with three losses in their last four games, Wannstedt is emphasizing to his players that their 9-7 record is the same as Detroit’s with superstar Barry Sanders, Kansas City’s with Joe Montana, Neil Smith and Derrick Thomas.
“It is important that we feel as good going into this ballgame from a confidence standpoint as anything,” he said.
