1985 Bears Coverage: Shula eager to mar Bears' perfect mark

Every day of the 2015 Chicago Bears season, Chicago Sun-Times Sports will revisit its coverage 30 years ago during the 1985 Bears’ run to a Super Bowl title.

Shula eager to mar Bears’ perfect mark

Sun-Times Wires

Originally published Nov. 30, 1985

The Miami Dolphins have something special and they’d like to keep the Bears from having it.

What the Dolphins have is the last undefeated season in the NFL. The 1972 Miami team went 14-0 in the regular season and won three playoff games, including Super Bowl VII.

The Bears, at 12-0, represent the most serious threat to achieving perfection since 1972.

“We’d love to be the first team to knock them off,” coach Don Shula said. “We’re pretty proud of ’72. This is an entirely different group of people here now.

“They’re the hot team in pro football. When you shut out Dallas 44-0 then shut out Atlanta the next week to make it your 12th win in a row, that’s got to be the best football being played.

“I thought in Pittsburgh’s Super Bowl years they played the best defense that’s ever been played in the NFL. Now this Bear defense looks like it’s in that league or beyond it.”

A victory will put the Dolphins (8-4) in a tie for first place in the AFC East with the New York Jets. and possibly the New England Patriots, who play at Indianapolis.