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.
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Bears come out of preseason game healthy
Kevin Lamb
Originally published Aug. 19, 1985
The only injury coach Mike Ditka mentioned from Saturday night was Ron Rivera’s hip pointer, which he said wouldn’t keep Rivera out of any games. “I’m sure we’ll have some suspicious injuries since we’re cutting 20 guys,” Ditka said, “but we’ll just have to let them heal up on the bus home.” Tomorrow is the deadline for the Bears to trim their roster to 60 from 82, but Ditka plans to do it today.
He’ll be looking for a punter. Dave Finzer’s average is 36.2 yards in six pre-season punts. Finzer expects new competition. Ditka said several teams have two punters and mentioned the Giants, where former NFL leader Dave Jennings is likely to lose his job.
“All four quarterbacks played pretty good,” Ditka said, blaming the receivers for dropped passes and misdirected pass routes.
Ditka had hoped wide receiver Dennis McKinnon could play Saturday night, but he didn’t even dress after fluid developed last week on the knee that had arthroscopic surgery July 5. “He’s frustrated,” Ditka
said. “I think he thought he’d be farther along than he is.” . . .
Trainer Fred Caito said wide receiver Brian Baschnagel would begin working out this week after knee arthroscopy July 29. Caito said there still was a chance Baschnagel could play in the last exhibition in two weeks. . .
Ditka praised the fill-ins for holdouts Todd Bell, Mike Singletary and Al Harris: strong safety Dave Duerson and linebackers Brian Cabral and Wilber Marshall, respectively. He also liked Shaun Gayle’s aggresssiveness subbing for injured free safety Gary Fencik.
