Dick Butkus starred at linebacker for the Chicago Bears during some of their glory years, earning countless honors during his Hall of Fame Career for a marquee franchise. As he looks at the state of the Bears’ organization today, there only seems to be disgust.
Across nine seasons in Chicago, Butkus helped bring life to the Bears’ franchise. A two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year winner and an eight-time Pro Bowl selection, is one of the best linebackers in NFL history.
- Dick Butkus career stats: 22 interceptions, 27 fumble recoveries, 11 sacks
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A member of the NFL 100th Anniversary Team with his No. 51 retired by the Bears, Butkus has watched Chicago’s NFL team for his entire life. As the Chicago native looks at the state of his beloved club now, there is a lot of unhappiness.
In an interview with Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times, Butkus called out the Bears for how they’ve performed over the years. He sees problems everywhere, from the lack of effort on the field to issues within the organization.
“There’s no reason why they should be this bad … I get a little disgusted …I really get hot watching them, especially with a lot of lack of effort things. I don’t get it. I really don’t.”
Dick Butkus on the state of the Chicago Bears
Butkus doesn’t think the blame belongs squarely on any one person. However, for as alarming as he finds the effort level at times and the alarming lack of talent on the roster, the Hall of Fame linebacker points to ownership.
He ultimately believes the Bears’ owners hold a lot of responsibility for what has happened. Especially when he compares it to successful teams, the people responsible for the biggest decisions deserve blame.
“Look at the teams that are winning and look at their organization. The ownership is the ones that hire. It starts from them too. They shouldn’t be void of any criticism.”
Dick Butkus on the source of the Chicago Bears’ problems
While Butkus sees a lot wrong with the Bears from top to bottom, there is one person in the franchise he seems to believe in.
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Dick Butkus believes in Justin Fields
As part of his interview with the Chicago Sun-Times, Butkus also talked about Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields. Even on a team with so many identifiable problems, the Bears’ legend is a believer in the quarterback.
However, the 80-year-old does believe his former team hasn’t put Fields in the best position for success. While he did see areas of improvement this past season, Butkus called out former head coach Matt Nagy and the previous coaching staff for not helping the franchise quarterback.
“That first year, I thought the coaching of him was terrible. I said, ‘How is it that when he comes off the sideline and goes to the bench he takes his helmet off and puts on a baseball hat?’ If you watch Aaron Rodgers and Pat Mahomes and Tom Brady, when they get on the sidelines they’ve got the iPad and a coach right there.”
Dick Butkus on how the Chicago Bears coaching staff handled Justin Fields in 2021
Butkus is hopeful that the 2023 NFL Draft and free agency help Chicago fix their issues. While the defense is a major concern, one of the best defensive players in NFL history believes protecting Fields needs to come first and that all starts with protecting him and not putting him in a situation where he has to run for his life.
