Michael McCaskey era in final days for Bears

**dabears54** · 03-23-2011, 03:27 PM

and the final reason all should be optimistic that not only because as motown said the "block cat" is now gone.. ITS NATIONAL OPTIMISTIC MONTH!( so at least 3 superbowls coming to chicago soon!)

http://stressandwellnesstips.blogspo...nth-march.html

We tend to look at optimistic people as those with their heads 'in-the-clouds' - out of touch with reality. However, we know from our research that optimistic people are not always smiling and chipper - they get mad and angry. However, they don't get stuck in their emotions and they have been found to be better at doing one thing then those with a different attitude or outlook on life.

They are better at problem-solving - they move quickly from problem-identification to problem-solving. They believe that situations will work out, so they spend their time and energy on making these situations work, rather than focusing on their own emotional reactions.

Personal optimism correlates strongly with self-esteem, with psychological well-being and with physical and mental health. (Scheier, Carver) Optimism has been shown to be correlated with better immune systems in healthy people who have been subjected to stress. (Segerstrom, Taylor, Kemeny, Fahey)

Research suggests that optimism significantly predicts rates of recovery, such that optimists are faster in achieving behavioural milestones, such as sitting up in bed and walking, than are pessimists, and are rated by staff members as showing a better physical recovery. Even at six-month follow-ups, optimists still continued to have a recovery advantage.

Dr. Martin Seligman found in his research that optimists overall stay with difficult and challenging jobs, while pessimists seem to do worse than predicted and even give up. In academic and athletic research, when subjects were given a lower grade in a class or a slower recorded time in an athletic event, thereby stimulating defeat, the optimists rose to the occasion and did better the second time around while the pessimists did worse. This evidence supports the theory that there are two factors in human potential. One is our ability and the other is our optimism or pessimism. There is an interplay between our attitudes and our actions.

Optimism is not a disposition you are born with. It's a learned skill, and a very important ingredient in determining your level of happiness

**soulman** · 03-23-2011, 04:51 PM

You mean if I'm optomistic enough the Bears may actually sign me to play SS despite my age and obvious short comings????? No, I guess that would take a miracle would't it? Not just unbridled optimism. (Sigh)

Where is Jesus when ya' need him cause I'm all out of miracles.

**Dagan81** · 03-23-2011, 07:22 PM

I am not old enough to recollect the glory days of the 1980s, but I thought it poignant in the NFL Films documentary of "America's Game: The 1985 Chicago Bears" when, at the end of the program, Alec Baldwin softly stated in a closing remark regarding the 1985 team: "...and like a comet, it was gone." (Paraphrased, for I do not have the words by me from which I can quote directly to you.) The Bears were capable of winning championships in 1986, 1987, and 1988. The franchise could have had anywhere from three to four Super Bowls in as many years as it would have taken to accumulate at least three! Mike Ditka was a great head coach, but he will never get the credit he deserves for being a great coach because the front office under McCaskey did not draft enough great players consistently after Jim Finks retired.

Paul, you know that patients with bipolar disorder often deal with racing thoughts as part of the mania cycle. For those of you who do not know what those are, imagine thinking about a million thoughts in one instance and then trying to pin at least one of them down in order to intellectualize what it means. That, in a nutshell, is just a measure of what bipolar disorder is. Now, I have had this happen to me where I will spend hours at night pacing in my bedroom or my hallway, pondering what could have been had the Bears drafted a certain player, like Dan Marino in 1983 when he would have been available for us to pick up when our draft spot came open, or what would have happened if the Bears had not faltered on a certain play in the NFC Divisional Playoff in 1987 against the Redskins (the Darrell Green kick return for a touchdown, or at least I think that was the play that broke the Bears' backs). I live and breathe Bears football, much like I do the New York Yankees in baseball, and let me tell you that at the very least, Michael McCaskey has contributed to my wild, wild imagination.

**soulman** · 03-23-2011, 10:24 PM

Mikey screwed up those teams royally Dags and it caused no small amount of frustration to loyal Bears fans. I will dislike that asshat until the day either he or I die, which in his case could not happen soon enough for me. That's why I suggested that his world travels take him to Libya just as soon as possible.

And yes Dags, I know all about the problems with racing thoughts and lack of focus. But I also know and have experienced the value of the focus and clarity of thought that the mood swing can also bring. The challenge for me is just keeping it that way.

**dabears54** · 03-24-2011, 06:43 AM

Dags, as someone that lived those times personally and at the games- While hate MMC and all that he did to ruin the team in the 1990's.. the 1986-89 time period failure is NOT on him alone- the 1990's failures and debacle's are..Vainisi was here until 1987..which is the tipping point and when the blame shifts to the idiot son.

after finks left:

1984- got wilbur marshall,rivera and shaun gayle
1985-fidge, butler and jim morrisey
1986-neal anderson,vestee jackson,maurice doublas and glen koz
1987-harbaugh,ron morris
1988- brad muster,wendell davis,dante jones and jim "robo" thorton

The 1986-88 time period alot more complicated and while not a popular notion alot is on the feet of ditka for being outcoached in the playoff's by Gibbs in 1986 and 1987 and bill walsh in 1988 when we had the better team aginst thoe teams each year. Buddy ryan leaving after the SB also took a big chip out of team, and he and ditka never got along so just a matter of time when that would happen.

Just IMO 1986 we DO repeat, if charles **^%&$^$ martin dosn't illegally drop cmahon on his shoulder, and becuase of that the divide of the team really came to the forefront when the players wanted tomascak to keep being the Qb and dikta instead went with "bambi flutie" who spent the Playoff game trying to be a pocket qb and getting balls batted down at the line by tall D lineman.that was on martin and dikta

1987 was th3 14-14 tie in 3rd when green had the punt return to put the dagger in bears back and mcmahon's 3 INT's killed it, but ditka should ahve been running more all game, we had a 14-0 lead in 2nd and that should ahve been GAME OVER with our "D"

**blinddeafmute** · 03-24-2011, 11:22 AM

Were there more "busts" than successes from 84 to 88?

**dabears54** · 03-24-2011, 11:54 AM

Originally Posted by blinddeafmute

Were there more "busts" than successes from 84 to 88?

Oh yeah!, but that is almost always the case.. heck the 1983 bears draft class hailed as the best if not one of the best of all time and it got 6 starters(1 HOF),one depth guy( mike richarson) and 6 busts... that to me is the 'fustrating myth" of the draft, the idea that drafts "should" have more hits than busts and somehow "other teams" do this when jsut not true.. if a draft gets you 2-3 long term starters and one "special" player you have had a successful draft by the historonics of the NFL draft

http://www.nfl.com/draft/history/ful...0810&type=team

**Dagan81** · 03-24-2011, 03:34 PM

I guess Iron Mike was not that good of a coach after all. Everybody I ever talk to talks highly of him, mainly because he won us a Super Bowl. Truth be told, we could have probably given up more points in the one Super Bowl we won if the Patriots had not dropped passes and interceptions before the Bears finally started clicking on all cylinders.

**blinddeafmute** · 03-24-2011, 04:06 PM

Originally Posted by dabears54

Oh yeah!, but that is almost always the case.. heck the 1983 bears draft class hailed as the best if not one of the best of all time and it got 6 starters(1 HOF),one depth guy( mike richarson) and 6 busts... that to me is the 'fustrating myth" of the draft, the idea that drafts "should" have more hits than busts and somehow "other teams" do this when jsut not true.. if a draft gets you 2-3 long term starters and one "special" player you have had a successful draft by the historonics of the NFL draft

http://www.nfl.com/draft/history/ful...0810&type=team

I was just giving you a hard time about our recent discussion about Greenbays drafting capabilities.

**Dagan81** · 03-24-2011, 06:02 PM

Green Bay has had a few hits in recent drafts, most notably Aaron Rodgers, Clay Matthews, Tramon Williams, Nick Collins, etc. I think they drafted Williams and Collins, but I know for a fact that they did so with the first two I listed. It is truly a miracle that we have landed so many hidden talents in the latter stages of drafts because we have, for the most part, fucked up royally with regards to drafting in the early rounds.

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