Wondering about a player, a past game or another issue involving the Bears? Senior writer Larry Mayer answers a variety of email questions from fans on ChicagoBears.com.
At the end of Super Bowl 50, I was very upset to hear Jim Nantz say that Gary Kubiak is the first Super Bowl winning coach to have played for the same team that he coached to a Super Bowl victory. It seems that he completely forgot about Mike Ditka. Did I miss something or not hear him correctly, or did Jim just get that one completely wrong?
Ramsey H.
Columbus, Ohio
Jim Nantz got it wrong. Both Mike Ditka (as you mentioned) and the Raiders' Tom Flores also won Super Bowls as head coach of a team they once played for. So Gary Kubiak became the third individual to accomplish that feat. Maybe what Nantz meant to say is that Kubiak became the first person to win a Super Bowl as head coach of a team he once played for in the Super Bowl. Kubiak mopped up in place of John Elway in the Broncos' 39-20 loss to the New York Giants in Super Bowl XXI to cap the 1986 season.
I heard Broncos linebacker Danny Trevathan say that Denver's defense was better than the '85 Bears. I think that's absolutely ridiculous but am curious how the stats add up.
Mike
Youngsville, North Carolina
You're right; it is a ridiculous comparison. The '85 Bears hold a decisive edge over the '15 Broncos in every major statistical category on defense, including points allowed (198-296), total yards (4,135-4,530), interceptions (34-14), sacks (64-39) and takeaways (54-27). And don't forget that the '85 Bears remain the only team in NFL history with back-to-back shutouts in the playoffs. It's also important to note that the Bears went 15-1 in 1985, while the Broncos were 12-4 this past season. About the only thing the two teams have in common is that they both held their Super Bowl opponent to 10 points.
What did the Bears get when they traded Greg Olsen to the Panthers?
Scot
The Bears received two third-round draft picks from the Panthers in exchange for tight end Greg Olsen in July 2011. They dealt one of the picks along with another third-round choice to the Dolphins in exchange for receiver Brandon Marshall in March 2012 and used the other one to draft safety Brandon Hardin a little over a month later.
