While the 1985 Bears were good — OK, great — the timing of the “Football immortality” feature article (Nov. 30) is unfortunate. As a famous quote attributed to Tony Robbins goes: “Every moment you live in the past is a moment you waste in the present.”
At a time when Chicago is rallying around today’s Bears, let’s not use history as a measuring stick for success. Let’s put our energy and words behind a future filled with achievement and triumph.
Say goodbye to the past, it’s time to move on. Go Bears: Good. Better. Best.
— Lindsay Resnick, Chicago
Give fans more details
Had enough politics for a while? Maybe some football talk? Especially with the improved Bears facing the Pack for two games in the next three.
I’ll watch on TV. I’ll see and hear the good and great plays by the running backs, the quarterback and the receivers. But what’s really going on? I’d like to see more. Football is the ultimate team sport. All 11 players have an assignment on every play. The success of the play depends upon their performance of that assignment. No runner, no passer, no receiver can excel without the help of his on-field teammates.
Iowa in the late 1950s rode this play to a Rose Bowl victory and No. 1 ranking: the Wing-T offense tackle power play. This is what happens leading to the run: The tackle and the end at the point of attack double-team the defensive tackle. The guard, the center and the offside tackle block to allow no penetration. The fullback leads through the hole ignoring the defensive end and looks for a block. The offside guard pulls and goes after a linebacker at the hole, also ignoring the defensive end. The offside end pulls and blocks the defensive end, who sees a back with the ball coming at the hole. Two blockers have gone past, ignoring him and setting him up to be blocked. The offside end has to amp up his speed to beat the wingback who started a yard behind him running an arc before heading for the hole after getting the handoff. The QB has spun back to open a path for pulling players and faking to the other halfback going in the opposite direction before the handoff. This is all happening in the same seconds. The process is repeated with different details for all plays.
There’s no time during the game other than to show and emphasize the back and the run. Reports in the paper and TV after the game likewise usually only mention the runner’s effort. That’s understandable, but a lot is missing. On film day with the coaches and players, the plays are run several times. In detail, what succeeded and what failed. It’s fun to see the successful plays. Not so much when you’re the one who missed a block. Coaches and players use it to learn and progress.
Fans might like to know more. And perhaps enjoy the inside view. I know I would. Maybe someone should try to come up with something fun and informing?
— Bill Burns, South Elgin
Snow a great pleasure
With the falling of the first snow of the season, a gloomy outlook of the world took a nice turn.
People of all ages, grandparents, parents and children, all came out to enjoy the pleasantries that snow can bring. Last Saturday, at the store where I work, they came in to have their skis waxed, to inquire about renting snowshoes or skis, to buy snowsuits and extra gloves.
Earlier this week, I saw neighbors, who normally do not speak to each other, working together to shovel their parking spaces and sidewalks.
I went out to my neighborhood park to snowshoe and saw others using the sledding hill, cross-country skiing, playing tackle football and having snowball fights and dogs running and jumping.
Other than driving, snow is one of the great pleasures. For those who enjoy the snow, let’s hope we have a good amount. But most importantly, please play and drive safely.
— Cary Riske, Grayslake
Keeps sidewalks cleared
Winter has arrived with a vengeance in Chicago and the state of Illinois. With its sudden onset, here’s just a reminder that we need to make sure sidewalks are cleared as quickly and completely as we clear streets of snow and ice.
Clearing sidewalks is important for everyone, but especially people with disabilities, older individuals and people who cannot or choose not to drive and rely on walking to get around. High-trafficked areas where sidewalks are used are especially important to get cleared as soon as possible. Failure to clear sidewalks can lead to unnecessary injuries and an inability for some to get around. It can also lead to lawsuits, which will result in unnecessary legal expenses that could have been prevented simply by clearing the sidewalk.
My wife and I recently encountered a sidewalk in Chicago that was not cleared and should have been. We were traveling back home to Springfield after spending Thanksgiving with family. Our trip home required us to take a bus to Union Station, get dropped off on Jackson Boulevard since Canal Street in front of the station remains closed, and walk to the entrance leading into Union Station to catch our Amtrak train. When we arrived at the bus drop-off, we found that no effort had been made to clear the sidewalk from the bus drop-off to the stairs leading down into the station. This is inexcusable!
The city of Chicago knows this area is a bus pickup and drop-off area for Union Station since Canal is still closed. It was very scary walking to the station and trying not to fall.
This example illustrates how difficult it can be to get around when sidewalks are not cleared. So please, while it’s important to make sure streets are clear, it’s just as important to clear sidewalks.
Many of us depend on it.
— Ray Campbell, Springfield
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https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/06/letters-120625-chicago-bears/
