2001 Bears

One of my favorite Bears teams was the 2001 Bears.  The 2001 season was a magical season where everything seemed to bounce the Bears way.  The most memorable moments are the Mike Brown games where Brown returned inceptions for touchdowns in consecutive overtime games against the 49ers and Browns at Soldier Field. There's more on these comeback games later on at the bottom of the post and check down there, because these clips are even more remarkable when watched in the context of the rest of the game.  I posted the following video last week, but the best thing is to watch the fans.  I can only imagine how great it would have been to be there and how much the old Soldier Field was rockin'.  

There was also the Keith "Tractor" Traylor interception return, which was a pretty funny play, but also an extremely smart, athletic play by Traylor.  First, he recognizes the screen.  Then, he has the ability to tip the ball and catch it, while falling backwards.  Next, he breaks two tackles and the rest, well is not too athletic, and probably is the slowest interception return in history.

After looking closer and trying to remember those games, it's clear 2001 was a season of change.  The 2001 season was the last season in front of the colonnades, before the spaceship landed in the middle of the current Soldier Field.  2001 was also the last season of the old NFC Central and the loss of the Buccaneers as a division rival.  2001 was the beginning of the current Patriots dynasty, with Tom Brady taking over for an injured Drew Bledsoe.  He would lead the underdog Patriots all the way to the Super Bowl and past the heavily (extremely heavily) favored Rams.  2001, of course, was also when 9-11 happened, which set a different tone for the entire country and delayed Week 2 games.

2001 was a season of change inside the Bears too.  Personnel director Mark Hatley left and Bears President Ted Philips hired Jerry Angelo, who would remake the team.  In 2000, the Bears offense featured Cade McNown at QB, James Allen and Curtis Enis at running back, and Marcus Robinson at wide receiver.  Brian Urlacher and Mike Brown were promising rookies.  In 2001, the Bears offense featured the QB tandem of Shane Mathews and Jim Miller, the Rookie of the Year Anthony Thomas (a Hatley pick), and a new deep threat in Marty Booker who had 100 catches after only 47 the year before.  The defense was literally anchored by Ted Washington and Keith Traylor.  The immovable wall, listed at 365 and 340 respectively, shut down the inside of the line and allowed linebackers Brian Urlacher (90 tackles), Roosevelt Colvin (10.5 sacks), and Warrick Holdman (95 tackles) to move unblocked throughout the field.  

The previous season, the Bears had trudged through a 5-11 season and most people didn't expect much better out of this team.  But the 2001 Bears, somehow finished 13-3, behind a remarkable defense, a rookie running back (A-Train 1183 yards), a new offensive threat in Miller to Booker, and a never give up attitude.  Here's a good recap from I assume NFL Films.  It's long, but a good trip down memory lane.

Improbable Comebacks:
Below are clips from ESPN from each of the comeback games.  It's notable both games started with an sack/fumble recovery by the 49ers/Browns for a TD and ends with a Mike Brown TD in overtime.  Be sure to watch the Browns game which is truly remarkable.  The Bears pull off a miracle after being down 21-7 with under a minute left in the game.  The Bears came back with a Marty Booker touchdown with 33 seconds left, a onside recovery, and a Shane Matthews Hail Mary to James Allen which is caught after being tipped.  Of course, in overtime Mike Brown would return an interception for a touchdown.

San Francisco Game (It's great watching TO miss the ball fearing an Urlacher hit, which results in Brown's interception)

Cleveland Game