1997 Chicago Bears-Beginning of the End
In February 1997, the Chicago Bears traded their first-round draft pick to the Seattle Seahawks for quarterback Rick Mirer, shown here addressing the media after the trade.  Mirer did not win the starting job in 1997 and would be gone following his lone season in Chicago.  Bears coach Dave Wannstedt would later call the move "an organizational decision" to attempt to distance himself from the blunder.
It's a well known fact that while he was a professor at Harvard, Bears President Michael McCaskey authored a book on the subject of "managing change and ambiguity."
The title and subject of McCaskey's book, written in 1982, was very applicable to the man's tenure as team President, and certainly on the 1997 season in particular.
The 1997 Bears had plenty of holes that needed filling, and began to remake their organization for the future. But in the end, they would plunge ever farther into what became known as the "Wannstedt death spiral."
As the 1996 Bears watched their peers go to the playoffs, which culminated with their rivals the Packers winning their first championship in 30 years, Chicago first analyzed what had gone wrong in the previous season that was so stocked with hope.
The attitude that prevailed in January 1997 was interestingly similar to the one that still remains in official Bears circles: the '96 season went into the tank mainly because quarterback Erik Kramer "broke his neck" and was lost for the season early in the campaign. The fact is, the Kramer of 1996 was not playing like the Kramer of 1995 even prior to the injury he sustained at Detroit. In his four games played, Kramer completed less than 49% of his passes with 6 interceptions and a 1-3 record.
The quandry was, Kramer was entering free agency coming off a major injury and a down season. The Bears would be taking a gamble if they re-signed him, but would also be taking a gamble if they brought in someone else to play the position.
Other holes the 1997 Bears would have to fix in a hurry were at wide receiver opposite Curtis Conway, a center to replace the departed Jerry Fontenot, a dependable tight end, and at the linebacker and cornerback positions due to age. Another hole not to be forgotten was at offensive coordinator, as Ron Turner had departed to become the head coach at Illinois following the previous season.
As expected, Wannstedt first hired former NFL quarterback and 49er quarterbacks coach Matt Cavanaugh as his new coordinator. Cavanaugh planned to continue to run a version of the west coast offense as Turner had for four seasons, and vowed as his predecessor did to utilize running backs Rashaan Salaam and Raymont Harris in the same backfield.
In February, the Bears pulled off potentially the biggest trade in their history, and one that most could see had the potential to be their worst. Having failed to wrest away Seattle quarterback Rick Mirer for a second-round pick and players prior to the trade deadline in '96, the Bears upped the ante the second time around. Chicago agreed to trade their eleventh overall pick in the first round for Mirer and Seattle's fourth-round pick. NFL Network reported in 2007 that after Seattle's personnel staff pulled off the trade, another league insider told the Seattle boss in a phone conversation that he had "robbed the Bears blind," and couldn't believe he was able to pull off the theft.
In the free agency period that commenced in March, the Bears would sign wide receiver Rickey Proehl to replace Michael Timpson, and very intriguing running back/defensive back/returner Tyrone Hughes from New Orleans. Hughes was the leading kick returner in NFL history, and it was thought he could spend time both on offense and defense for the Bears. The large-money signing on defense was to acquire cornerback Tom Carter, a first round pick of the Washington Redskins in 1993. Carter would replace long-time Bear Donnell Woolford, who had had a hard time staying healthy for the past two seasons. It was reported later that Redskin coach Norv Turner, a friend of Wannstedt's, was "releived" to be rid of the inconsistent Carter. The corner received a five year, $15 million deal from Chicago.
Also signing in Chicago was Kramer, who decided to stay in Chicago to back up Mirer rather than move to Atlanta to back up Chris Chandler. He predicted that he would win his job back from Mirer, figuring he'd have an easier time doing that with Mirer than Chandler.
The NFL draft arrived with less interest, seemingly, since the Bears did not possess a first round pick for the first time since 1978. Seattle had traded the Bears' pick to move up. Had the Bears not traded for Mirer, they would have been able to select either tight end Tony Gonzalez or running back Warrick Dunn, legendary players still active as of 2008. In the second round the Bears traded up several spots to select USC tight end John Allred, a player known more for his blocking that receiving skills. Their third-round pick was massive guard Bob Sapp, and in the fourth round two offensive players were selected in popular running back Darnell Autry and receiver Marcus Robinson, a project with skills but limited experience. The six Bears' selections from rounds five through seven were so questionable that none made the team or did anything in their NFL careers. Shortly after the draft, USA Today gave the Bears a D+.
One year removed from signing Head Coach Dave Wannstedt to a new contract paying him through the 2000 season, McCaskey did announce that he planned to shake up the Bears' personnel department. This occurred after the draft, of course. Since the departure of longtime personnel VP Bill Tobin in 1993, the triumverate of McCaskey, Wannstedt and current personnel VP Rod Graves made all personnel decisions. And exactly during this time, the Bears' talent eroded, with many high draft picks failing to live up to the billing the braintrust afforded them.
In typical Michael McCaskey fashion, he announced publically that he would be hiring a new VP of Player Personnel without telling the current VP of Player Personnel on staff, Graves. He didn't allow Graves to interview for his current position, either. McCaskey publically expressed disappointment when Graves decided to leave rather than interview for a lower position with the Bears organization. The person McCaskey hired shortly after the draft ended was Mark Hatley, a member of Kansas City's personnel staff that had fielded winning teams for years.
After moving into the brand new state-of-the-art Halas Hall in Lake Forest, the Bears departed for Platteville, Wisconsin and their 14th training camp there. While the Bears practiced, Cavanaugh and the rest of the coaches got their first indications that Mirer may not have been the quarterback they hoped he would be. The Bears travelled to Ireland to face the Pittsburgh Steelers for their first overseas game since 1991, then played two on the road. The August 16th preseason game in Chicago was postponed to the following night due to a monsoon-like thunderstorm on the lakefront. Perhaps the Bears wished they hadn't rescheduled the game at all, when star receiver Conway injured his shoulder, a break that would sideline him for much of the season.
In the preseason finale, the new coach of the New Orleans Saints, Mike Ditka, returned to Chicago for the first time and defeated his former employers. After the loss to the Saints, the Bears ended the preseason with a 2-3 record. Two other interesting developments of the preseason were the annointing of Kramer as the team's starting quarterback over Mirer, and the fact that Hatley cut third-round pick Sapp before the guard even got to the regular season. Interesting times these were indeed.
The schedule Gods did not shine happily on the Bears in 1997, as their opening game took place in Lambeau Field on Monday Night Football against the reigning Super Bowl Champion Green Bay Packers. Bears officials brought in legendary retired linebacker Mike Singletary to give the team a pep-talk the week before the game, and according to the Chicago Bear Report the visitors talked about the importance of "landing the first punch." To everyone's surprise, the Bears did just that and jumped out to leads of 8-0 and 11-3. But alas, the Packers overpowered the Bears 38-24 in the end. For the Bears, the game featured a 122-yard rushing performance by Raymont Harris and a 68-yard touchdown run. It also featured a tirade by linebacker Bryan Cox, who drew two 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalties while launching his helmet. Wannstedt was featured heavily on the sidelines trying to calm Cox down to no avail. As the year went on and Cox's petulent behavior increased, it become more and more apparent that '97 would be Cox's last in Chicago. Cox had related to the media in the offseason that he prepared himself for games by visualizing opposing players raping his wife and harming his family; in retrospect it seems he needed something more graphic to inspire his play.
Speaking of petulence, defensive end Alonzo Spellman's welcome would gradually be worn out in Chicago this season as well. During the prior offseason, Spellman's hidden mental illnesses had started to creep into public view. First he called the Tampa Bay Buccaneers "terrible" following the Bears loss to them the previous season and guaranteed the Bears would beat them twice in '97. He then guaranteed he would lead the league in sacks. Spellman ended up getting dinged midseason, and would be suspended by the team for failing to follow up with rehabilitation. Third-year pro Carl Reeves would eventually supplant Spellman as the starter, and an irreversable rift developed between the club and the player they had invested $12 million in just a year before. The rift would also mark the beginning of Spellman's plunge into the abyss that continues to trouble him a decade later.
The loss to the Packers may have been expected, but not necessarily the results or circumstances of the next six weeks of the season.
The Bears hosted the Minnesota Vikings in the home opener the following week, and actually led the Vikings 24-20 in the game's waning moments. But with just moments left in the game, cornerback Walt Harris lined up three yards deep in the end zone with the Vikings threatening at the Bears' 9. Minnesota quarterback Brad Johnson fired an easy touchdown pass right in front of Harris, and the Vikings won. Defensive coordinator Bob Slowik was questioned how he could possibly instruct his defender to line up in the end zone while attempting to prevent a touchdown, and he agreed he did not call a good game.
The following week the Bears were obliterated at home by Detroit, 32-7. Kramer was pulled in this game and yielded for the first time to Mirer, then was shown laughing on the sidelines (see sidebar story). Lost for the season was Salaam, who would later admit to smoking copious amounts of marijuana as he rehabbed the remainder of the season.
The next two weeks the Bears traveled to New England and Dallas, and despite trying a new pressure defense, lost both games. Mirer played hideously in the games, and anyone watching could readily conclude that the pick sent to Seattle had been a waste. In the eight quarters of those games, Mirer engineered just 6 points, 200 yards passing and three interceptions.
On October 5th the Bears hosted Mike Ditka and his Saints in the coach's first regular season return to Chicago's lakefront. Mirer started his third game in a row, but their were indications that Wannstedt may give his acquisition the hook if his performance didn't improve. Again Mirer threw for just 58 yards on less than 50% efficiency, and after halftime Kramer replaced him. The Bear veteran rallied his team to score 14 points in the final period, and the Bears looked as if they would get their first win of the season over their old legendary coach. But late in the fourth quarter Wannstedt's other big acquisition, cornerback Tom Carter, fell down while covering Saints receiver Randal Hill. Hill grabbed a bomb from quarterback Heath Schuler and ran for an 89-yard touchdown pass, sealing the Saints' 20-17 victory.
The 1997 Bears were 0-6 at this point and next hosted the 4-2 Packers in a rematch at Soldier Field. Bears fans had some hope despite the mismatch, mainly because Kramer was again the starting quarterback. Trailing 24-17 late in the fourth quarter, the Bears nearly pulled off a shocker by scoring a touchdown, bringing the defecit to one point. Then Wannstedt made perhaps his landmark decision of stupidity in his Bears tenure: he elected to attempt a two-point conversion and a win instead of kicking the extra point and forcing overtime. A swing pass from Kramer to Harris was incomplete, Kramer dropped to his knees and slammed his helmet, and the Bears fell to 0-7, their worst start since 1969.
Following the bye week the Bears did get their first win over Dan Marino's Miami Dolphins, in a game that was moved to Monday Night due to the MLB World Series. In the seesaw battle, the Bears prevailed on a pass to wide receiver Chris Penn, acquired by Hatley from the Kansas City Chiefs in a trade, then a quick overtime.
But after the win over Miami, the Bears returned to their losing ways. Prior to losing to the Washington Redskins, the Bears cut popular defensive tackle Chris Zorich, who promptly signed with the Redskins before the Bears game.
The Bears finished the '97 season by winning three of their last five games, usually an encouraging sign for a team hitting bottom. But most observers would have agreed that it looked like the Bears were far from hitting that bottom.
Quote of the Year: "We're going in a different direction now.  If it means letting a third-round draft pick go, then that's how it's going to be." New Bears Vice President of Player Personnel Mark Hatley on the cutting of Bob Sapp before the season even began.
1997 Records: Preseason 2-3, Regular Season 4-12
1997 NFL Rankings: Offense 17th Overall, 16th Rush, 16th Pass; Defense 12th Overall, 19th Rush, 11th Pass
1997 Coaches: Dave Wannstedt, Head Coach; Bob Slowik, Defensive Coordinator; Matt Cavanaugh, Offensive Coordinator
DATE
TEAM
RESULT
NOTES
7/27
Steelers
17-30
Ireland
8/2
Bills
20-17
Preseason
8/10
Dolphins
14-21
Preseason
8/17
Cardinals
22-10
Preseason
8/22
Saints
7-13
Preseason
9/1
Packers
24-38
Blowout.
9/7
Vikings
24-27
Can't hold lead.
9/14
Lions
7-32
Mirer plays.
9/21
Patriots
3-31
Mirer bad.
9/28
Cowboys
3-27
Mirer still bad.
10/5
Saints
17-20
Da Coach revenge.
10/12
Packers
23-24
Wanny gaffe.
10/27
Dolphins
36-33
First win.
11/2
Redskins
8-31
Zorich returns.
11/9
Vikings
22-29
Proehl big day.
11/16
Jets
15-23
Ugly as usual.
11/23
Bucs
13-7
Buc O can't go.
11/27
Lions
20-55
Blown lead, carnage.
12/7
Bills
20-3
Buffalo bad.
12/14
Rams
13-10
Mirer bowl.
12/21
Bucs
15-31
Fitting finish.
HOME
AWAY
Passing: Erik Kramer-   Kramer actually had his second-best season as a Bear, throwing for 3,011 yards and 14 touchdowns (with 14 interceptions to balance that out).  Not bad for the guy that was seemingly eliminated before the season. 
Rushing: Raymont Harris- Harris had his first thousand yard season for the Bears, rushing for 1,033 with a 3.8 average and 10 touchdowns.  He missed the final two games after breaking his leg.
Receiving: Ricky Proehl- This one was a shocker.  Proehl was signed to a one-year contract as a stopgap option as a third receiver, but ended up catching 58 passes for 753 yards and 7 touchdowns.
Scoring: Jeff Jaeger- Jaeger led the team with 83 points, pacing the team for the second year in a row.  He was 21/26 on field goals and perfect on extra points.
Sacks: Jim Flanigan and Barry Minter- Flanigan and Minter each notched six sacks, and each were due to become free agents after the season.
Interceptions: Walt Harris- The second-year cornerback suddenly became the best corner on the Bears when Tom Carter was signed.  That may not be saying much.  Harris had 5 interceptions.
1997 Starters
Erik Kramer Raymont Harris Tony Carter Bobby Engram Ricky Proehl Andy Heck Todd Perry Chris Villarrial Todd Burger James Williams Keith Jennings Jeff Jaeger
12 QB
29 RB
30 FB
81 WR
87 WR
64 LT
75 LG
58 C
63 RG
71 RT
85 TE
1 K
Alonzo Spellman Carl Simpson Jim Flanigan John Thierry Ron Cox Bryan Cox Barry Minter Tom Carter Marty Carter John Mangum Walt Harris Todd Sauerbrun
90 DE
98 DT
99 DT
91 DE
54 LB
52 MLB
92 LB
25 CB
23 SS
26 FS
27 CB
16 P
Left to right Offense:  Erik Kramer, Raymont Harris, Tony Carter, Bobby Engram, Ricky Proehl, Andy Heck, Todd Perry, Chris Villarrial, Todd Burger, James Williams, Keith Jennings, Jeff Jaeger.  Defense: Alonzo Spellman, Carl Simpson, Jim Flanigan, John Thierry, Ron Cox, Bryan Cox, Barry Minter, Tom Carter, Marty Carter, John Mangum, Walt Harris, Todd Sauerbrun.
#
Pos.
Name
School
Exp.
1
K
Jeff Jaeger
Washington
11
12
QB
Erik Kramer
NC State
8
13
QB
Rick Mirer
Notre Dame
5
16
P
Todd Sauerbrun
W Virginia
3
18
QB
Steve Stenstrom
Stanford
3
21
RB
Darnell Autry
Northwestern
R
23
S
Marty Carter
Mid. Tenn. St.
7
25
CB
Tom Carter
Notre Dame
5
26
S
John Mangum
Alabama
7
27
CB
Walt Harris
Mississippi St.
2
29
RB
Raymont Harris
Ohio State
4
30
FB
Tony Carter
Minnesota
4
31
RB
Rashaan Salaam
Colorado
3
33
DB
Tyrone Hughes
Nebraska
5
35
CB
James Burton
Fresno St.
5
36
S
Anthony Marshall
LSU
3
46
CB
Marlon Forbes
Penn St
2
48
S
Van Hiles
Kentucky
R
52
LB
Bryan Cox
W. Illinois
7
53
LB
Michael Lowery
Mississippi
2
54
LB
Ron Cox
Fresno St.
8
55
LB
Sean Harris
Arizona
3
57
LB
Anthony Peterson
Notre Dame
4
58
C
Chris Villarrial
Indiana (PA)
2
60
LS
Rob Davis
Penn-Shipp
2
62
G
Bob Sapp
Washington
R
63
G
Todd Burger
Penn State
5
64
T
Andy Heck
Notre Dame
9
65
G
Evan Pilgrim
BYU
3
67
G
Bill Schultz
USC
8
68
DE
Carl Reeves
N. Carolina
3
71
T
James Williams
Cheney St.
8
72
T
Jon Clark
Temple
2
75
G
Todd Perry
Kentucky
5
80
WR
Curtis Conway
USC
5
81
WR
Bobby Engram
Penn State
2
82
WR
Fabien Bownes
W. Illinois
1
83
WR
Marcus Robinson
S. Carolina
R
84
TE
John Allred
USC
R
85
TE
Keith Jennings
Clemson
9
86
WR
Chris Penn
Tulsa
4
87
WR
Rickey Proehl
Wake Forest
8
89
TE
Ryan Wetnight
Stanford
5
90
DE
Alonzo Spellman
Ohio State
6
91
DE
John Thierry
Alcorn State
4
92
LB
Barry Minter
Tulsa
5
93
DT
Paul Grasmanis
Notre Dame
2
95
DE
Mark Thomas
NC State
6
97
DT
Chris Zorich
Notre Dame
7
98
DT
Carl Simpson
Florida St.
5
99
DT
Jim Flanigan
Notre Dame
4
Kramer Loses his California Cool on the Score
I was driving home from work on September 18, 1997 when I heard one of those unscripted, unbelieveable radio moments on WSCR.
Following my work shift, I tuned into Dan McNeil and Terry Boers on what was then either AM 820 or 1160 in Chicago, to help numb the awful Bears pain as I always did.  McNeil and Boers were talking about how in the previous week's Bears game, when Kramer had been pulled from the game for Rick Mirer, he was shown on television laughing and joking while his team was getting slaughtered on the field.  I personally didn't see anything wrong with it, but the radio hosts thought Kramer should have looked a little more concerned.
The Score's reporter in Lake Forest found Kramer on the practice field, but apparently didn't tell the quarterback that he had been the topic of conversation all afternoon.  The radio hosts lit into Kramer libe, before Kramer even knew what the subject of the conversation was.  Kramer's first response was "who's this..." then "hey, easy pal," which are two sound bytes that have been played incessantly on The Score for the ensuing 11 years. 
The Chicago Tribune's Michael Hirsley reported the following the next day:
Bears quarterback Erik Kramer usually seems unflappable, which he was when coach Dave Wannstedt removed him from Sunday's game.
But he was angered in a radio interview Thursday afternoon when WSCR-AM's Dan McNeil repeatedly questioned why TV cameras caught Kramer smiling after being taken out of the game.
Kramer said he was "trying to take it in stride" because "I didn't want to go sulk on the sidelines," adding if anyone has "got a problem with it, screw 'em."
When McNeil berated him for saying that, Kramer replied, "That's chicken on your part." Although "there was nothing funny" about getting pulled from a losing game, Kramer said, he didn't have to defend his sideline demeanor. "If someone's got a problem with the way you walk down the street, what are you doing to say?" he said. "Apologize? The heck with it."
The exchange went on for nearly nine minutes, ending with Kramer accusing McNeil and co-host Terry Boers, who was trying to be conciliatory, of ambushing him with an unimportant unexpected question.
"Did you get enough dirt here? . . . I hope you had a good time," said Kramer, on the phone from the Bears' practice site. Callers afterward were divided in support of Kramer, who said no other reporters asked about his smiling; or McNeil, who said it "rubbed a lot of people the wrong way."
Instead of signing one of the free agent quarterbacks available prior to the 1997 season, such as Elvis Grbac or Jeff George, or trading down and drafting a player like Jake Plummer, the Bears traded their top pick to Seattle for Rick Mirer, a player already riding the bench there. The bench is exactly where Mirer would stay in Chicago as well, for the lone season he spent here. Wannstedt favorites, linebackers Joe Cain and Vinson Smith, did not return to the team in 1997, so the Bears brought back former Bear Ron Cox to start next to Bryan Cox (no relation). Barry Minter manned the other outside linebacker spot, and third-year pro Sean Harris began to see spot duty. After cutting wide receiver Michael Timpson after two disappointing seasons, they signed veteran Ricky Proehl to man the slot. Following a shoulder injury to Curtis Conway in the preseason, Proehl became a starter and led the team in receiving. In one particular game at Detroit on Thanksgiving, Proehl caught 4 passes for 164 yards and a touchdown. Too bad the Bears defense was roasted by Barry Sanders' 167 yards and 3 touchdowns in an embarassing 55-20 loss. Because of Wannstedt's seeming bias against slow white receivers that performed well (see Tom Waddle), Proehl surprisingly was not pursued the following season to return (he would become a team leader on St. Louis' Super Bowl teams). In addition to Erik Kramer's well documented dust-up on air with WSCR hosts, linebacker Bryan Cox got into a war of words with WSCR host Mike North. Hearing of criticism from North, Cox went on a tirade to reporters, saying "you think I care what a guy that ran a hot dog stand and declared bankruptcy has to say?" Ron Rivera got his coaching career started with the 1997 Bears when the team allowed him to participate as a volunteer quality control coach. Walter Payton and family held a press conference in 1997 to announce that their son Jarrett was switching sports from soccer to football at St. Viator High School in Arlington Heights, IL. One of Wannstedt's pivotal signings in 1997 was of curious defensive back/running back/return man Tyrone Hughes from New Orleans. Hughes at the time was the most prolific kick returner in NFL history, having run back two long kickoffs for touchdowns in a 1994 game. He did nothing in this season with the Bears, on offense, defense or otherwise. In a late-season frustrating loss, guard Todd Burger was so miffed at a questionable fair catch Hughes made that he was shown berating and poking the returner in the chest on the sideline. It's been stated on this page that new personnel boss Mark Hatley cut third-round pick Bob Sapp before the beginning of the regular season because "he just couldn't play". Hatley was not around for the '97 draft, so felt no obligation to keep even a high draft pick from that year. But don't fret for Bob Sapp. The short-time football player turned into Bob "the Beast" Sapp, a cult hero in Japan as a mixed martial arts star. Sapp even knocked out winded former Bear William Perry in a "Celebrity Boxing" appearance. An interesting Dave Wannstedt story from the 1997 season related by Dan Bernstein of WSCR the Score is as follows. Wannstedt's brain was engrossed in football all the time-he was totally consumed by it at all times even though that amount of energy didn't translate to success-perhaps making the story funnier. One day, Wannstedt left his home to drive to the office, mentally going over and over his most recent worries. He arrived at the office-realizing that he had driven himself to the old Halas Hall on the campus of Lake Forest college, forgetting for a day that he had moved into new digs several months before.
Following surprising seasons in which both expansion teams went to their respective conference championship games, both Jacksonville and Carolina regressed a bit. The Green Bay Packers again dominated the NFC, finishing with a 13-3 record, beating the San Francisco 49ers on a sloppy Lambeau Field. In the AFC, the Denver Broncos finished as a wildcard team, then one two games on the road to advance to the Super Bowl in San Diego. They were prohibitive underdogs to the returning Packers. However, the Broncos ran their way through a tired and heavy Packer defensive line for a 31-24 upset in stunning fashion.
1997 Bears Draft
Rd
Pos
Name
School
1-Traded to Seattle for QB Rick Mirer
2
TE
John Allred
USC
3
G
Bob Sapp
Washington
4a
RB
Darnell Autry
Northwestern
4b
WR
Marcus Robinson
South Carolina
5
S
Van Hiles
Kentucky
6a
DE
Shawn Swayda
Arizona State
6b
LB
Richard Hogans
Memphis
6c
DB
Ricky Parker
SD State
7a
DT
Mike Miano
SW Missouri
7b
DE
Marvin Thomas
Memphis
1997 Bears Trades
Traded firs-round pick to Seattle for QB Rick Mirer and Seattle's fourth-round pick.
Traded 1998 fifth-round pick to Kansas City for WR Chris Penn.
 
1997 Bears Free Agent Signings
CB Tom Carter, Washington
WR Ricky Proehl, Seattle
KR Tyrone Hughes, New Orleans
LB Ron Cox, Green Bay
G Chris Gray, Miami
DE Mark Thomas, Carolina
1997 Retirements/Departures
Michael Timpson, WR
Jerry Fontenot,, C
Al Fontenot, DE
Donnell Woolford, CB
Mark Carrier, S
1997 Chicago Bears Awards
None








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