Former Chicago Bears lineman Tom Thayer defends Mike Ditka from criticism

Former Chicago Bears defensive lineman Richard Dent hasn't been shy about expressing his opinion that Mike Ditka held the team back from winning multiple Super Bowl championships, but after Dent reiterated that point in a recent interview former Bears lineman Tom Thayer responded with a defense of Ditka.

The 1985 Bears are regarded as one of the best teams in the history of the NFL, but that core group of players only managed to capture that single Super Bowl XX title. Dent doesn't feel that Ditka handled personnel moves very well in the wake of the team's title, and he said as much in an interview with WGN 9 in Chicago (embedded below).

Thayer then jumped on "The Mully & Hanley Show" on WSCR-AM 670 to give his opinion on the whole situation (via CSN-Chicago):

"It's unfair to place the blame and the responsibility on Ditka because we were all part of it. We all had issues after the Super Bowl that maybe complemented the ultimate success of winning a Super Bowl again. But I think most of all, it was the health of the quarterback position at the time of the playoffs, not a decision Ditka was trying to make to improve his own profile or make a decision beyond belief."

The whole argument is pretty useless in 2012, but the fact that the Bears failed to win another title with such a dominant defense is still a sore spot for many Chicago fans. If you want to open up old wounds, feel free to check out Dent voicing his opinion in the video below.