SmokyFin
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Obviously a lot of people on this board are too young to know what Mike Singletary is about. Below is a great link to his background.
http://www.chicagobears.com/tradition/hof-singletary.asp
One of Mike's other qualities was his preparation for "big" games. No one studied an opponent more thoroughly than did Singletary. In fact, he had a video system installed in his home so that he could take game films home to study. He was consistently the first to report in the morning and the last to leave in the evening. So intense were his preparation routines that the defensive standout actually had to practice relaxation exercises to keep from hyperventilating.
As the defensive captain and signal caller, Singletary was the "Man" on defense. "On defense he is the glue," said quarterback Jim McMahon. "When he talks people listen."
Once, in a team meeting prior to the 1985 NFC Championship Game with the Los Angeles Rams, the usually soft-spoken Singletary delivered a pep talk to his defensive teammates. According to Ditka, who was conducting the offensive team meeting in an adjacent room, Mike gave his teammates " a little Knute Rockne talk." Although his impromptu speech began on an even keel, by the time it was over, players were shouting and tossing tables and chairs.
Singletary carried the emotion of the meeting to the playing field the next day. The Rams and their star running back Eric Dickerson were essentially shut down by the bears "46". On a third-and-one with just over two minutes remaining in the first quarter, Dickerson took a handoff and started for an opening at left guard. When he arrived, he was met by the hard-charging Singletary, who dropped the all-pro running back for a one-yard loss. "Mike hit Dickerson so hard," recounted fellow Linebacker Wilbur Marshal, "I don't think he knew where he was." Dickerson went on to gain just 46 yards as the Bears defeated the rams 24-0.
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And from another article:
Much as he did all those years as a player, Singletary has set high goals for himself in his new profession.
"I want to be the greatest coach of all time," says Singletary. "It's no knock on anyone else--it's just like I wanted to be the greatest linebacker of all time. I had great respect for Ray Nitschke and Dick Butkus and Willie Lanier, but it's just where I want to be. Whether or not I can get there is not the point. The point is that I'm striving to get there every day."
http://www.chicagobears.com/tradition/hof-singletary.asp
One of Mike's other qualities was his preparation for "big" games. No one studied an opponent more thoroughly than did Singletary. In fact, he had a video system installed in his home so that he could take game films home to study. He was consistently the first to report in the morning and the last to leave in the evening. So intense were his preparation routines that the defensive standout actually had to practice relaxation exercises to keep from hyperventilating.
As the defensive captain and signal caller, Singletary was the "Man" on defense. "On defense he is the glue," said quarterback Jim McMahon. "When he talks people listen."
Once, in a team meeting prior to the 1985 NFC Championship Game with the Los Angeles Rams, the usually soft-spoken Singletary delivered a pep talk to his defensive teammates. According to Ditka, who was conducting the offensive team meeting in an adjacent room, Mike gave his teammates " a little Knute Rockne talk." Although his impromptu speech began on an even keel, by the time it was over, players were shouting and tossing tables and chairs.
Singletary carried the emotion of the meeting to the playing field the next day. The Rams and their star running back Eric Dickerson were essentially shut down by the bears "46". On a third-and-one with just over two minutes remaining in the first quarter, Dickerson took a handoff and started for an opening at left guard. When he arrived, he was met by the hard-charging Singletary, who dropped the all-pro running back for a one-yard loss. "Mike hit Dickerson so hard," recounted fellow Linebacker Wilbur Marshal, "I don't think he knew where he was." Dickerson went on to gain just 46 yards as the Bears defeated the rams 24-0.
------------------
And from another article:
Much as he did all those years as a player, Singletary has set high goals for himself in his new profession.
"I want to be the greatest coach of all time," says Singletary. "It's no knock on anyone else--it's just like I wanted to be the greatest linebacker of all time. I had great respect for Ray Nitschke and Dick Butkus and Willie Lanier, but it's just where I want to be. Whether or not I can get there is not the point. The point is that I'm striving to get there every day."
