Professional Football Researchers Association Forum

Ditka did make a mistake not going to Walter there. No doubt and he owns up to it. But do you think this oversight is a little too...overrated?

Nearing the end of his career, Payton got to play in a Super Bowl, he was about to win a championship and be a part of maybe the greatest team of all toime...and sure it should've been him getting the meaningless 1 yard plunge in an already decided game. But isn't just playing and winning the game enough of a cap on a great career?

Really a 1 yard TD by Walter Payton would not have been immortalized too much. I don't see it being an NFL films staple like Perry's run became.

Of course in the grand pecking order of things it should've been Paytons ball but I really don't see it as some big affront. Was Payton really owed a Super Bowl pile on touchdown?

sheajets wrote:Ditka did make a mistake not going to Walter there. No doubt and he owns up to it. But do you think this oversight is a little too...overrated?

Nearing the end of his career, Payton got to play in a Super Bowl, he was about to win a championship and be a part of maybe the greatest team of all toime...and sure it should've been him getting the meaningless 1 yard plunge in an already decided game. But isn't just playing and winning the game enough of a cap on a great career?

Really a 1 yard TD by Walter Payton would not have been immortalized too much. I don't see it being an NFL films staple like Perry's run became.

Of course in the grand pecking order of things it should've been Paytons ball but I really don't see it as some big affront. Was Payton really owed a Super Bowl pile on touchdown?

No, but Ditka's ego was going full blast by this point and he knew he'd get more notice for giving the ball to the Fridge. There were some conspiracy theorists who claimed that he did it because one of the Vegas betting options was whether Perry would score a TD.

I don't remember where I saw it, but Payton did mention it. He has a right to how he felt. In my opinion, it should have been a non-issue. The TD was meaningless - the game was a blowout. Of course I'm completely inconsistent because it made me happy Nagurski got one in '43.

I never understood why this was an issue. Would anyone actually elevate Payton in the all time rankings based on whether or not he scored a touchdown in a blowout game?

If the answer is "no", then there is nothing to consider here. That Payton himself seemingly had a problem is difficult for me to believe since this whole thing falls into diva category nonsense.

JWL wrote:I never understood why this was an issue. Would anyone actually elevate Payton in the all time rankings based on whether or not he scored a touchdown in a blowout game?

If the answer is "no", then there is nothing to consider here. That Payton himself seemingly had a problem is difficult for me to believe since this whole thing falls into diva category nonsense.

Exactly. I don't really see why Payton cared. When the game is over as this one was touchdowns become pretty meaningless and shouldn't be celebrated. There was no glory to be had at this point

I think it came up in his episode of A Football Life, but I'm not sure.

In a baseball vein, there were critics of Bob Feller because he didn't win a game in the World Series--even though he was elected on the first ballot in 1962. Of course, those critics pale in comparison to the simpletons who cited that he "only" won 266 games--conveniently forgetting the nearly four prime years he lost during WW II.

Payton was a great player, and I wish he would have got a TD, but how he felt was an example of what started to tear that team apart after their SB XX win (also, Ryan's departure and the 87 strike were other factors).

7DnBrnc53 wrote:Payton was a great player, and I wish he would have got a TD, but how he felt was an example of what started to tear that team apart after their SB XX win (also, Ryan's departure and the 87 strike were other factors).

The NFLN show on the 85 Bears and the aftermath had players pointing to how Ditka lost the locker room by telling them they couldn't film a commercial. They complied and a few months later, the commecial was shown--with Ditka in it.

Of all the Super Bowl winning coaches I feel Ditka deserves the least amount of credit. It was the closest any championship team had to a co-coaching situation.