THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, September 6, 1996 TAG: 9609060687
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JIM DUCIBELLA, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 73 lines
The first song on Barbra Streisand's famous Broadway album is called ``Putting It Together.'' It is a scathing indictment of the humiliation she went through trying to convince the record industry that her rendition of showtunes would sell.
Chicago Bears coach Dave Wannstedt probably envies Streisand. Certainly, he wishes people wouldn't put so much stock in his ``The pieces are in place'' line, uttered during training camp.
``Boy, am I getting beat up on that one,'' Wannstedt claimed Thursday when asked if he meant what he said. ``Here's the story. I said one day that I liked our football team, that I thought we were better than last year. Someone asked if that meant all the pieces were in place.
``I think they are, but I also know that last year we were the second-youngest team in the NFL, after Jacksonville. I know that we're playing a rookie cornerback, a rookie receiver, a rookie kicker. We have four first-year players who are integral parts of the team. We've got a lot of green kids in important positions who have to perform.''
They certainly didn't let him down Monday night, beating the depleted Super Bowl champion Dallas Cowboys 22-6 at Soldier Field. On Sunday, the Bears will be favored to have their way with Wannstedt's old coaching buddy in Dallas, the Redskins' Norv Turner.
``Norv and I are very good friends, but it's tough to get into personalities once you're into the season,'' Wannstedt said. ``My only concern is getting my football team ready, just as that is his only concern. I'm glad we're playing them early, but it's a difficult thing. Both teams need a win and both coaches are very good friends. You'd like to pick games against a bunch of guys you didn't like. That would certainly help the motivation, I suppose.''
The Bears signed Wannstedt to a contract extension after last season. It runs through the 2000 season and reportedly is in line with the $1 million a year Miami gave Wannstedt's old boss, Jimmy Johnson.
``Our great drive is to win the Super Bowl and I think Dave has shown we're heading in that direction very strongly,'' says Bears president Mike McCaskey. ``The '95 team was much better than the year before . . . There's a lot of reasons why we can hope and expect that this year's team will be an improvement over last year's team.''
Wannstedt, who was in his office watching tapes of the Redskins Tuesday morning at 6:30, embraces McCaskey's sentiment. And when you're in the same city as Michael Jordan and the NBA's world-champion Bulls, only winning keeps you in the race for fan interest.
``Chicago is like every city; they want a winner,'' Wannstedt said. ``And that expectation level has jumped fast. The Bears were 5-11 the year before we took the job. Normally, you'd tear down, have four wins, six wins, eight wins, then nine wins. We win seven our first year, then nine and a playoff game our second season, and nine again last year.
``I think the Bulls are great. I was in the weight room with a bunch of players on the day the city gave the Bulls their championship parade. I told our guys to take it in. Here were a quarter-million people fawning over the Bulls and their trophy. I told them to view it as a positive, that here was a great city that appreciated sports. I like it a lot more than a city where no one cares, where they don't support their teams.''
Wannstedt says he has already told his team that beating the Cowboys means nothing if Chicago turns around and falls to Washington on Sunday. He also told his players not to act surprised they'd dropped Dallas, that they were good enough for the victory to be legit.
``We really didn't talk about Dallas in training camp,'' he said, ``at least not until the last preseason game. I tried to set the scenario that, yes, Dallas was a big game, the season opener, Monday night, the Super Bowl champions - but it also was just one of 16.
``Obviously, it was a big game and very emotional. But if we're to be a good team, the type of team we want to be, we'll find a way to refocus for Sunday's game against Washington.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo
``Chicago is like every city; they want a winner,'' said Bears head
coach Dave Wannstedt. by CNB