Who'd Have Thought? Ditka Doesn't Like Cold-Weather Super Bowl
(CBS) This isn't the Mike Ditka who Bears fans used to know.
Is it?
The legendary former Bears coach told the Mully and Hanley Show on Thursday that he doesn't support the Super Bowl being held in cold-weather cities, as this Sunday's matchup between Seattle and Denver is in New Jersey. This, of course, coming from a hard-nosed guy who played and coached in Chicago for years.
"I can be criticized, that's fine," Ditka said. "I think these games should be played in Miami, San Diego, Santa Clara … Arizona, maybe New Orleans because it's a dome.
"The World Series wouldn't be played in inclement weather. That's all I'm saying ... You say, 'It's cold, it's the way football was meant to be.' Yeah, it was meant to be that way – I played that way 50 years ago. But now it's different. Let's make it right for the fans, for the sponsors and for the players."
Ditka also addressed the Bears' decision to extend quarterback Jay Cutler's contract for seven years, saying he thought it was the right idea.
"He's the present and future, and they realize that," Ditka said. "I think he's got the right head coach. I think he's got the right guy to guide him, guide that offense, and I think he'll get Jay grounded in to what he wants to do. Don't turn the ball over, that's the biggest thing. He's got all the talent in the world."