BEARS GREAT STEVE MCMICHAEL GETS HIS HALL OF FAME MOMENT AS HE BATTLES ALS
CHICAGO (AP) — Steve McMichael always had that big and boisterous persona and a willingness to say whatever was on his mind, so it’s no stretch to think the Chicago Bears great’s Pro Football Hall of Fame induction speech would have been one to remember.
“He would cut a scorcher,” his wife Misty McMichael said. “He would have been amazing.”
McMichael is in the advanced stages of ALS and won’t be able to make the trip from Homer Glen, Illinois, to Canton, Ohio, for his induction Saturday. He lost his ability to move and speak, though he will deliver a brief and heartfelt message he put together through an eye-gaze device: “Hello Chicago. Thank you, Chicago.”
The 66-year-old McMichael is part of a seven-member class that includes former Bears Devin Hester and Julius Peppers.
An All-Pro defensive tackle in 1985 and 1987, he played in a franchise-record 191 consecutive games from 1981 to 1993 and ranks second to Richard Dent on the Bears’ all-time sacks list with 92 1/2. His final NFL season was with Green Bay in 1994.
Whether he was terrorizing opponents or discussing the Bears on sports talk radio, the man known as “Ming The Merciless” and “Mongo” after the character in “Blazing Saddles” who knocked out a horse remained a prominent presence in Chicago long after his playing days ended. He also spent five years in professional wrestling in the late 1990s.
McMichael’s brash personality and willingness to say whatever was on his mind made him a natural for professional wrestling. It also got him ejected from a Cubs game in 2001 for calling out home plate umpire Angel Hernandez during the seventh-inning stretch.
He began working for World Championship Wrestling at the height of the “Monday Night Wars” with the World Wrestling Federation, starting as a color commentator and later joining Ric Flair in the “Four Horsemen” group.
McMichael told the Chicago Tribune in April 2021 that he was battling Lou Gehrig’s disease, which affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, causing loss of muscle control.
“I promise you, this epitaph that I’m going to have on me now? This ain’t ever how I envisioned this was going to end,” McMichael told the Tribune.
McMichael has gone from a 270-pound giant who used to blast through NFL offensive linemen and drive wrestlers headfirst into the mat with the “Mongo spike” to someone who is bedridden and rail thin, a decline documented through photos on social media.
McMichael was born in Houston and starred at Texas from 1976-79, becoming a consensus first-team All-American as a senior. He entered the College Football Hall of Fame in 2010.
The New England Patriots drafted McMichael in the third round in 1980. He didn’t last long, appearing in just six games as a rookie before getting released prior to his second season. McMichael would play hard on and off the field, getting in fights in practice and taking in Boston’s nightlife afterward.
“They looked at me and said, ’Steve, we think you’re the criminal element in the league. Get out,” McMichael said in his Gridiron Greats Hall of Fame induction speech in 2019.
The same traits were welcomed by George Halas in Chicago.
“Papa Bear” made it clear. “You know what he said to me, guys?” McMichael recalled in that speech. “I’ve heard what kind of dirty rat you are in practice. Don’t change, Steve.”
McMichael became one of the most feared players on what might be the greatest defense ever assembled. With Hall of Famers Dan Hampton, Mike Singletary, Dent and McMichael, the 1985 Bears demolished just about everyone in their path on the way to the franchise’s lone Super Bowl championship.
He played 15 years in the NFL — 13 with Chicago. His final season was with the rival Green Bay Packers in 1994, after being released by the Bears.
Soon after his career ended, McMichael started getting involved with professional wrestling. He was also a fixture on sports radio in Chicago.
To see him now?
“It just breaks my heart,” said Dave Siden, McMichael’s friend for more than 40 years.
The two met when Siden lived across the street from the old Halas Hall at Lake Forest College.
“Changed my life, man,” he said.
Siden got prime seats at games and behind-the-scenes access at wrestling events. And when McMichael married Misty in 2001, he was a best man.
“It’s just really cool to be a part of Steve’s life and, as Steve says, bask in his reflective glory,” Siden said.
Now, McMichael gets one more moment of glory.
“He’s scared to die and he shouldn’t be because he’s the most badass man I’ve ever known inside and out,” Misty McMichael said. “He’s a good man. He’s gonna be in heaven before any of us, so I don’t know what he’s afraid of. But I’ve told him to please hang on ’til the 3rd and then, you know, I don’t want to see him suffer anymore. He’s been suffering.
TEXANS’ AUTRY SUSPENDED 6 GAMES FOR VIOLATING PED POLICY
Houston Texans defensive lineman Denico Autry has been suspended six games for violating the league’s performance-enhancing drugs policy.
“Over the course of my 10-year NFL career, I have never engaged in the use of performance-enhancing drugs … I was, therefore, stunned this offseason when I learned that one of my tests returned a positive result,” Autry said in a statement, via NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
“I immediately investigated the matter and discovered that a pharmacy to which my doctors submitted a prescription for a different medication, had, whether intentionally, recklessly, or negligently, included a banned substance. I want to be clear, at no time did I know or even suspect that this medication contained a banned substance.”
The Texans signed Autry to a two-year, $20-million deal this offseason. Autry had a great year with the Tennessee Titans in 2023, posting career highs in sacks (11.5) and tackles (50).
Autry will be eligible to return to the Texans lineup in Week 7 against the Green Bay Packers.
Houston has made other moves over the last two years to bolster its defensive front, trading up in the 2023 draft to select Will Anderson Jr. third overall and signing star pass-rusher Danielle Hunter to a two-year, $49-million deal this offseason.
Autry, 34, was signed by the then-Oakland Raiders as an undrafted free agent in 2014. He has 59 sacks and 310 tackles in 142 career contests.
UNDERPAID IN KC? PATRICK MAHOMES DISHES ON QB DEALS
Patrick Mahomes’ $450 million deal remains the NFL’s gold standard when it comes to total contract value.
But the $45 million average annual value for the 10-year deal he reached in 2020 is suddenly tied for 11th among the league’s quarterbacks.
The three-time Super Bowl MVP saw Miami’s Tua Tagovailoa ($53.1 million average annual value) and Green Bay’s Jordan Love ($55M AAV) recently surge past him on that chart, yet insists he does not feel underpaid.
“It’s awesome for the game of football,” Mahomes told USA Today Sports after practice at training camp Sunday.
“It’s awesome for the quarterback position, but I think all positions. I know every time a contract comes up, everybody looks at my APY (average per year) and everything like that. I’m doing pretty well myself. For me, it’s just about going out there trying to win football games, trying to make money for my family at the end of the day. I feel like I’m doing a great job of that.”
Love and Tagovailoa became the latest members of the $50 million club, joining Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow ($55M), Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence ($55M), Detroit’s Jared Goff ($53M), the Chargers’ Justin Herbert ($52.5M), Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson ($52M) and Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts ($51M), per Spotrac.
Arizona’s Kyler Murray ($46.1M) and Cleveland’s DeShaun Watson ($46M) also have bigger paychecks than the Kansas City superstar, who is tied in that 11th spot with Atlanta’s Kirk Cousins.
Mahomes, 28, is a six-time Pro Bowl selection and two-time NFL MVP who enters 2024 with a 74-22 record in the regular season and 15-3 in the playoffs. He has passed for 28,424 yards with 219 touchdowns and 63 interceptions.
Mahomes said he focuses on the big picture and the importance of playing for an organization that has remained competitive despite his hefty salary.
“I think we do a great job of managing my money, to be able to pay me a lot of money and keep a good team around me,” he said. “I know we’ve kind of restructured it a couple of times and got the cash flow up in certain spots and certain years. It’s about having a good dialogue, good communication with the front office, with ownership. We’ve done that here. And as we’ve been able to allow me to be a highly paid guy while at the same time build a great team around me.”
AARON RODGERS LOOKING FOR ‘TWO MORE YEARS’ WITH JETS
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers says he would still like to have “two great years” with the New York Jets.
That was the initial plan when the four-time NFL MVP joined the Jets in April 2023 after 18 seasons in Green Bay.
An Achilles injury four snaps into the 2023 season delayed that two-year plan, but did not delete it altogether.
“I would say there was a lot of sentiment that last year wasn’t a great year for me,” Rodgers, 40, told reporters at training camp in Florham Park, N.J. “I’d like to still have two great years.”
Rodgers signed a three-year contract for $112.5 million with the Jets in July 2023.
PANTHERS S SAM FRANKLIN BREAKS FOOT
Carolina Panthers safety Sam Franklin will miss an extended period of time after breaking his foot, head coach Dave Canales said Monday.
Franklin, 28, sustained the injury at practice Saturday, said Canales, who expects him to return during the season.
“You can’t replace Sam Franklin. But this is a good opportunity for guys to step up,” Canales said.
One of the team’s core special teams players, Franklin has started nine of 64 games in his four seasons in Carolina at linebacker and safety. He has 97 tackles for his career, including 30 last season when he recorded his lone interception, which he returned 99 yards for a touchdown in a 21-13 loss to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 4.
BROWNS PLACE OL BRIAN ALLEN ON IR, ENDING HIS SEASON
The Cleveland Browns placed new acquisition Brian Allen (calf) on injured reserve on Monday, ending the center’s season.
Allen, 28, who signed with the Browns in May, suffered a calf injury on the third day of training camp.
The Browns announced the signing of guard Zack Johnson in a corresponding move.
Allen was drafted in the fourth round by the Los Angeles Rams in 2018. In 2021, he made 16 starts in the regular season and four more in the playoffs as Los Angeles marched to a Super Bowl LVI championship.
Allen then missed 22 of the Rams’ 34 games over the past two seasons. He dealt with knee and thumb injuries in 2022 and lost his starting job to Coleman Shelton last season.
The Browns have centers Ethan Pocic and Luke Wypler on the roster. Pocic made 15 starts last season for Cleveland, while Wypler played in five games (one start) as a 2023 rookie.
REPORT: VIKINGS SIGNING FREE AGENT DB BOBBY MCCAIN
The Minnesota Vikings are signing free agent defensive back Bobby McCain, ESPN reported Monday.
McCain, 30, appeared in 10 games last season with the New York Giants, mostly on special teams.
He has recorded 11 interceptions and 394 tackles in 131 games (87 starts) with the Miami Dolphins (2015-20), Washington (2021-22) and the Giants. Miami drafted him in the fifth round in 2015.
The move would reunite McCain with Minnesota defensive coordinator Brian Flores, who was head coach of the Dolphins from 2019-21.
BUCS LT TRISTAN WIRFS SITS OUT TEAM DRILLS
Tampa Bay three-time Pro Bowl tackle Tristan Wirfs is sitting out team drills during training camp while waiting to strike a new deal with the Buccaneers.
Wirfs participated in individual sessions Monday but sat out 11-on-11 drills, limiting his practice as part of his “sit-in” while the sides negotiate an extension.
“Obviously, it would have been nice for it to be done already but that’s part of the business that I’m still learning about,” Wirfs told reporters Monday. “It’s all been good. I was here all offseason training. I like it here.”
The Bucs picked up Wirfs’ fifth-year option that would pay him $18.6 million this season but both sides are eager to reach a long-term extension.
Bucs general manager Jason Licht told reporters Sunday that Wirfs deserves to be the highest-paid tackle in the league. The Vikings’ Christian Darrisaw’s offseason extension set the market, paying him $26 million per year.
“I can promise you this, Tristan’s gonna be playing for the Bucs this year. He’s gonna be playing for the Bucs in the distant future. I think we’re gonna get something done at some point, I just can’t tell you when. … I’m optimistic that hopefully it will be soon,” Licht said.
The Schultz Report, however, reported Sunday that the sides are “very far apart.”
The Bucs selected Wirfs No. 13 overall in the 2020 draft out of Iowa. He’s started all 63 games he’s played in, making the Pro Bowl the past three seasons and earning All-Pro honors in 2021.
LIONS LT TAYLOR DECKER AGREES TO $60M EXTENSION
The Detroit Lions agreed to a three-year, $60 million extension with left tackle Taylor Decker.
The deal includes $31.83 million guaranteed, agent Jonathan Feinsod confirmed Monday on social media.
Decker, who turns 30 next month, is the Lions’ longest-tenured player as a 2016 first-round draft pick.
Lions general manager Brad Holmes told 97.1 The Ticket that they reached the agreement on Sunday.
“He’s been a key cog of what we’ve been building, what we’ve doing. His leadership, his professionalism,” Holmes said. “He’s a guy that really embraced our culture so he’s a big part of what we do, and it all starts up front with the offensive line as we all know so I’m just really, really happy that we were able to get that one done and happy for Deck and his family.”
Decker, who had been scheduled to earn $13.7 million this season, is now under contract through 2027.
Decker has started all 112 of his games with Detroit, including 15 last season as the Lions advanced to their first NFC Championship Game since the 1991 season.