CHICAGO — Dexter Manley tried hard to control himself, but what the Chicago Bears were saying all week was enough to frost his grapefruit.
"You know," the Washington Redskin defensive right end said, summarizing Sunday's 21-17 victory, "(quarterback Jim) McMahon shot his mouth off, and the offensive coordinator shot his mouth off and, of course, (Coach) Mike Ditka was like a raving maniac.
"The Chicago media pumped (McMahon) up. He's a good quarterback, but he can't lay out six, seven weeks and expect to perform.
"The media in Chicago said, 'Oh, the Mac is back.' They expected us to buy that. Well, the Mac wasn't back today. No way."
Even Doug Williams, the Redskin quarterback who is not a mouthy type, couldn't resist.
"I guess Patton didn't return today," Williams said. "Patton was there, but the Bears didn't come through like they usually do when he's the starting quarterback."
Williams was referring to a poster McMahon did posing as Gen. Douglas MacArthur, with sunglasses and corncob pipe, but that's only history, as are the Bears, for whom Manley had a parting shot.
"I think the Bears are a bunch of arrogant . . . but don't quote that . . . ," Manley said. "Just say that they feel they're better than sliced bread. It comes from the front office all the way down to our players.
"I mean, they bad-mouthed our defense. That was pretty dumb."
Myths always look dumb after they're dead, but this one's demise a day after the wild-card Minnesota Vikings blew up the San Francisco 49ers' beautiful balloon, 36-24, in the other divisional playoff left the NFC looking for a worthy contender to meet the Cleveland Browns or Denver Broncos at the Super Bowl in San Diego on Jan. 31.
Whichever side emerges victorious in the title game in RFK Stadium next Sunday will be the shakiest representative the old line has sent to the Super Bowl in years. If the Vikings win, this will be the first time the NFC hasn't sent a division champion since the current wild-card playoff format was introduced in 1978.
The Redskins, although they overcame an early 14-0 Bear lead, are still a couple of cuts below awesome themselves. There were only two differences between them and the Bears at sub-freezing Soldier Field, where the temperature at kickoff was officially 4 degrees, with a 12-m.p.h. breeze dropping the wind chill factor to minus-23.
One difference was Darrell Green's 52-yard punt return for a touchdown to give the Redskins a 21-14 lead early in the third quarter.
The other was the interception--one of three--McMahon threw to Barry Wilburn in the end zone, missing a wide-open Willie Gault with 9:20 remaining and the Bears trailing by the final score.
"I was surprised because I figured they were gonna try to throw it to Willie Gault," Wilburn said. "But I didn't think he would throw it straight to me."
Walter Payton, for whom the end came suddenly after 13 years, ran younger than his 33 years--18 times for 85 yards--but 74 of those were in the first half when the game was even. Then the Redskins switched to a five-man line, and the legend retired.
McMahon hadn't played since he tore a hamstring at Minnesota Dec. 6, but the Bears talked all week about how they expected the magic to return with him, just in time to restore the invincible aura of Super Bowl XX two years ago.
After all, he had won 28 of his last 29 starts and hadn't lost a start at Soldier Field since 1984.
But what was McMahon's opinion of his performance?
"This is probably the worst game I've played in a long time," he said. "I could say a lot of things, but I just didn't get it done today."
He completed 15 of 29 passes for 197 yards but, besides the 3 interceptions, was so immobile that he was sacked 5 times--3 times by Charles Mann, the Redskins' less talkative defensive end.
McMahon, meeting the press from a platform in black hat, black leather coat with fur trim, sunglasses and three-day beard, was asked if the layoff affected him.
"Nope," he explained.
He spat a long stream of brown tobacco juice down among the reporters, hitting the open spot.
"I was hurt," he continued. "The hamstring felt pretty good until I threw that interception at the start of the third quarter and I had to go make the tackle. It didn't feel all that good then.
"But I was on the field. I'm supposed to do my job. Injuries are part of the game. I couldn't run. It was obvious. They knew that.
"I didn't play a good ball game. I know you guys are gonna put heat on me. I deserve it. But I can take it. I'll be back."
Williams played a better game, not so much in passing numbers (14 of 29 for 207 yards) but, with better protection from his blockers, was sacked only 1 time, that leading to the Bears' first touchdown.
Williams' only interception was a pass deflected by Bear tackle Steve McMichael to cornerback Mike Richardson. That snuffed out a serious threat, because Redskin rookie Brian Davis had just returned McMahon's first interception 23 yards to the six-yard line.
