This Isn’t the Right Time and London Isn’t the Place for Exhibition, Bears Say

PLATTEVILLE, Wis. — The Chicago Bears, reluctant travelers at best, take off for London today to play an exhibition game Aug. 3 against the Dallas Cowboys.

The Super Bowl champion Bears were selected to make the trip because they are the most popular team in England, which recently has taken American football to heart. But, to a man, the London trip is little more than a headache for the team.

“We’re going. It’s just that simple,” said safety Dave Duerson. “We’re going to make the best of it.”

Some players who have never been to England plan to enjoy the sights. But even that is not universal.

“I’ve never been there, but I’m not much of a sightseer,” said quarterback Jim McMahon. “I won’t see many sights.”

The prevailing attitude toward the trip is that it is breaking up the concentration of training camp.

“We’ll be in a work mode, then we’ll be in a vacation mode, then we’ll have to get to work again,” said Coach Mike Ditka.

“It just gets you out of your routine,” said running back Walter Payton.

The game was announced in the spring when international terrorism was in the headlines daily. During the Bears’ spring mini-camp, there was a great deal of concern about the possibility of terrorist attacks. Those concerns have abated somewhat.

Rob Shepherd, a sportswriter for Britain’s new Today national newspaper, said the British have warmed up considerably to American football in the two years since taped highlights have been shown regularly on the BBC.

“It’s different. It’s not like anything they have seen before,” said Shepherd, who spent three days at the Bears’ training camp. “Baseball is too much like cricket, but American football--the only thing we have to compare is rugby and it’s not really at all like that.”

Shepherd said dozens of American-style football teams have cropped up and there are two pro leagues, although players sometimes pay to play instead of the other way around.

“I think the English finally started viewing football as a game of strategy and saw that the physical aspect was just a by-product of the game,” said Bears safety Gary Fencik, who visited London last month with teammate tackle Keith Van Horne.

Fencik says the London trip will set back the learning process on the new defense designed by Vince Tobin, who replaced Buddy Ryan as defensive coordinator. Ryan now is head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles.

“I think we have had so much success staying here in Platteville the last two training camps that to go away while we’re trying to learn a new defense is going to be disruptive,” Fencik said. “On the other hand, we came here so much earlier than the union (the NFL Players Assn.) said we were probably supposed to that I don’t know we are going to have less meeting time.

“I think there is something very positive about staying here and getting ready for the season.”

The NFLPA says it will file a grievance against Ditka and the Bears for calling the veterans to work four days before they were supposed to report. Ditka called the veterans in early because of the exhibition game.