"God puts people in places for reasons, and He probably put me [in New Orleans] to be humbled, and I deserve it." -- Mike Ditka

Can’t describe Ditka’s honesty. Most authentic coach of all time🖤💙

Football broke this man's heart.

He is one of my all time favorite coaches.

Wow. I'd never seen this before today. That was epic, I've seen a thousand post-game interviews with NFL coaches but nothing that even resembled this before.

This was hard to watch, but this is why Ditka is respected in the NFL. He never passed blame, admitted what he did was wrong, and did all he could for success. This is a true coach.

"If I was fired then I'd quit right now". That had me rolling. 0:48

Good coaches like Mora and Ditka were emotionally broken down in New Orleans in the '90s. That franchise was so devoid of talent that Vince Lombardi couldn't have won there.

This is why I respect the Hell out of Ditka as a Man. We wouldn’t need so many scum bag lawyers if people would just accept responsibility for their mistakes and failures like he did in this interview.

That's one of the things that I do like about Mike Ditka. He's overpoweringly blunt and to the point.

We need more coaches like him, who are honest and don't answer all the stupid questions the press asks

When you get dominated in Madden Ultimate team.

The expressions on the face of that suited guy on right side of Mike are priceless.

Damn the Saints broke 2 legendary coaches in Mora and Ditka

As a Vikings fan I really liked Mike...he was good for the game. Show me a coach right now that gets the respect in today's game, these players make too much money to listen to coaches....my opinion

How can you not feel bad for Mike after watching this?

This press conference took place on November 23, 1997, at the Georgia Dome. The Saints lost 20-3 and committed 5 turnovers.

A fine, humble, and a honest man. I like him.

"They broke me down." LOL!

0:56 oh my god that stare was brutal 😂. God Ditka you were such a legend, in good times AND bad times

As a Saints fan, the Ditka era was tough but I was with Dem Boys every single week.

He called it like it is, much respect coach.

much respect for Ditka!

If your passionate about football or not. This is still tough to watch.

This was after the 3-20 loss to the Falcons in 1997

Don’t matter what he still one of the best, if not the best coaches in the history of the sport

This is the reason why the NFL teams will never have this kind of coach anymore. The owners don’t like someone who speaks their mind about the team, the players etc. And the fans loved this type of coach because they were speaking their mind and people can relate to that. Now you just have coaches that will give you a word salad after the game “ we have to watch the tape” , the overly used word “ process”!!!! Everything is a process, a protocol whatever.

Talent, heart, hard-work, execution, repetition, communication, chemistry, and unity...A team must have these attributes to be successful...

one of the best players and coaches to ever play da game, da coach..ditka we luv ya

This guy never mixed words and this is just my kind of dude they don't build them like this very much anymore, you can tell that he was so mad he's the guy that probably just pulled the locker off of the wall and through it before cameras started rolling, Mike was so passionate and the guy what's the dude that has so much love for the game for me this is an anger this is passion and this is what needs to be taught today sometimes, if every kid had a guy like this in their life as a coach or as a father figure this world would be a better place. Cuz you can tell that he cares while also being upset about the Loss.

Any coach that spoke like this today, would have to attend "sensitivity training."

lol @ the reporter asking questions after Ditka left

very underrated post game meltdown

pro football died the day Ditka left the Bears

Hard to imagine any Falcons team beating someone so badly they wanted to give up.

the reporters caught Mike in a moment, like sharks

He owns it.

I miss the days where coaches in every sport were blunt, honest, and didn't BS. It feels like every coach now in every press conference is just issuing political "this team has to just keep believing" statements. When's the last time in recent memory a coach has talked the way guys like Ditka in Jim Mora used to? Been awhile.

I got to meet him for business reasons in Chicago after he was out of football.... He was just like he is in this press conference. He told us...I like to tell the truth, and sometimes that gets me in trouble because people don't always want the truth. He said he got that from his dad! I'll tell you, after spending some time with him, he is one of the greatest men I've ever met in person!

0:43 Are you thinking about uh.... YES! Epic.

Which interview is the one where he answers every question with with a "yes" or "no" before he gets pissed. lmao

He said back in 1996....."Its in the water in New Orleans" .... Although his heart will always be in Chicago, And Coach Landry in Dallas

true football coach

Wow he definitely kept it real unlike alotta others these days, so nice to hear him say acknowledge God even. Now days media trys to take God country and American moral fiber out of the picture. Point is Iron Mike is from the older hard days there's love but you gotta work for it.

"Sure, I'll trade our whole draft for a running back! It's foolproof!"

That's frank talk right there.

@mosher111 This was probably the last of six losses to the Falcons under Ditka (0-6, 1997-99). The Ditka Saints never beat the Falcons. The last one was at Atlanta in 1999 (Falcons' SB year) - they didn't score until the 4th qtr and lost 35-12.

Love the way he looks at the clown reporter who asks if he’s “talked to management about that” 😂😂

@cmurphy1219 I agree...guess the guy thought he could turn them around. Something my dad always said; "You can't turn crap into anything but crap."

"Are they a better football team than us? No." lol

@antimatterXXXIII I suspect you are right that this was after that 35-12 Falcons victory in 1999. However, the Falcons super bowl appearance was for the 98 season. The 99 Falcons did poorly, winning about only 4 or 5 games.

One of my all time favorite football players and man's man.

Cut and dry. Coaches are on the hook if players don’t perform. That’s where it gets iffy. A player drops a pass, fire the coach. Player catches the ball, give them all the glory and high salary.

I have nothing else to say.....this is silly. ....lol....those are the same exact words I wanted to say to my boss with his shady self.......you tell them clowns Mike....this is silly

Mike Ditka takes responsibility. Gotta love it

This was back in 1999 after the Falcons beat the Saints 35-12 in Atlanta

Well god-damn... that was painful to watch. Coach, cut yourself some slack and forgiveness, there. I'm almost done throwing up. We want Tight End Iron Mike Ditka, who played for Dallas & the Bears. You coached a shitty team through a demoralizing loss, now get over it! We want number 89, and we wanna see him running safeties & DBs over. You're a badass, but you seem to have forgotten that fact in the preceeding interview. I sent a tweet to Otis, Samurai Mike, Perry, Frasier, Plank, (but I could not locate Richard Dent nor Wilbur Marshall). I checked the toaster for Vestee Jackson... sure enough, he was in there, having gotten burnt... Joking aside, you are the greatest football coach that the game will ever know. We just need you to not forget that, and I would like to see you enjoy life as you well deserve. You are a hero and a role model and don't you ever forget that.

Always respected Ditka. I met him at a friends house BEFORE he became Bears head coach. My friend said “hey you want to meet my uncle? I said why? He said he’s gonna be the Nears new head coach.” Met him briefly and his wife. The guy had a had like a catchers mitt.

dude cut off his medication in this interview.

IRON MIKE win or loose he told it like it is very blunt and honest with himself didnt really have no one eles to blame took a gamble and it didnt pay off ehhh well you win some you loose some this saints team deffinatley was not the 85 BEARS MIKE will always forever be a LEGEND!!

Me every Tuesday about my fantasy teams. Yes, I do press conferences about them. ; )

I'm just glad nobody asked him about the playoffs.

This man was real football. He took responsibility. And let's not forget that he won a Super Bowl because he had the guts to do it his way. Give me a real coach like Mike Ditka.

*Tough in the Middle, Leadership, Bulldozer, Durability, Strength*

He should have never agreed to coach for such an embarrassment of an organization to begin with.

If he would've just went in and played himself they would've won 42 to nothing.

Mike Ditka gutted the Saints with his Ricky WIlliams bullshit. I was a 10 year season ticket holder and Mora to me was the greatest thing that ever happened to the Saints then Benson hired Ditka. I wrote him a typed up nasty letter and told him I knew giving up my season tickets wouldn't mean shit to him but I hope Ditka brings him to his knees which he did. I lived and died by every play before that. We sat through some dismal seasons. When Mora brought us to the Playoffs we thought we'd gone to heaven. When the Saints made the Super Bowl I was excited but I didn't watch. I still have trouble watching them. I miss the DOME PATROL LINEBACKERS, Dalton Hilliard, damn, I'm drawing a blank, # 84 .......Morten Anderson, and punter.......damn its late, my memory, Hokie Gajan, I saw so many incredible games that Joe Montana played with Jerry Rice, Deion w Atlanta, Bo Jacksons great run, a great Rams game when Dickerson fumbled right after we told some loud clowns from California that he was getting ready to fumble. We laughed em out the stadium.

Now we have Kliff "Give them credit" Kingsbury

He was a good coach who didn’t get the credit he deserved because of how it ended in Chicago, which wasn’t all that bad. It’s not like they had a total disaster of a year. They just underachieved. They had a winning season.

This is a coach , says what he feels

"not much talent on the offense, none" you got to love that. Bottom line is it's up to the players to perform, they are professionals, being paid $$$$$, go out and figure out a way to get it done.

"if I was fired I would quit right now."

Jesus Christ! What was the score in this game?

And yes I know he was probably mad at himself here but, this is what turns it around sometimes and this is what kids need to learn nowadays too is sometimes losing is the best thing that can happen to you because you can actually turn it all around and make yourself better through the loss instead of whining and complaining about what did or didn't happen or how it happened or why it happened, that's why things are so bad nowadays because kids don't know how to lose there's always trophies or there's always a reward but there's never a reason to come back and try harder and do better, when grades in life are going to the a right away when you're in school as a child did you get stickers and rewards for halfway doing things then you're never going to know how to lose in then when later.

At least he's truthful and not a bullshitter like some coaches today are. This man is 100% professional. Took everything on his shoulders without blaming the team

Mike Ditka grew up in a time when the only thing that was graded on a curve was a road not the School tests

Can you imagine Kelce, bumping into Ditka and yelling at him on the sidelines during a game? NO!!

Can't win with Billy Joe turnover

Time to make these with Dennis Allen pressers.

Zaven Yaralian, the DC, was actually a good coach. So unfair for him to share the blame when it was Abramowicz's offense that played pitifully.

My grandfather is a lot like ditka his personality is very similar

This is how I felt after a 30-year marriage and my wife said to me " I want to leave to find myself.".

That was tough to watch

What was the final score of this game?

Ditka was overrated. He wouldn’t have a Super Bowl ring as a head coach if it wasn’t for Buddy Ryan’s defense.

Football was different back then, coaches held players accountable and told it exactly how it was, today's football is soft as hell and the players are all about showboating. They run 20 yards down field after making a tackle but still gave up the first down, running backs and receivers have to make a spectacle of themselves after makinf a first down. Football has really gone downhill over the years.... what a shame!!!

He was awesome.

Thumbnail - "if looks could kill"

Dude has epic hair.

Billy Joe tolliver Billy Joe hobert and Danny weurful what QB rotation lol

Mike Ditka never beat Dan Reeves and the Atlanta Falcons when he was Head Coaching the Saints

I was thinking this is when he was with the Bears nothing in the tag let me to believe it was when he was with New Orleans

Accountability Remember when that meant something

One of my favourite men. YOU didn't fail them. THEY failed you. First you have to deal with McMahon. and then then this. Edit2 : why was McMahon STILL chewing at you after 40 years ??? Why is he doing that???

Imagine being a player, your coach tells you you’re training hard and he believes in you…but you’re just mediocre and then your own coach torches you as “no talent” on national Tv

This is what accountability looks like.

When you lose to the falcons, you feel this way. 😃

Sorry Mike ,but when you think you are one RB away from the super bowl, YOU ARE NOT VERY GOOD.

"There's no talent on the offense and that's my fault. I chose them."

he coached for 2 more years after this ?! he's begging to be fired. how could the owners keep him around for even one more game ?!