Dennis Green unleashed an inconic postgame rant after loss to Chicago Bears 20 years ago

Dennis Green should be remembered for plenty of reasons.

He won a Super Bowl with the 49ers, he became the second African American head coach in Division I-A history in 1981 when he was hired as Northwestern football's head coach, he introduced the world to Pro Football Hall of Famer Larry Fitzgerald and 117 total NFL games.

He'll always be remembered for one iconic postgame rant. After the Chicago Bears stormed back to stun the Arizona Cardinals on Oct. 16, 2006, Green unleashed a slew of words that would be remembered forever.

"The Bears were what we thought they were," he said. "What we thought they were."

The backstory:

The inspiration for Green's iconic rant begins in the 2006 NFL preseason. The NFL scheduled the Chicago Bears and Arizona Cardinals for a third exhibition game. The Cardinals won that preseason contest 23-16.

The two would square off in October when the games actually mattered. This time, it was all Arizona.

The Cardinals led the Bears 20-0 at halftime. They intercepted Bears quarterback Rex Grossman four times, out gained the Bears 286-168 and forced six total Bears turnovers. Some might say this Monday Night Football game started the "Good Rex & Bad Rex" cycle that highlighted Grossman's tenure as the Bears' quarterback.

That's when the Bears stormed back.

Rookie defensive end Mark Anderson sacked Matt Leinart and forced a fumble that safety Mike Brown returned for a touchdown. Later after a Grossman interception, Cardinals running back Edgerrin James had the ball ripped out by Bears legend Brian Urlacher, and cornerback Charles Tillman returned that fumble for a touchdown. Bears Hall of Fame returnman Devin Hester gave the Bears the lead with a punt returned for a touchdown. Neil Rackers missed a 40-yard, game-winning field goal attempt with less than a minute to go.

Final score: Bears 24, Cardinals 23.

While this game is remembered as one of Grossman's worst, it was one of Urlacher's best as he recorded 19 total tackles on the day. For most of the game, it was all Arizona. That is, until the Bears re-wrote the ending.

It sparked eight words Bears fans – and the NFL – will remember forever.

"The Bears are who we thought they were," Green said.

A Legendary Rant:

Green had every right to be frustrated. His team fell to 1-5 after this loss, and it was a win that was right in their grasp with a 20-point lead with a chance at a game-winning field goal, too.

Green knew it was there for the taking, especially after the two played in the preseason earlier that year. A reporter asked him about forcing six turnovers in a loss, and that's it. That's where the rant started.

"We played them in preseason. Who the hell takes the third game in the preseason like it's bulls**t," he said. "We played them the third game, everybody played three quarters. The Bears are who we thought they were."

This tirade was immortalized in the form of commercials. He joined Jim Mora and Mike Ditka as coaches who had rants then made into a commercial for beer. Green told ESPN later he'd be a good sport about it, but he was anything but at that moment.

You can't blame him. He later said he thought the Bears were a one-dimensional team. They were for three quarters on that Monday. It just so happened the Bears had two Hall of Fame players that changed the game.

"That's why we took the damn field," Green said. 

"If you want to crown them," he said, only taking a beat to slam the side of the podium with his fist, "then crown their ass."

The Bears were not crowned, though. They'd lose in Super Bowl XLI in Miami, which is the franchise's second Super Bowl appearance since the NFL-AFL merger. 

This postgame rant will forever live on. Twenty years later, on Oct. 16, 2026, it's a reminder of how good the 2006 Bears team was and how passionate Green was as a football coach.

"They are who we thought they were," Green said, "And we let them off the hook."

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