Ditka Blames Stafford's Lack of Success on Wearing His Hat Backwards

Being in this profession as long as I have, I've heard some wacky stuff in my time, but this has to be the wackiest statement ever.

Former Chicago Bears coach Mike Ditka said that the reason why Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford is not successful is because he wears his hat backwards.

Yep, you heard right.

“I think he can make all the throws,” Ditka told the Detroit Free Press. “He’s a smart kid. I wish he’d put the baseball cap on frontwards instead of backwards all the time.”

But Ditka wasn't finished yet.

“If you’re the leader of the football team, I think you’ve got to stand up and be that leader, assume that role. A lot of it is what you do on the field, certainly. But I think a little of it has to do with appearance, too,” he said.

 “You know, respect the game [and] respect your team. That’s all."

I thought for a minute that Ditka was going to break out with the whole "back in my day" archive of stories. Keep in mind, folks, this is the same man who traded his entire draft one season for a Heisman-winning, pot-smoking running back and won a Super Bowl with a guy who wore headbands all the time.

Leave it to ESPN radio host Colin Cowherd to jump on the pile, adding that he believes the same thing about Tony Romo and Colin Kaepernick.

If success is based on how you wear your hats on the sideline, then why hasn't Matt Ryan gone to a Super Bowl? How about Phillip Rivers or Jay Cutler?

All those guys either don't wear hats or wear their hats forward and have never sniffed at a Super Bowl.

Yet, Kaepernick has been to back-to-back NFC Championship games. Romo and Stafford both have been to the playoffs.

Romo has won a playoff game, and Stafford was the first Lions quarterback in forever to take his team to the playoffs, but according to Ditka and Cowherd, they aren't winning more because they wear their hats backwards. Wow! really?

Let's just get rid of all logic of the game and blame this on something ridiculous like style. Let's not blame it on the fact that Stafford throws a lot of interceptions or that Romo isn't clutch in big games.

No, if you were to listen to Coach Ditka, it's all about fashion statements and how you carry yourself on the sideline.

No wonder Mike Ditka doesn't have a coaching job.