“It became an offensive weapon” BERMAN

So he and John Mackey, who was a couple years behind him, changed that position forever. It became an offensive weapon, Chris Berman said, remembering Mike Ditka’s part in the development of the receiving tight end.

Speaking with Christopher Russo on Mad Dog Unleashed, Berman asked listeners who knew Ditka as a coach or television analyst to consider how much earlier his playing career had begun. Ditka was a rookie with Chicago in 1961.

So the fact that Mike Ditka is a rookie in 61, now we’re not talking 68. We’re talking 61, Chris.

Ditka’s rookie season produced 56 receptions for 1,076 yards and 12 touchdowns in 14 games, according to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Its account describes a position then associated primarily with blocking, and a player who retained that skill while becoming a major receiving target.

Berman’s comparison extended to the tight ends familiar to later generations. He mentioned Kellen Winslow, Ozzie Newsome and Tony Gonzalez before drawing a connection to Rob Gronkowski’s combination of strength and receiving ability.

Gronk and he were similar, like really powerful blockers, but really great receivers.

The comparison concerned what the players could do, rather than treating their raw totals as interchangeable. Berman’s emphasis was on Ditka performing the receiving role at a time when the position had not acquired its later prominence.

Ditka’s highest reception total was 75 in 1964. He finished a 12-season NFL career with 427 catches, 5,812 receiving yards and 43 receiving touchdowns, playing for Chicago, Philadelphia and Dallas. He became the first tight end inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1988.

Russo opened the subject by asking Berman to refresh listeners’ memories of the player. Berman compared the situation to younger fans knowing John Madden through his later public identity without remembering his coaching career.

Mike Ditka actually was a great tight end. He was.