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Bears vs. Packers.

The Bears are enjoying their best record since 1991, which naturally brings to mind comparisons between coaches Mike Ditka and Dick Jauron.

Let’s count the ways they are alike.

Let’s see, now, the similarities must be too numerous to mention, such as, well, being present on the sideline during games.

Bryan Harlan served as public relations director for both, a challenging job in each case, for different reasons.

“Their unmatched love for golf,” Harlan said when pressed for a common denominator. “They both tee it up at sun-up and play fast and like to play by themselves for as many holes as sunlight permits.”

There are other parallels, such as playing in the NFL, working up the ranks as assistant coaches and respecting the history of the game.

“They both feel privileged to be a part of the game,” Harlan said. “They take great pride in the eras in which they played and have a great sense of history and great appreciation for it. It comes through to their players. Both use that as one of their coaching tools.”

The coaching tools are as different as a scalpel and a bludgeon. When Jauron’s hope and confidence in quarterback Cade McNown was met with immaturity and irresponsibility, Jauron blamed himself for overestimating the kid. Ditka might have, just might have, pointed out the kid’s shortcomings by, say, wringing his neck on national television.

Jauron never would have screamed at Jim Harbaugh, threatened to fire Bob Avellini on the sideline, driven Mike Tomczak to a shrink, harassed Jim McMahon or referred to Richard Dent as “Robert.”

Packers safety LeRoy Butler, who played for secondary coach Jauron under two head coaches, said Jauron is the most positive coach he ever had. It was not that Jauron never called out a player, but he never calls them out in public or through the media.

“I never left his office without thinking he truly wanted to help me,” Butler said.

Butler also praised Jauron’s ability to constantly persuade players to concentrate week to week on the immediate task, the primary goal of all coaches.

“Look at what they did after we beat them. Tampa thought they would falter, but Dick didn’t dwell on us beating them,” Butler said.

Likewise, Ditka specialized in getting players ready for Sunday in ways that could make hair stand up on the back of the neck. Witness his pep talk to William “Refrigerator” Perry on the eve of Super Bowl XX: “I don’t know what your feelings about life are, but if I was you tomorrow, on the first play I’d knock [John Hannah’s] headgear off. I’d make it a point to knock it off three more times before the game is over. I’d let him know who was boss, who the big, fat kid on the block was. You can do what you want, Bill, but I’d go out to whip his butt.”

Tom Thayer, who played for Ditka and broadcasts Bears games on radio, said Ditka “motivated you by fear of losing your job and I think he could always back it up because all the players had respect for him because of the type of player he was. I think coach Jauron respects the players so much and puts the ball in their corner. For both coaches, it’s being prepared to play, but in two different ways.”

Jauron’s more positive reinforcement seems to better suit a time in which so many games go to the wire. So few teams have the ability to dominate that players and coaches must maintain poise in order to have a chance to win in the end.

Ditka played and coached when teams had a more predictable pecking order. The good ones were expected to prevail, so it’s no wonder Ditka stalked the sideline with a face that resembled a clenched fist.

Jauron looks as if he were bronzed.

“Best poker face ever,” Butler said.

“A lot of people are confused by his stoic demeanor,” said Bears quarterback Jim Miller. “But he says all the right things to get you ready. He reminds you of Tom Landry.”

Strange that Miller mentions Landry, Ditka’s primary coaching influence.

Ditka vowed to change his style once or twice, wearing ties and no expression. Didn’t work, so he went back to being Mike Ditka.

And this is where Ditka and Jauron are exactly alike. Jauron’s dad, Bob, was the greatest coach Dick ever knew. So Jauron copied him, right?

“No, my dad was very volatile,” Jauron said. “He also believed people can see a phony. He said just be who you are.

“I’ve never been one to say what I do is right. It’s just what I do.”

Ditka couldn’t express it any better himself.