Go Bears

Okay, okay, okay. It's been asked of me, from more than one person, "Where's the 'Bears are going to the Super Bowl' post?" As my cousin said... it's a bit confusing to those who know that I'm a huge Bear fan.

Forget the fact that I'm swamped in work. (Just this week alone, I've been back down to the shop for a few hours each night after I eat supper, figuring out quotes for customers and trying to catch up... which never seems to work.) I like to use that as my excuse for not reading other folk's blogs, or for posting on my own. Hey... it works.

No, I haven't posted about it because, while I'm happy as hell about Chicago going to the big game, I never thought that they could do it. As a matter of fact, earlier this season, when Contagion said that it was possible that the Bears could go all the way, I laughed. I figured we would have a good season, but never this good.

Harvey accused me of being pessimistic, but I'm what's known as a "realist." I've written about that before, but basically, I hope for the best, know that it's not likely to happen, and can then be pleasantly suprised when it does happen. Example: I never figured that the Bears would make it past New Orleans. That is, without help from the elements. When I saw the forecast, I felt a little hope, but I didn't get too excited. I mean, the Saints have some serious weapons, and the Bears? Well, they do, too, but they have one unknown factor to deal with, and that factor can change the game in a big way.

The Saints have an excellent defense, but the Bears are a little better, IMHO. (They were not consistent, though, and could easily have finished the season at 11-5.) Look at the Saints receiving corps: Horn (who was out), Colston (the Super Rookie), Copper, and Henderson, along with Billy Miller. They've played extremely well this season, but so have the Bears' Berrian, Davis, Muhammed, and Clark. Especially Berrian... the guy has made some huge plays. The Bears' running backs, Benson and Jones, also match up well when compared to the Saints' McAllister and The Elusive Reggie Bush. A personal opinion, but I'd have to give the edge to the Saints on that one. And special teams... rookie Devin Hester has been phenomenal this season, giving the Bears the advantage, though not a huge one, as Michael "Beer Man" Lewis is more than capable of running back a kick for a TD. Overall, not much to worry about, eh? Yeah... well, we've not mentioned the quarterback...

Drew Brees, a Big Ten product out of Purdue, has had an awesome year for the Saints. He's always been fun to watch, and when they show closeups of him making his reads, his eyes are constantly moving, going through his progressions, and rarely allowing a defender to zero in on his target. Were it not for his old teamate, Tomlinson, having the record year he had, Drew would have won the MVP award, no doubt.

The Bears have Rex Grossman, the unknown factor, a man who frightens me at times. Almost as badly as snakes.

With Grossman, you have a QB who can win in a big way, or lose it in ways that are just as big, ie. the last Green Bay game of the season. In that game, he had a monstrous QB rating of 0.0, with three interceptions (two of which were returned for touchdowns)... and that was only one half of the game. He finished the season tied with Peyton Manning for the most games with a QB rating over 100.0, with seven. He also finished the season with the most games with a QB rating under 40.0, with five. As for the entire season's rankings, he finished 29th. I don't find the negative thinking in figuring the Saints were going to win. But, they didn't.

Rex started off slow, but played well when it counted, and now the Bears are on their way to the Super Bowl, and my condolences are on their way to Dash...

Now that the Bears are in the Big Game, do I think they can win? Hell... I think we've got a better chance squaring off against Manning and Co., than we would have in a rematch of Super Bowl XX. Brady's Boys would have figured out a way to pull it off, but with the Colts, they've proved that they are capable of losing, too. And Manning hasn't been playing that well, overall, lately.

Best of all, the Bears are underdogs... something you've got to love. Manning is expected to win, and Grossman isn't. A bit of pressure off of Rex, I just hope he doesn't relax like he did in the Green Bay game...

I know, I know... I haven't said "it," yet... whether or not I think the Bears can win. And the answer is, "Yes, Virginia, I do." I won't make bets on this game, as that's a jinx, but I really do think that they've got a good chance of winning.

And it'll be even better if the "Good Rex" shows up...

Posted by That 1 Guy at January 27, 2007 12:42 PM | TrackBack