Why the Bears will win the biggest game of our lives.

• The Bears' veterans.  Guys like Urlacher, Briggs, Kreutz, Harris (squared), Tillman, Hester and Peppers have all been here before (and beyond).  This game will not be too big for them.  Further, I get the sense that these veterans know this is their time, and they will be giving this game every inch of their football souls.
• Jay Cutler.  Cutler's personality lends itself to big games, as his assuredness and "short memory" allows him to forget the agressive mistakes that he makes and perform at a high level.  He exhibited this in the Jets game late in the year, when he threw a bad pick six and came back to throw three touchdown passes and lead the Bears to victory over one of the other conference semifinalists.  Cutler has exorcised a lot of his "blow up game" demons and has taken big steps to learning how to be a winning NFL quarterback this year.  Watch him take big steps to becoming an NFL star today.
• The Packers running game is OVERRATED.  I don't understand how James Starks can have 1 good game (Eagles) and suddenly the Packers have a balanced offense and a running game.  Sorry, not gonna happen against the Bears.  The Packers will be 1-dimensional.  Even though that 1 dimension is a great asset, it is tough to win in the playoffs that way.
• Past "doppelgangers" to quote ESPN's Bill Simmons.  Going into this game reminds me of the 2006 Title Game against the Saints at Soldier, where the team with the better Defense, Special Teams and homefield made it so key plays went their way.
• The Packers will kick to Devin Hester.  No further explanation required.
• Aaron Rodgers has won 2 playoff games, I don't understand the Joe Montana comparisons quite yet.  The Bears have done as good a job as any team at keeping him out of the endzone.  That will continue.
• The Packers reliance on younger players.  Matthews, Rodgers, Starks, Jones, Hawk, Shields, Williams have all NOT been here before.  And this is not their time.  It is the Bears time.

Bears 27 Packers 21

What we live for as Bears fans...

The Green Bay Packers took care of business, and I give them credit for it.  The Chicago Bears took care of business, and it was a sight to see.  Period.  Before any of the trash talk starts, and it will, I want all Bears and Packers fans to acknowledge how amazing this week, ending with Sunday, will be.  This is what sitting through all of the 4-12, 6-10, and 9-7 seasons have led to.  All the years where we had to watch SportsCenter and all the other national shows and listen to how great the Cowboys, Giants, Eagles, Vikings, Saints, or Falcons were.  This week, this game, this moment is the time when the Bears and Packers fans can both say that we are the best in the conference and that we are going to battle it out on the football field for the right to say that one team is better than the other.  


This will be decided completely, and in a refreshingly objective manner, on the field.  No opinions matter.  Whoever wins this game will be the better team, all that will matter is the scoreboard.  I've said it before, and I'll say it again, I get the feeling from the Bears veterans that they are ready to be that team.  This is their moment, and the most important thing is they know it.  If they lose, it will be because of a lack of talent, not mental mistakes or not taking this moment seriously enough.  That desperation, knowing that this is their last and best opportunity for a Ring, can be seen in the eyes of every one of them.  


What makes me feel good going into this game is that the Bears have more of a veteran team, whereas the Packers are relying on a lot of young guys (Williams, Starks, Jones, Shields to name the guys with the biggest roles) who may feel that they have more chances down the road and as such may not have the same level of desperation.  I also like the way the Packers and Bears won their respective divisional round games, in how they set up for next week.  The Packers won with their passing game (in spite of their subpar running game) and turnovers.  While the Packers dominated, their domination was aided in large part by a lack of talent on Atlanta's defense and big mistakes by their offense.  


While the Bears definitely played a lesser opponent in the Seahawks, the Bears did not rely on that inferiority, and simply dominated this game by marching up and down the field on offense in a methodical fashion, while playing excellent defense and special teams.  I love the way Julius Peppers, Tommie Harris, and the rest of the defensive line created pressure, and put hits on the Quarterback.  One thing I noticed was that the Falcons often got to Rodgers but could not bring him down--I don't see that being the case as often against the Bears.  I loved the hard hits by the linebackers.  I loved the aggressiveness of the corners, in fact they looked almost Packers-like at the corner spots.  And I loved the play-calling on offense--the Bears had balance but were unpredictable, not the least of which was the strike thrown to Greg Olsen on a 3rd and 1 play for the first touchdown.  Greg Olsen and Matt Forte (to name a few) made the Bears offense seem VERY dangerous.


More to come this week Bears fans, if nothing else make sure you soak this in and enjoy it.  It has never happened before, and may never again.  What a week...

Why the Bears will win, straight from the heart of the Hopeful Bears Fan...

It seems like YEARS since the Bears have played a meaningful game (in fact, I was there when the Bears took out the Jets at Soldier Field the day after Christmas.  So, there's been enough talk, it's time to play the game.  As such, I'll keep this brief--Bears 31 Seahawks 13.  Here's why (forgive me, my reasons below are my own and aren't really based in any "fact"--straight from heart (which is what the playoffs are all about) here it is:

• I get this feeling from the Bears, and more specifically their veterans, that this is their time.  And they seem to know it.  Guys like Brian Urlacher, Lance Briggs, Julius Peppers, Chris Harris, Olin Kreutz, Chester Taylor, Anthony Adams, Charles Tillman, and yes, Jay Cutler are primed to take advantage of this opportunity.  For some, it may be their last.
• The running game is clicking right now, and it seems like the Bears almost wanted to hide the success that their having in this area in their last game against the Packers. Matt Forte was running wild but they didn't seem to want to put it on film.  They've saved him for this game and he is ready to go into "beast mode".
• Home field advantage.  I like that this game will be at 10:00 am for the Seahawks, and that they will be in weather they aren't used to in a hostile environment.  The playoffs make the environment that much more hostile, as the Seahawks showed the Saints last week.  Get up Bears fans!
• Jay Cutler (aka the Wild Card).  I think he has the personality to excel in his first playoff game.  If he plays above average the Bears can't lose, and he has that in him, if not more.
• Julius Peppers was shut out last game by Russell Okung, the rookie.  Expect the vet to show the rookie a thing or two in the rematch.

Only 108 hours to go... let's make some history.

Bears vs. Seahawks, January 16th. High Noon...

It's official, Bears vs. Seahawks a week from right now.  You have to believe that the Bears will not take this game lightly, as they lost to the Seahawks about 3 months ago (I was there--it wasn't pretty).  You've gotta like the Bears chances, for the following reasons:
-The Bears offense is completely different now then it was back in October (running the ball the best they have all year, Offensive line playing better (Roberto Garza was not in the lineup).  They have been one of the most balanced teams in the league since their two brutal losses to Seattle and Washington.
-The Seahawks will be on the road.  There might not be a team in the league that needs to be at home to be successful more than the 'Hawks, and why not with their crazy home crowd noise.
-The Seahawks won't be the "worst playoff team ever" next week after their win.  The Bears will not sleep on them as the Saints appeared to.
-Special Teams--for some reason the Saints insisted on giving the Seahawks amazing field position in the first half in order to avoid kicking to Leon Washington.  The Bears, led by Corey Graham, will not fear this man and will kick deep.
-Most importantly, defense.  The Saints have none, the Bears have one of the best in the league.  Look for an angry Bears squad and a rowdy home crowd to lead the Bears to victory.  More to come later in the week, but here are my projected stars for the Bears:
-Matt Forte
-Jay Cutler
-Chris Harris
-Devin Hester
-Brian Urlacher
-Lance Briggs (look--I realize I'm not going out on any limbs by picking these guys--but I really have a feeling that the Bears veterans are in prime position to play well and make a Super Bowl run).

I also have a feeling we'll be seeing the Pack at Soldier in two weeks.  Crazy crazy.

Can't WAIT!!!