OFFICIAL Green Bay Packers @ Chicago Bears - NFC Championship Game

[dunknforce]

 

[fraij da 5 11]

^ here you go.


http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v...d AVYs/?action=view&current=DunkNForceavy.gif

 

[fraij da 5 11]

^ here you go.


http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v...d AVYs/?action=view&current=DunkNForceavy.gif

 

[arstyle27]

Is it Sunday yet??

 

[arstyle27]

Is it Sunday yet??

 

[dunknforce]

this game will be on at 4am Monday morning over here in Southeast Asia

 

[dunknforce]

this game will be on at 4am Monday morning over here in Southeast Asia

 

[fraij da 5 11]

^ damn that sucks

 

[fraij da 5 11]

^ damn that sucks

 

[fraij da 5 11]

[h2]A revolting thought[/h2][h3]Harder to hate them when you respect them, but a Bears loss to Packers would cut deep[/h3]

By Michael Wilbon
ESPNChicago.com
Archive

[h5]Chi[/h5]

Even now, there's nothing green and gold in my closet, no green and gold in my entire house that I can think of. Those colors, to anybody who grew up in the Midwest, belong to the Green Bay Packers. And as a Chicago kid, born and raised, I learned early on to despise the Packers and everything associated with them.

It was pretty easy to hate them when I began following pro football as a little kid in the mid-to-late 1960s because the Chicago Bears were in the midst of a barren period of 16 years out of the playoffs while the Packers were winning everything in sight, including the first two Super Bowls.

[+] Enlarge
Focus on Sport/Getty ImagesIt's hard to despise the enemy Packers when you get to know players such as Ray Nitschke.

And so it went for close to 30 years, until, as a sportswriter, I actually began to encounter real-life Green Bay Packers.

It was awful, even worse than I expected … because I liked one former Packer after another, especially the all-timers, the guys who made Green Bay "Titletown." As a member of ESPN's "The Sports Reporters" rotation, I'd get invited to **** Schaap's Super Bowl parties. And Schaap was tight with ex-Packers, particularly Jerry Kramer, with whom he had written the best-selling book "Instant Replay."

Kramer was a bear of a man, always seemed to be fabulously dressed and had the greatest voice this side of NFL Films' John Facenda. Schaap's dinners were always on the Saturday night before Super Bowl Sunday, and every year the football writers had failed to vote Kramer into the Pro Football Hall of Fame that Saturday morning, which was inexplicable then and is even more inexplicable to me now, having been a member of the selection committee for 10 years myself. Anyway, Kramer had every reason to be a raging SOB on Saturday night, but was a prince instead.

And because of Kramer, I met Paul Hornung, the original "Golden Boy" himself, the man who ran the Packer sweep in the alley, and Max McGee, the hero of Super Bowl I even though he was playing with a hangover and had to borrow a teammate's helmet because he had left his own in the locker room. They weren't just charming, they were irresistible.

They told one great story after another, about Vince Lombardi, about Bart Starr, about the Ice Bowl and the blood feud with the Bears. They even spoke glowingly of my heroes, Sayers and Butkus and Ditka.

I was embarrassed that I had developed a man-crush on, well, a couple of Packers. And it got worse. My first trip to Lambeau, I was somehow seated in the press box next to Fuzzy Thurston, who, along with Kramer, led for my money the most devastatingly beautiful play in football history, Lombardi's Packer sweep. Thurston, even after I told him how I'd grown up a Bears fan and hated everything Green Bay, invited me to his bar that (if I recall correctly) was not too bad a walk even in the cold from Lambeau Field. And I went.

It got worse. I'm fairly certain it was 1997, Super Bowl morning. I went to the media breakfast and sat at an empty table, but only for a minute or so before a most familiar figure showed up and asked whether he and his wife could sit. It was Ray Nitschke, the Packers' Hall of Fame middle linebacker for 14 years. If I were sculpting a Mount Rushmore of the scariest men in NFL history, it would have to include Night Train Lane, Deacon Jones, **** Butkus and Ray Nitschke.

Of all the Packers, I hated Nitschke the most, even though he was a Chicago boy, born and raised. I recall him mangling Gale Sayers a time or two. And it wasn't just me; in "Brian's Song," James Caan, as Brian Piccolo, is in the hospital when he utters the line, "The only thing I'm allergic to is Nitschke."

[h4]Scott Van Pelt[/h4]
Michael Wilbon talks about Ben Roethlisberger, Jay Cutler, Packers-Bears, Jets-Steelers and more.

More Podcasts »

I had to laugh when Nitschke, a West Sider, said I had grown up "soft" on the South Side, like Butkus. By the end of breakfast with the meanest man in the world and his wife, Nitschke had given me his phone number and told me I could call him if I ever needed help with my football perspective. Nitschke died about a year later of a heart attack at just 61 years of age, but had lived long enough to see Brett Favre and Reggie White lead the Packers out of a long dry spell of nearly 20 years back to championship form.

I found it increasingly difficult to work up any kind of real hatred for the Packers. It wasn't so bad if they won, especially when they played teams based on either coast. They were, after all, a Midwest team, a team with pretty much the same values as the Bears (although the Packers never had disdain for the position of QB as the Bears did). The two clubs seemed to have the same DNA, as if George Halas and Curly Lambeau had come from the same great-great-great-great-great grandfather or something.

Yes, I was rationalizing. But it wasn't just fun covering games at Lambeau, it was an honor to cover games there, when Reggie White was wrecking offenses and before Favre became the star of his own one-man drama. I came to grips a long time ago with the fact that there's no place in the NFL better than Lambeau to see a football game. Watching Favre play in Lambeau was like watching Jordan play in the old Chicago Stadium or Bobby Orr play in Boston Garden or Mickey Mantle play in Yankee Stadium.

[h4]NFC Conference Playoffs[/h4]

Get all the news and commentary on the Packers-Bears matchup on ESPN.com's matchup page.

• Chadiha: NFC championship questions
• Blog: Packers-Bears quick take
• Playoffs schedule | New OT rules
• Blog network:
NFC North | Bears blog

Don't get me wrong, I have no trouble finding my hatred for the Packers when the Bears are involved. I can still remember Alan Page blocking a field goal attempt back into the arms of kicker Chester Marcol, who raced into the end zone, resulting in a 12-6 Packers victory in 1980. I remember Don Majkowski crossing the line of scrimmage, in Lambeau of course, and throwing a touchdown pass that shouldn't have counted but did in a Packers victory in 1989. Mike Ditka, for years, wouldn't let the game be listed as a Packers victory in the Bears' media guide, which is exactly the spirit of the feud.

And there was that idiot, Charles (Too Stupid) Martin slamming Jim McMahon to the ground about 10 seconds after the end of a play, ruining the Bears' chances for a serious Super Bowl run in 1986. Seems I merely enjoy the victories, but obsess over every loss to the Packers, even the one this December in a game the Bears didn't need but the Packers had to have to reach the playoffs.

I'm not sure which result I'd rather have: eliminating the Packers from the playoffs in Lambeau on the final Sunday of the NFL season, or going to the Super Bowl at their expense in Soldier Field.

I'm long past the point of hating the Packers 24/7, but the idea of losing to the Cheeseheads, with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line for the very first time, is as revolting now as ever.

 

[fraij da 5 11]

[h2]A revolting thought[/h2][h3]Harder to hate them when you respect them, but a Bears loss to Packers would cut deep[/h3]

By Michael Wilbon
ESPNChicago.com
Archive

[h5]Chi[/h5]

Even now, there's nothing green and gold in my closet, no green and gold in my entire house that I can think of. Those colors, to anybody who grew up in the Midwest, belong to the Green Bay Packers. And as a Chicago kid, born and raised, I learned early on to despise the Packers and everything associated with them.

It was pretty easy to hate them when I began following pro football as a little kid in the mid-to-late 1960s because the Chicago Bears were in the midst of a barren period of 16 years out of the playoffs while the Packers were winning everything in sight, including the first two Super Bowls.

[+] Enlarge
Focus on Sport/Getty ImagesIt's hard to despise the enemy Packers when you get to know players such as Ray Nitschke.

And so it went for close to 30 years, until, as a sportswriter, I actually began to encounter real-life Green Bay Packers.

It was awful, even worse than I expected … because I liked one former Packer after another, especially the all-timers, the guys who made Green Bay "Titletown." As a member of ESPN's "The Sports Reporters" rotation, I'd get invited to **** Schaap's Super Bowl parties. And Schaap was tight with ex-Packers, particularly Jerry Kramer, with whom he had written the best-selling book "Instant Replay."

Kramer was a bear of a man, always seemed to be fabulously dressed and had the greatest voice this side of NFL Films' John Facenda. Schaap's dinners were always on the Saturday night before Super Bowl Sunday, and every year the football writers had failed to vote Kramer into the Pro Football Hall of Fame that Saturday morning, which was inexplicable then and is even more inexplicable to me now, having been a member of the selection committee for 10 years myself. Anyway, Kramer had every reason to be a raging SOB on Saturday night, but was a prince instead.

And because of Kramer, I met Paul Hornung, the original "Golden Boy" himself, the man who ran the Packer sweep in the alley, and Max McGee, the hero of Super Bowl I even though he was playing with a hangover and had to borrow a teammate's helmet because he had left his own in the locker room. They weren't just charming, they were irresistible.

They told one great story after another, about Vince Lombardi, about Bart Starr, about the Ice Bowl and the blood feud with the Bears. They even spoke glowingly of my heroes, Sayers and Butkus and Ditka.

I was embarrassed that I had developed a man-crush on, well, a couple of Packers. And it got worse. My first trip to Lambeau, I was somehow seated in the press box next to Fuzzy Thurston, who, along with Kramer, led for my money the most devastatingly beautiful play in football history, Lombardi's Packer sweep. Thurston, even after I told him how I'd grown up a Bears fan and hated everything Green Bay, invited me to his bar that (if I recall correctly) was not too bad a walk even in the cold from Lambeau Field. And I went.

It got worse. I'm fairly certain it was 1997, Super Bowl morning. I went to the media breakfast and sat at an empty table, but only for a minute or so before a most familiar figure showed up and asked whether he and his wife could sit. It was Ray Nitschke, the Packers' Hall of Fame middle linebacker for 14 years. If I were sculpting a Mount Rushmore of the scariest men in NFL history, it would have to include Night Train Lane, Deacon Jones, **** Butkus and Ray Nitschke.

Of all the Packers, I hated Nitschke the most, even though he was a Chicago boy, born and raised. I recall him mangling Gale Sayers a time or two. And it wasn't just me; in "Brian's Song," James Caan, as Brian Piccolo, is in the hospital when he utters the line, "The only thing I'm allergic to is Nitschke."

[h4]Scott Van Pelt[/h4]
Michael Wilbon talks about Ben Roethlisberger, Jay Cutler, Packers-Bears, Jets-Steelers and more.

More Podcasts »

I had to laugh when Nitschke, a West Sider, said I had grown up "soft" on the South Side, like Butkus. By the end of breakfast with the meanest man in the world and his wife, Nitschke had given me his phone number and told me I could call him if I ever needed help with my football perspective. Nitschke died about a year later of a heart attack at just 61 years of age, but had lived long enough to see Brett Favre and Reggie White lead the Packers out of a long dry spell of nearly 20 years back to championship form.

I found it increasingly difficult to work up any kind of real hatred for the Packers. It wasn't so bad if they won, especially when they played teams based on either coast. They were, after all, a Midwest team, a team with pretty much the same values as the Bears (although the Packers never had disdain for the position of QB as the Bears did). The two clubs seemed to have the same DNA, as if George Halas and Curly Lambeau had come from the same great-great-great-great-great grandfather or something.

Yes, I was rationalizing. But it wasn't just fun covering games at Lambeau, it was an honor to cover games there, when Reggie White was wrecking offenses and before Favre became the star of his own one-man drama. I came to grips a long time ago with the fact that there's no place in the NFL better than Lambeau to see a football game. Watching Favre play in Lambeau was like watching Jordan play in the old Chicago Stadium or Bobby Orr play in Boston Garden or Mickey Mantle play in Yankee Stadium.

[h4]NFC Conference Playoffs[/h4]

Get all the news and commentary on the Packers-Bears matchup on ESPN.com's matchup page.

• Chadiha: NFC championship questions
• Blog: Packers-Bears quick take
• Playoffs schedule | New OT rules
• Blog network:
NFC North | Bears blog

Don't get me wrong, I have no trouble finding my hatred for the Packers when the Bears are involved. I can still remember Alan Page blocking a field goal attempt back into the arms of kicker Chester Marcol, who raced into the end zone, resulting in a 12-6 Packers victory in 1980. I remember Don Majkowski crossing the line of scrimmage, in Lambeau of course, and throwing a touchdown pass that shouldn't have counted but did in a Packers victory in 1989. Mike Ditka, for years, wouldn't let the game be listed as a Packers victory in the Bears' media guide, which is exactly the spirit of the feud.

And there was that idiot, Charles (Too Stupid) Martin slamming Jim McMahon to the ground about 10 seconds after the end of a play, ruining the Bears' chances for a serious Super Bowl run in 1986. Seems I merely enjoy the victories, but obsess over every loss to the Packers, even the one this December in a game the Bears didn't need but the Packers had to have to reach the playoffs.

I'm not sure which result I'd rather have: eliminating the Packers from the playoffs in Lambeau on the final Sunday of the NFL season, or going to the Super Bowl at their expense in Soldier Field.

I'm long past the point of hating the Packers 24/7, but the idea of losing to the Cheeseheads, with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line for the very first time, is as revolting now as ever.

 

[kevin cleveland]

What do you get out of posting every anti-Bears statistic and story you can find, in relation to this game? 

 

[kevin cleveland]

What do you get out of posting every anti-Bears statistic and story you can find, in relation to this game? 

 

[fraij da 5 11]

Huh? The Wilbon story is just him saying how he respects the Packers and how he'd hate to lose to them in this game... Article before that was about how Halas helped the Packers as a franchise and about the rivalry between the two.

The post before that I signed with "thats my homer rant for the night"...

I mean, I'd love for some actual banter in here KLJ but it doesn't look to be going down... and I don't feel like keeping the Packers Season thread afloat just to post some stats from this year. Most of the stats I post are just to counter misconceptions about the team.


Maybe I should stick to posting cartoon pictures of the Bears logo getting pissed on.

Anyways why would I post all the crap that the Bears fans are no doubt reading on their own time anyways?

What do I get out of it? Nothing really, just posting stuff I come across reading in my free time... *shrugs* I don't see anyone else in here contributing any actual stats or even articles either so I don't know why it even matters

 

[fraij da 5 11]

Huh? The Wilbon story is just him saying how he respects the Packers and how he'd hate to lose to them in this game... Article before that was about how Halas helped the Packers as a franchise and about the rivalry between the two.

The post before that I signed with "thats my homer rant for the night"...

I mean, I'd love for some actual banter in here KLJ but it doesn't look to be going down... and I don't feel like keeping the Packers Season thread afloat just to post some stats from this year. Most of the stats I post are just to counter misconceptions about the team.


Maybe I should stick to posting cartoon pictures of the Bears logo getting pissed on.

Anyways why would I post all the crap that the Bears fans are no doubt reading on their own time anyways?

What do I get out of it? Nothing really, just posting stuff I come across reading in my free time... *shrugs* I don't see anyone else in here contributing any actual stats or even articles either so I don't know why it even matters

 

[kevin cleveland]

It's just that, with all of this overbearing confidence from your side, you posting these obscure stats to discredit the Bears' chances looks a little... desperate.

Just admit that you're nervous.

 

[fraij da 5 11]

Here Kev, just for you... Something I read today thats not anti-bears!  It even talks about your girlfriend Jay Cutler.

More than luck put Bears in NFC title game

Yahoo! Sports - Fri Jan 21, 12:08 PM EST

Whether you attribute it to good fortune, fate or divine intervention, you can't deny that the Chicago Bears have had a lot of things go their way this season. From the dubious rule that nullified Calvin Johnson's (notes) apparent game-winning catch in an opening-week victory over the Detroit Lions to the league's healthiest roster in 2010, the team that will host the Green Bay Packers in Sunday's NFC championship game has been consistently kissed by Lady Luck.

If you believe in the power of the football gods – and believe that they smile brightly upon organizations with the guts to take bold, unconventional risks in the pursuit of excellence – then the Bears' blessings seem more like a cosmic reward than they do coincidence.

At least that's what I prefer to think as I prepare to watch the most surprising team still standing in the postseason play in person for the first time since last fall. And since I'm the one doing the offering here, the theme in question shall be driven into the frozen tundra until you roll your eyes all the way into the back of your head, or skip ahead to the Lies, or fantasize about laying me out like Brian Urlacher (notes) pummeling an oblivious receiver on a crossing route.

On that note, in honor of Spinal Tap's Nigel Tufnel , here are 11 gambles that helped propel the Bears on their path to providence, and to within a victory of their second Super Bowl in five seasons.

1. The Jay Cutler (notes) trade: In April of 2009, when the Bears sent starting quarterback Kyle Orton (notes) , two first-round draft picks and a third-round selection to the Denver Broncos for Cutler and a fifth-rounder, I called it the NFL's biggest blockbuster since the Oakland Raiders sent coach Jon Gruden to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers . It was a sink-or-swim move for general manager Jerry Angelo and coach Lovie Smith, and by late last season both men appeared to be wearing cement boots in the middle of Lake Michigan. Cutler, an ultra-talented passer whose leadership skills had been questioned long before newly hired Broncos coach Josh McDaniels shipped him out of town, had been hailed as the Bears' first true franchise quarterback since Hall of Famer Sid Luckman retired in 1950. In Cutler's first season with Chicago, however, he struggled mightily, throwing a league-high 26 interceptions as the Bears wheezed to a 7-9 record, their third consecutive non-playoff season following their Super Bowl XLI defeat to the Indianapolis Colts . Cutler, who hadn't had a winning season since high school, was cast as a colossal bust. This season, he's one of the league's better passers, and he's coming off a terrific effort in his first career postseason game.

2. Keeping Lovie Smith: After last season there was speculation that all three of the Bears' top decision-makers – Smith, Angelo and team president Ted Phillips – could lose their jobs. At the very least, it was believed that Smith, who'd taken over defensive coordinator duties before the season, would be fired. Instead, the McCaskey family retained the trio, with Phillips explaining to reporters that maintaining continuity by keeping Smith gave the Bears the best chance of a turnaround in 2010. It was an unpopular move with fans, but it went over well in the locker room, and Smith's players understood that without a strong season big changes would result. Now, with a year remaining on his deal, he seems to be in line for a lucrative extension.

3. Hiring Mike Martz: Smith, who'd served as Martz's defensive coordinator for the St. Louis Rams from 2001-03, was a controversial choice to take over for fired Bears offensive coordinator Ron Turner because it was feared his abrasive coaching style might cause a personality clash with Cutler. Nor was Martz the Bears' first choice – or far from it. The team interviewed three NFL assistants and were rebuffed by former USC offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates before settling on Martz in early February of 2010. Smith reportedly wanted Martz from the start, but Angelo resisted until other options dried up. Yet it was still questionable whether Martz's aggressive play-calling would mesh with Smith's more conservative approach to offense. At this point, the Bears are very, very happy they made this move.

4. Promoting Rod Marinelli: Smith's closest friend in coaching, Marinelli had been brought in as a defensive line coach the previous season after his ill-fated tenure as the Lions' head coach. Yet Marinelli had never been a coordinator, and when Smith announced he was essentially replacing himself as defensive coordinator after last season, his first inclination was to look for outside candidates. Eventually, he gave the job to Marinelli, one of three former head coaches (along with newly hired offensive line coach Mike Tice) on Smith's staff, and the defense has improved appreciably from a year ago.

5. Signing Julius Peppers (notes) : The McCaskey-owned franchise typically isn't known for spending freely, but at the start of a free-agency period in which most NFL teams showed restraint during the uncapped final season of the collective bargaining agreement, it was Chicago which made the biggest splash. Peppers, one of the league's elite pass rushers during his eight seasons with the Carolina Panthers , signed a reported six-year, $91.5 million deal, putting the Bears in the running for mythical "Champion of the Offseason" honors for the second consecutive spring. Chicago continued its incongruous spending spree by signing former Vikings halfback Chester Taylor (notes) to a reported four-year, $12.5 million contract. Peppers has been a beast in his first season with the Bears, earning his sixth Pro Bowl selection.

6. Standing pat at receiver: The Bears also generated buzz from some of the moves they didn't make. From the time the team acquired Cutler, many NFL observers wondered why Chicago didn't try to bring in an elite receiver in free agency or the NFL draft to enhance its quarterback's chances of success. But even after the nightmarish 2009 campaign, the team elected to stand pat with Johnny Knox (notes) , Devin Hester (notes) , Earl Bennett (notes) and Devin Aromashodu (notes) . Count me as one who still thinks they should have upgraded, but it's tough to question a crew that's a victory away from the Super Bowl.

7. Keeping Greg Olsen (notes) : Once Martz was hired, the speculation began that tight end Greg Olsen wanted out of Chicago. The thinking was that Olsen, a pass-catching tight end who'd been the Bears' leading receiver in '09, was a poor fit for Martz, who shortly after being hired told Chicago radio station WSCR that in his eyes the "first responsibility" of men who play the position is to block. Olsen's numbers went down in 2010, but he had a career game last Sunday in the Bears' 35-24 divisional-round drubbing of the Seahawks, catching a 58-yard touchdown pass on Chicago's opening drive and finishing with 113 receiving yards, the best playoff performance by a tight end in franchise history.

8. Sticking with Brian Urlacher: This might seem like a no-brainer now, but last season, with Urlacher sidelined by a dislocated wrist he suffered in Week 1, there was talk that the team should part with its star middle linebacker and defensive leader. I heard plenty of this type of chatter in November of '09 after I spent a weekend with Urlacher and wrote a column in which he questioned the team's offensive direction . Several Chicago media personalities opined that Urlacher's criticism of Cutler, however tame it might have been, was a sign of jealousy over having been usurped as the team's marquee player and that he had become a divisive force in the locker room. This year Urlacher, 32, has been the best player on a revived defense, and the only time he's divisive is when he separates opposing ballcarriers from the football.

9. Benching Tommie Harris (notes) : When the Bears deactivated Harris, their three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle, for their Sept. 27 game against the Packers at Soldier Field, most people figured it was due to injury. It wasn't – Harris had simply been benched by Smith, who explained that he "just felt like we wanted to get a look at Marcus Harrison (notes) , him and [Henry] Melton inside, a little bit. Just performance based." Ouch. Harris, plagued by knee pain the past several years, came off the bench the following week and struggled through a subpar season statistically. However, he has turned it up when it counts – Harris has 2 ½ sacks in Chicago's past two games.

10. Trusting Mike Tice: Heading into their bye week in late October, the Bears looked like a fading team. Chicago had lost three of four games to fall to 4-3, and its dubious offensive line seemed alarmingly vulnerable. Cutler had been sacked an unfathomable nine times in the first half of a 17-3 defeat to the Giants (an NFL record) before leaving with a concussion, and the line remained leaky over the next three weeks. During the bye, the Bears elected not to do anything drastic, instead committing to a more balanced attack (a concession from Martz) and putting faith in Tice to fortify his unit. The former Vikings coach shifted some personnel around after the return of injured linemen Chris Williams and Roberto Garza (notes) and coached his way out of the mess. The line settled down, and so did Cutler – and the Bears won seven of their next eight games. Former Ravens coach Brian Billick recently said Tice had been responsible for "one of the great coaching jobs I've ever seen."

11. Trying to KO the Packers: Heading into their regular-season finale against their NFC North rivals at Lambeau Field, the Bears were already assured of a first-round bye, while Green Bay needed a victory to clinch a playoff spot. Smith could have taken the safe route and rested Cutler and other key starters, or pulled them at some point during the game, to ensure that his team's remarkable run of health would continue. Instead, he went for the kill – possibly because he understood the potential of a Packers team that, sure enough, would roll off impressive road playoff victories over the Eagles and Falcons and emerge as Chicago's last remaining obstacle to a conference title. The Bears didn't win that game at Lambeau, as a late touchdown secured a 10-3 victory for the Pack, but Smith got away with his gamble, as his team suffered no significant injuries. By contrast, three key players went down for the fifth-seeded New Orleans Saints during their regular-season finale against the Bucs: halfback Chris Ivory, tight end Jimmy Graham (notes) and safety Malcolm Jenkins (notes) . None of the three played in the following week's first-round matchup against the Seahawks, and Jenkins' absence was a huge factor as New Orleans' secondary got singed for 272 passing yards and four touchdowns in a 41-36 defeat. Chicago, meanwhile, rested up and reported no significant ailments heading into its game against Seattle – and cruised to a victory that was never in doubt. We'll see what happens in the Bears' third meeting with the Packers, after which we'll be free to speculate whether Smith's decision to go hard in the game at Lambeau had any impact. And if the football gods still seem to be looking out for the Bears on Sunday, or even if they don't, I'll believe in my heart that teams which play it safe are inclined to end up sorry. I realize some of you might question that logic – and that, my friends, is a risk I'll have to take.

TAKE IT TO THE ATM

The Packers will put more pressure on Cutler than the Bears do on Aaron Rodgers (notes) at Soldier Field on Sunday afternoon, and that will tilt the NFC championship game Green Bay's way. … Lots of pink-clad autograph seekers will ask for Rodgers' signature before, during and after the Pack's trip to Chicago – and he'll oblige every one of them. … In what Jets fans will experience as a very bad flashback, a missed Nick Folk (notes) field goal will weigh heavily in New York's narrow AFC title game defeat to the Steelers at Heinz Field.

 

[fraij da 5 11]

Here Kev, just for you... Something I read today thats not anti-bears!  It even talks about your girlfriend Jay Cutler.

More than luck put Bears in NFC title game

Yahoo! Sports - Fri Jan 21, 12:08 PM EST

Whether you attribute it to good fortune, fate or divine intervention, you can't deny that the Chicago Bears have had a lot of things go their way this season. From the dubious rule that nullified Calvin Johnson's (notes) apparent game-winning catch in an opening-week victory over the Detroit Lions to the league's healthiest roster in 2010, the team that will host the Green Bay Packers in Sunday's NFC championship game has been consistently kissed by Lady Luck.

If you believe in the power of the football gods – and believe that they smile brightly upon organizations with the guts to take bold, unconventional risks in the pursuit of excellence – then the Bears' blessings seem more like a cosmic reward than they do coincidence.

At least that's what I prefer to think as I prepare to watch the most surprising team still standing in the postseason play in person for the first time since last fall. And since I'm the one doing the offering here, the theme in question shall be driven into the frozen tundra until you roll your eyes all the way into the back of your head, or skip ahead to the Lies, or fantasize about laying me out like Brian Urlacher (notes) pummeling an oblivious receiver on a crossing route.

On that note, in honor of Spinal Tap's Nigel Tufnel , here are 11 gambles that helped propel the Bears on their path to providence, and to within a victory of their second Super Bowl in five seasons.

1. The Jay Cutler (notes) trade: In April of 2009, when the Bears sent starting quarterback Kyle Orton (notes) , two first-round draft picks and a third-round selection to the Denver Broncos for Cutler and a fifth-rounder, I called it the NFL's biggest blockbuster since the Oakland Raiders sent coach Jon Gruden to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers . It was a sink-or-swim move for general manager Jerry Angelo and coach Lovie Smith, and by late last season both men appeared to be wearing cement boots in the middle of Lake Michigan. Cutler, an ultra-talented passer whose leadership skills had been questioned long before newly hired Broncos coach Josh McDaniels shipped him out of town, had been hailed as the Bears' first true franchise quarterback since Hall of Famer Sid Luckman retired in 1950. In Cutler's first season with Chicago, however, he struggled mightily, throwing a league-high 26 interceptions as the Bears wheezed to a 7-9 record, their third consecutive non-playoff season following their Super Bowl XLI defeat to the Indianapolis Colts . Cutler, who hadn't had a winning season since high school, was cast as a colossal bust. This season, he's one of the league's better passers, and he's coming off a terrific effort in his first career postseason game.

2. Keeping Lovie Smith: After last season there was speculation that all three of the Bears' top decision-makers – Smith, Angelo and team president Ted Phillips – could lose their jobs. At the very least, it was believed that Smith, who'd taken over defensive coordinator duties before the season, would be fired. Instead, the McCaskey family retained the trio, with Phillips explaining to reporters that maintaining continuity by keeping Smith gave the Bears the best chance of a turnaround in 2010. It was an unpopular move with fans, but it went over well in the locker room, and Smith's players understood that without a strong season big changes would result. Now, with a year remaining on his deal, he seems to be in line for a lucrative extension.

3. Hiring Mike Martz: Smith, who'd served as Martz's defensive coordinator for the St. Louis Rams from 2001-03, was a controversial choice to take over for fired Bears offensive coordinator Ron Turner because it was feared his abrasive coaching style might cause a personality clash with Cutler. Nor was Martz the Bears' first choice – or far from it. The team interviewed three NFL assistants and were rebuffed by former USC offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates before settling on Martz in early February of 2010. Smith reportedly wanted Martz from the start, but Angelo resisted until other options dried up. Yet it was still questionable whether Martz's aggressive play-calling would mesh with Smith's more conservative approach to offense. At this point, the Bears are very, very happy they made this move.

4. Promoting Rod Marinelli: Smith's closest friend in coaching, Marinelli had been brought in as a defensive line coach the previous season after his ill-fated tenure as the Lions' head coach. Yet Marinelli had never been a coordinator, and when Smith announced he was essentially replacing himself as defensive coordinator after last season, his first inclination was to look for outside candidates. Eventually, he gave the job to Marinelli, one of three former head coaches (along with newly hired offensive line coach Mike Tice) on Smith's staff, and the defense has improved appreciably from a year ago.

5. Signing Julius Peppers (notes) : The McCaskey-owned franchise typically isn't known for spending freely, but at the start of a free-agency period in which most NFL teams showed restraint during the uncapped final season of the collective bargaining agreement, it was Chicago which made the biggest splash. Peppers, one of the league's elite pass rushers during his eight seasons with the Carolina Panthers , signed a reported six-year, $91.5 million deal, putting the Bears in the running for mythical "Champion of the Offseason" honors for the second consecutive spring. Chicago continued its incongruous spending spree by signing former Vikings halfback Chester Taylor (notes) to a reported four-year, $12.5 million contract. Peppers has been a beast in his first season with the Bears, earning his sixth Pro Bowl selection.

6. Standing pat at receiver: The Bears also generated buzz from some of the moves they didn't make. From the time the team acquired Cutler, many NFL observers wondered why Chicago didn't try to bring in an elite receiver in free agency or the NFL draft to enhance its quarterback's chances of success. But even after the nightmarish 2009 campaign, the team elected to stand pat with Johnny Knox (notes) , Devin Hester (notes) , Earl Bennett (notes) and Devin Aromashodu (notes) . Count me as one who still thinks they should have upgraded, but it's tough to question a crew that's a victory away from the Super Bowl.

7. Keeping Greg Olsen (notes) : Once Martz was hired, the speculation began that tight end Greg Olsen wanted out of Chicago. The thinking was that Olsen, a pass-catching tight end who'd been the Bears' leading receiver in '09, was a poor fit for Martz, who shortly after being hired told Chicago radio station WSCR that in his eyes the "first responsibility" of men who play the position is to block. Olsen's numbers went down in 2010, but he had a career game last Sunday in the Bears' 35-24 divisional-round drubbing of the Seahawks, catching a 58-yard touchdown pass on Chicago's opening drive and finishing with 113 receiving yards, the best playoff performance by a tight end in franchise history.

8. Sticking with Brian Urlacher: This might seem like a no-brainer now, but last season, with Urlacher sidelined by a dislocated wrist he suffered in Week 1, there was talk that the team should part with its star middle linebacker and defensive leader. I heard plenty of this type of chatter in November of '09 after I spent a weekend with Urlacher and wrote a column in which he questioned the team's offensive direction . Several Chicago media personalities opined that Urlacher's criticism of Cutler, however tame it might have been, was a sign of jealousy over having been usurped as the team's marquee player and that he had become a divisive force in the locker room. This year Urlacher, 32, has been the best player on a revived defense, and the only time he's divisive is when he separates opposing ballcarriers from the football.

9. Benching Tommie Harris (notes) : When the Bears deactivated Harris, their three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle, for their Sept. 27 game against the Packers at Soldier Field, most people figured it was due to injury. It wasn't – Harris had simply been benched by Smith, who explained that he "just felt like we wanted to get a look at Marcus Harrison (notes) , him and [Henry] Melton inside, a little bit. Just performance based." Ouch. Harris, plagued by knee pain the past several years, came off the bench the following week and struggled through a subpar season statistically. However, he has turned it up when it counts – Harris has 2 ½ sacks in Chicago's past two games.

10. Trusting Mike Tice: Heading into their bye week in late October, the Bears looked like a fading team. Chicago had lost three of four games to fall to 4-3, and its dubious offensive line seemed alarmingly vulnerable. Cutler had been sacked an unfathomable nine times in the first half of a 17-3 defeat to the Giants (an NFL record) before leaving with a concussion, and the line remained leaky over the next three weeks. During the bye, the Bears elected not to do anything drastic, instead committing to a more balanced attack (a concession from Martz) and putting faith in Tice to fortify his unit. The former Vikings coach shifted some personnel around after the return of injured linemen Chris Williams and Roberto Garza (notes) and coached his way out of the mess. The line settled down, and so did Cutler – and the Bears won seven of their next eight games. Former Ravens coach Brian Billick recently said Tice had been responsible for "one of the great coaching jobs I've ever seen."

11. Trying to KO the Packers: Heading into their regular-season finale against their NFC North rivals at Lambeau Field, the Bears were already assured of a first-round bye, while Green Bay needed a victory to clinch a playoff spot. Smith could have taken the safe route and rested Cutler and other key starters, or pulled them at some point during the game, to ensure that his team's remarkable run of health would continue. Instead, he went for the kill – possibly because he understood the potential of a Packers team that, sure enough, would roll off impressive road playoff victories over the Eagles and Falcons and emerge as Chicago's last remaining obstacle to a conference title. The Bears didn't win that game at Lambeau, as a late touchdown secured a 10-3 victory for the Pack, but Smith got away with his gamble, as his team suffered no significant injuries. By contrast, three key players went down for the fifth-seeded New Orleans Saints during their regular-season finale against the Bucs: halfback Chris Ivory, tight end Jimmy Graham (notes) and safety Malcolm Jenkins (notes) . None of the three played in the following week's first-round matchup against the Seahawks, and Jenkins' absence was a huge factor as New Orleans' secondary got singed for 272 passing yards and four touchdowns in a 41-36 defeat. Chicago, meanwhile, rested up and reported no significant ailments heading into its game against Seattle – and cruised to a victory that was never in doubt. We'll see what happens in the Bears' third meeting with the Packers, after which we'll be free to speculate whether Smith's decision to go hard in the game at Lambeau had any impact. And if the football gods still seem to be looking out for the Bears on Sunday, or even if they don't, I'll believe in my heart that teams which play it safe are inclined to end up sorry. I realize some of you might question that logic – and that, my friends, is a risk I'll have to take.

TAKE IT TO THE ATM

The Packers will put more pressure on Cutler than the Bears do on Aaron Rodgers (notes) at Soldier Field on Sunday afternoon, and that will tilt the NFC championship game Green Bay's way. … Lots of pink-clad autograph seekers will ask for Rodgers' signature before, during and after the Pack's trip to Chicago – and he'll oblige every one of them. … In what Jets fans will experience as a very bad flashback, a missed Nick Folk (notes) field goal will weigh heavily in New York's narrow AFC title game defeat to the Steelers at Heinz Field.

 

[kevin cleveland]

It's just that, with all of this overbearing confidence from your side, you posting these obscure stats to discredit the Bears' chances looks a little... desperate.

Just admit that you're nervous.

 

[torotrigger]

Originally Posted by Kevin Cleveland

What do you get out of posting every anti-Bears statistic and story you can find, in relation to this game? 

maaaan...this is a game thread dude...which reminds me...where is that Brown's "lottery pick" thread at? i hear Brady Quinn is back on Mel's Big Board....zzzzzzzzzzzing....

 

[torotrigger]

Originally Posted by Kevin Cleveland

What do you get out of posting every anti-Bears statistic and story you can find, in relation to this game? 

maaaan...this is a game thread dude...which reminds me...where is that Brown's "lottery pick" thread at? i hear Brady Quinn is back on Mel's Big Board....zzzzzzzzzzzing....

 

[ultralightbeam]

I'm tired of hearing about the field issue now.

I get it. Soldier Field's field is a miserable p.o.s.

Both teams will play on it. Get the proper cleats and play ball.

End of story.

 

[ultralightbeam]

I'm tired of hearing about the field issue now.

I get it. Soldier Field's field is a miserable p.o.s.

Both teams will play on it. Get the proper cleats and play ball.

End of story.

 

[bijald0331]

Originally Posted by Kevin Cleveland

It's just that, with all of this overbearing confidence from your side, you posting these obscure stats to discredit the Bears' chances looks a little... desperate.

Just admit that you're nervous.

*gathering ammunition* 
Packers fans 

They posted that sack differential stat a few pages back even though since the bye week we are almost even (I think its -2 at the most) 

Whatever helps them sleep at night, I guess. 

 

[bijald0331]

Originally Posted by Kevin Cleveland

It's just that, with all of this overbearing confidence from your side, you posting these obscure stats to discredit the Bears' chances looks a little... desperate.

Just admit that you're nervous.

*gathering ammunition* 
Packers fans 

They posted that sack differential stat a few pages back even though since the bye week we are almost even (I think its -2 at the most) 

Whatever helps them sleep at night, I guess.