Super Week: Day 2

Since all the Super Bowl talk that isn’t bashing Rex Grossman has been focused on the Peyton Manning and the Colts offense versus Brian Urlacher and the Bears D, that’s where I’m going to start my Big Game Breakdown.

While all the talk around the Indy offense centers around Manning’s first Super Bowl appearance, he is not the only threat on that side of the ball for the Colts. Receivers Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne are the best duo in the league, running backs Joseph Addai and Dominic Rhodes are both good runners and solid blockers, and tight end Dallas Clark is a big, physical threat with surprising speed. So the Bears are going to have to bring their A-game in order to contain these guys, because it’s a difficult task. But an even harder task is figuring out what Manning is going to run in any situation, because he is such a well-rounded field commander. On any given play, the Colts QB can audible from a pass play to a run or from run to a play-action pass. This makes it hard to blitz against Indianapolis, because if Manning sees a linebacker or a safety coming in to rush the passer, he will just change the play to a screen or a draw and use the blitz to his advantage.

This means that the best way for the Bears to beat Manning and his offense is to get pressure with only rushing their front four guys. Tank Johnson, Ian Scott and Alfonso Boone are going to have to penetrate up the middle, but more importantly, Alex Brown, Adewale Ogunleye and Mark Anderson will have to get to Manning from the edge. If the D-Line can do that, then the best line-backing core in the league can sit back in the middle of the field and take away the Colts crossing routes. But if the line can’t get past the Colts blockers, the Bears are going to be in trouble. When facing the blitz, the Colts often max-protect, leaving their two WR’s (Harrison and Wayne) going one-on-one against the opponent’s corners. And even though I really like Nathan Vasher and Peanut Tillman, that’s definitely a matchup that doesn’t favor the Bears. Especially with two safeties in the backfield that don’t have much experience.


2 Things to Watch:
II--The opportunistic Bears defense will be looking for the turnovers. And if the playoffs are any indication, they should be able to find them. In their three post-season games, Manning has thrown six interceptions and the Colts running backs have fumbled six times (The Colts have recovered all of them). If the Bears end up getting three more possessions in the game due to the Colts mishandling of the football, it will be a huge factor in determining a winner.

I--They may not talk a lot, but don’t forget about Colts receiver Marvin Harrison or Bears linebacker Lance Biggs. The best receiver of this decade hasn’t had a great playoff career but can cement his place in Canton with a big game. And Briggs has the biggest motivation of all, because he will be a free agent at the end of the season. Nothing makes a player work harder then a new contract.


Advantage: Colts
Usually in Super Bowls, both teams come out tense and offense have a tough time getting started (Total points scored in the first quarter of the past five Super Bowls: Nine) Eventually the offenses will heat up, and when that happens, I think Indy has an advantage over the Bears. But if the D-Line can rush Peyton and force him to make quick decisions, this advantage can switch sides quickly.