That video is now in the YouTube Hall-of-Fame, next to ‘Boom Goes the Dynamite”, “The Alabama Leprechaun” and “Whistles Go…WHOO WHOO!” But that’s not the noteworthy part. The important thing to mention about that hilarious rant was that it sent a direct message to the team Green was dissing. Sure they were 6-0 at the time, but the Bears was far from perfect. If they played bored, disinterested and sloppy, they could be beaten. And this was coming after a game against a squad that finished 5-11. Sure enough, three weeks later against another mediocre team, the Miami Dolphins, the Bears got completely dominated in a 31-13 beat down.
The Bears and their fans realized that night that they were a good team. A good team is one that gets by on pure talent. But they also found out that they could be a great team. Great teams are great because they bring their A-game to every contest. They had a second letdown in New England on November 26 and then another in the season finale against a crappy Green Bay team. Heading into the playoffs for the second consecutive season, it was time for the team to decide: Do we want to settle for being good or work hard to be great?
The Indianapolis Colts had a similar wake up call during their season. Like the Arizona game for the Bears, Indy faced a game during the regular season where their talent was questioned. On December 10, less then a month before the playoffs began, the Colts got absolutely demolished by the Jacksonville Jaguars, losing 44-17. In that game Jacksonville ran the ball for an astounding 375 yards on 42 carries, which equals about nine yards per rush. Media members, both in central Indiana and nationally, laughed at the Indy defense, claiming it was way to soft and definitely not playoff worthy.
These same media members went off on coach Tony Dungy, saying he was just a great regular season coach and couldn’t win a big playoffs game. And don’t forget Peyton Manning, the Dan Marion of the 21st Century that puts up the big numbers but can’t win an important game if all his commercial endorsements depended on it. Three playoff wins later, all against teams that had a one-time Pro Bowl running back on their rosters, and the Colts run defense is now apparently tough and physical. Dungy is suddenly a motivational genius for rallying his troops while being down 21-3 in the AFC Title game. And Manning, now having won a game he wasn’t supposed to, is apparently the combination of Steve Young and John Elway, Hall of Fame QB’s who had great games in Super Bowls held in South Florida.
Former Boston Celtics center Bill Russell, the greatest champion of all time with 11 title’s as both a player and player/coach, once said, “Concentration and mental toughness are the margins of victory.” Both the Bears and Colts can prove this true. Concentration is what has helped the Monsters of the Midway morph from a good regular season team to a great playoff. It’s what helped them dominate the supposedly un-stoppable offense of the New Orleans Saints. Mental toughness shaped the Colts from a weak, soft squad that didn’t win games into a physical group that came back 18 points down against their arch-rival in the biggest game of the season.
Now the concentrated Bears and tough Colts are facing off in Super Bowl XLI. All week I’ve broken down different matchups, but now it’s time to make a prediction. This game will be very close Call me a homer if you want, but I really think the Bears are going to win this game. I even have come up with ten reasons why I believe this.
10---Very Special Teams
As I mentioned yesterday, the Bears have an advantage in special teams. Already this post-season I credit both wins to special teams players, and our best player in that phase of the game isn’t one of them. Devein Hester will make the Colts pay for not paying attention in kick coverage meetings all season.
9---Defensive Depth
In the AFC Championship game, the Colts were able to just run post-patterns for tight end Dallas Clark because New England’s linebackers were all cramping up and the Patriots had to play their sixth-string safety’s due to injury. That’s not going to happen against the Bears. No one is listed on the Bears injured list, and even if somebody does get banged up in the Super Bowl, (As long as it isn’t Urlacher, Briggs, Vasher or a special teams player) they have the depth to overcome it.
8---Health/Freshness
Not only are the Bears healthy, as I just said, but they are also fresh. They were in a dogfight against Seattle, but I don’t think that the Saints game took too much out of them in terms of intensity. The Colts on the other hand went down to the wire against both the Ravens and Patriots, and they have played one more game then the Bears. Not to mention half of their starting secondary is on the injury list.
7---Rex is Big Game
Say what you want about Rex Grossman, but he’s a winner. He’s been the starting QB for 15 games this season, better then everybody else in the league. And you know that the Colts are going to want Rex to beat them, but unfortunately for them, that works in Grossman’s favor. One on one coverage on the outside will allow Rex to do what he does best, which is throw the deep ball.
6---Sloppy Conditions
According to the NFL, no Super Bowl has ever had anything less then perfect weather. And according to weather.com, there’s 30 percent chance rain will fall during the game and a 65 percent chance that it will rain sometime over Dolphin Stadium on February 4. A wet field benefits the Bears, who want to run the ball and are used to playing on a not-so-perfect field.
5---Speed Kills
The Colts are one of the NFL’s fastest teams. They have speed at receiver with Reggie Wayne and Marvin Harrison, speed at tight end with Dallas Clark, and speed on the defensive line with Dwight Freeny and Robert Mathis. Too bad the Bears are even faster. No linebacker is faster then Brian Urlacher, no receiver quicker then Bernard Berrian, and there is no bigger game-breaker in this matchup then Devin Hester. I see the Colts getting beaten at their own game.
4---The Monkey
I love Tony Dungy and Peyton Manning. They are both good people and there is no denying that they both deserve to win the Super Bowl. But the stats don’t lie, and these two are both the opposite of what a big gamers are. They annually come short, and while its not always their fault, they are involved. Some are saying the monkey is off their back for beating New England. But last I checked, Karl Malone is still known as a player who comes up short when it matters most even though he made the NBA Finals three times. Until you win a ring, a coach and quarterback are only as good as their record.
3---Pound the Rock
The Bears are going to run the ball, run the ball, and then run it again. In the NFC Title game, Cedric Benson and Thomas Jones got a combined 43 carries and receiver Rashied Davis got one on an end-around. Indianapolis’ run defense was horrible early on, but have been very good in the playoffs. I assure you the Bears are going to make the Colts prove themselves again in this game, especially the small defensive ends and linebacker.
2---Year of the Gator
In the past 365 days, the Florida Gators basketball and football teams have both won National Championship. In June the Miami Heat, with former Gator Udonis Haslim at power forward, won the NBA Title. And Florida alum David Eckstein won World Series MVP in October. So this year has definitely been Gator friendly. The Colts have no Florida alums on their roster. The Bears have four. (Grossman, Alex Brown, Todd Johnson, Ian Scott) I’d say that’s a pretty big advantage for the Monsters of the Midway.
1---Doubters
No tactic in sports works better then a coach telling his team that nobody respects them. You hear it every year. I’m sure both Dungy and Lovie Smith will use that to motivate their squads. But Smith has the facts to back it up. His team is 15-3, yet Las Vegas predicts them to lose by a touchdown. Some experts claimed that the real NFC Championship was when Philadelphia faced New Orleans, completely discounting Smith’s team. Then they said the real Super Bowl was New England versus Indy. For the last two weeks, the entire national media has been praising Peyton Manning for finally making a Super Bowl while Rex Grossman made it in his first full season as a starting quarterback and all he gets is criticism. And of the two most respected sports media outlets, Sports Illustrated and ESPN, only one of the 15 so called ‘experts’ think the Bears can beat the Colts. (ESPN's Eric Allen is the only voice of reason) The message all season for the Bears has been to finish. This is their chance to do it.
For the entire regular season, I went 156-100 picking NFL game. In the playoffs my record has gotten even better, going 9-1. And while that record is good, nothing will feel better then getting correct victory number 166. I picked the Colts to win at all before the season started, but I’ve changed my mind. The Bears are going to run the ball early and often, matching the Colts passing game in a slow paced first half. Then in the third quarter, after exchanging field goals, the Bears will get a good return by Devin Hester to set them up with solid field position. Usually around the 40-yard line is where offensive coordinator Ron Turner likes to open up the playbook, and this game will be no different. Rex will complete a big touchdown pass to Bernard Berrian to put the Bears up by ten. The defense then closes in on Peyton Manning, forcing the Colts to kick a field goal when they need to get a TD. Benson and Jones then finish the game off with a long, time-consuming drive to run out the clock. Denny Green was right…The Bears are who we thought they were. Let’s crown their ass.Indianapolis Colts 16
Chicago Bears 30
MVP---Bernard Berrian
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