OstapBender wrote on 01/21/07 at 23:32:05:



I believe the line was 2.5, which means that the Bears were essentially the underdog as the home field is normally worth 3 points.  

And when you throw in the fact that almost all of the national experts (ESPN, HBO, Fox, exc.,) picked the Saints, they had to be considered the favorites in the eyes of most.  

There were some sensible people out there though that saw past the hype and picked the Bears.

Prince-Nez wrote on 01/21/07 at 23:07:53:

Wasn't Chicago favored (maybe just slightly) going in?

Quote:

Yes, Grossman deserves some credit.  Bears defense won the game, though.

Well, I certainly didn't expect the game to go the way it did.  I expected at least for it to be a close game.  I admit that Chicago is better than I gave them credit for.

In a little while, we'll get to see who Chicago will have to play...

Chicago leading 9-0 in the 2nd quarter.  Saints plagued by turnovers so far, but despite these opportunities Bears have yet to score a touchdown (Grossman continues to be unimpressive) so there may be hope for Saints fans.

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For a brief moment it was looking like New Orleans might come back as they scored 14 unanswered points (having fallen behind 16-0) and had the Chicago defense on their heels, but it looks like 16-14 is as close as this score will ever get.

With Chicago leading 32-14 about halfway through the 4th quarter it looks like we know one half of the Superbowl card.  The Saints continue to be plagued by turnovers, and the Bears have found a seemingly foolproof offensive game plan (good enough that even Grossman comes off looking sharp).

Unless something really shocking transpires in the next 7 min or so, it looks like we've come to a sad ending of the New Orleans Cinderella story...  

I'm impressed by the ability of this Chicago defense to force turnovers.  Wonder if this will be a big factor in the Superbowl as well. 

The Pats (and who isn't sick of them?) were extremely lucky to get past the Chargers.  In fact, I would go so far as to say that SD beat themselves.  Marty S remains clueless in the playoffs.  

True,  Manning has not played well but the Indy defense has.  I think that will remove some pressure off Manning for this game.  And my gut just tells me it is their time.  Also, this Patriots team isn't anywhere as good as the three that won SBs.  

Regarding the Bears, well they had a weak schedule, which certainly helped them get to 13-3.  The problem for the Bears is that they lost their, arguably, second and third best defensive players for the season: Safety Mike Brown and Defensive Tackle Tommie Harris.  Harris always demanded double teams and was the Bears "three technique" lineman.  The "Cover Two" D the Bears use about half the time is predicated on getting a pass rush from just the four linemen.  Since Harris went down, the Bears have not been able to generate the same amount of pressure. 

I must say something about  all the Saints love going around.  I'm not saying they don't have a chance because they certainly do.  I have no problem with anyone thinking they will win.  BUT there are a lot of people out there who seem to think the Saints are some unstoppable force that are going to win by 50 points Sunday.  I'm sorry but I don't quite see that.  The Saints lost six games this year!  They, like the Bears, are very beatable! 

I agree with you that we should have two good games to watch this weekend.  Actually, the Conference Championship games (and the round before) are usually more fun to watch.  They are still about football and don't have the massive over-hyping and vulgarity of the Super Bowl.  

OstapBender wrote on 01/15/07 at 22:28:37:


I think there is plenty of blame to go around.  God or Mother Nature come to mind as well as Mayor Ray "Chocolate New Orleans" Nagin.    And winning a football game will not rebuild the city. 

Back on point, I am a Bears fan.  I think they will make it but lose to Indy in the SB.  It is finally Goober Manning's year.