They deserved It

Way back, when the Bulls were averaging 70 wins a season, we were watching them take on the Pacers- and the Bulls looked off. The whole game they looked like they were playing @ 70%, and although we were thinking they would win the game, Jackson made the remark that "maybe this is just one of those games they will lose." It just happens, sometimes - the best team on the court that nite wasn't the to be 87-13 Bulls champs, it was the Pacers. Last nite = No question, although the clear superior team the first 18 games of the season was the Patriots, it's now very clear that the best team for the last four games of the year was the Giants.

From the beginning of the Super Bowl, they were the better team. One kept waiting not only for New England to wake up from the stupor they were playing in the whole game but for the Giants to start to make mistakes that would take them out of the game. But the huge Giant drive in the first quarter made the statement : we're gonna play this down to the last second.

Although this wasn't as big a upset as the Jets in '69, I would rank it as the second biggest upset in SuperBowl history. The fact that the dynasty unbeaten Patriots were beaten to a team that many thought was , @ best, the third best team in the weaker conference.

Not anymore.

My two favourite moments in the game was the shot of the brother Manning up in the box seats celebrating his brothers 45 yard completion to Boss in the third quarter. One look and it was appearnt that he knew the giants had a chance, as long as plays like this were being made. And although I bring this up to show how the confidence was building on the Giants side as the game when on - hey, we can do this- I will freely acknowledge that I was more touched by the very obvious family love on display. Although his season was over, it was very obvious who he was pulling for. It wasn't his team playing, but you could see how invested in this game Peyton Manning was.

My other favourite shot was one of the Giants line before their final drive started. It was a quick shot, but you could see they were bucking each other up; and again, one could see the confidence. So, although I - along with 18 out of 18 reportes from dcs, The Sun Times, and the Tribune - picked New England to win it - by the time the Super Bowl Champs got the ball for their final drive, everyone was believing.

Miami Meltdown!

The Bears allowed almost 200 yards rushing, could not stop short passes, and Bad Rex showed his ugly head in an embarrassing 29-17 loss. The score makes it appear much closer than it really was. Poor defensive game plan that reminded me of Dave Wanstedt, horrible play calling on offense, 5 turnovers and just a total meltdown.

Stay tuned for all the analysis here.

Goober Manning Loses Big!

Let's be honest. The media is in love with Peyton Manning winning his first Super Bowl. So in love with this idea that some are saying that he deserves to win. This is utter rubbish. John Elway got to three Super Bowls with not one, yes, not one Pro Bowl player on offense. That is leadership. Peyton has so much talent on offense that the fact that he hasn't one a championship already speaks volumes of his failings. Both him and Dungy are losers. Peyton has not removed the monkey off his back by beating the Patriots. He needs to win the Super Bowl to remove the monkey.

The media's memory lapses go beyond Peyton to somehow believing that the Colts have a strong defense. This is based on playing tough against KC and Baltimore. I'm sorry, but they were ranked 32 in the league this year and no team with a defense ranked lower than 10th has ever won a Super Bowl. The Colts lost 4 out of their last 7 games to teams including the Texans and the Titans. This is not some juggernaut rolling through to an inevitable win.

As is often the case, the media and the talking heads are more interested in the story than the facts. That somehow his Sprint, Gatorade, MasterCard and whatever else Peyton prostitutes himself for justify him being a champion. Exposure does not equal champion, just ask LeBron.

I'm always a little wary when things seem too well scripted. Look at the Cardinals this year. They had no chance to even win a game against the Tigers. What about the Heat? Down 2-0 to the genius of Avery Johnson? How did that turn out? How about the Buckeyes and all their inevitability against the supposedly lucky to be there Gators?

What I believe we have in this Super Bowl is not an air of inevitability, but the drowning weight of expectations. No one has had higher expectations than Peyton. The Scion of that ultimate loser Archie and older brother of overrated loser Eli. Some people are losers and some are winners. Peyton is a loser, like his father before him and his brother after him.

This weight will weigh down the Colts, Freeney, Manning and Dungy. So much so that they will play tight and the Bears will be loose. So loose that they are going to run away with this game. Final Score: 34 - 16

Colts to the Finish Line

I believe the Colts will win easily and Peyton Manning will dedicate the win to the recently departed Colt named Barbaro.

Seriously folks, I broke it down by players, coaches and intangibles.

Quarterback - Manning will add 21 points and Grossman will subtract 7 points. COLTS BY 28

Receivers - Indy by 4

Running Backs - Bears by 10

Offensive Line - Indy by 7

Defensive Line- Indy by 3

Linebackers - Bears by 7

Corners and Safeties - Indy by 10

Special Teams - Bears by 7

Coaches - Tie/Push/Best Friends/Yada Yada

Intangibles - Field,Weather,and Bears lack of respect - Bears by 10

FINAL Indy 52 Bears 34

Perfect Storm

Forget all of the technical ananlysis. There are several facts in this game and a few intangibles. The facts are obvious and will play to the stregnths of both teams. It is the uncontrollable intangibles that will decide the game. So here we go.

The facts for the Colts. Their offense is clearly better and they will be able to score.

The facts for the Bears. Their running game is unstoppable. Their defense is much better. Their special teams are the best in the league. Outdoors, Robbie Gould is as good as Adam Vinitari.

It will come down to the intangibles. For the Colts; can their defense continue to out perform as it has lately. Can their offensive line contain the pass rush.

For the Bears the only intangible that matters is Rex. At worst Rex should be a non-issue. At best the MVP of the game.

It is meaningless that the line is 7 and that almost everyone is picking the Colts. This game is smelling more and more like Superbowl III. A young gun quarterback whose games were up and down vs. the wiley vet with all of the experience and poise. No one expected the underdog to win in Superbowl III. The Colts had better be students of history. Da Bears 31-22. MVP-Rex!

Jonesing for a SuperBowl

I believe! Yes, I believe in this Chicago Bears team. They dismantled the Saints yesterday looking hungrier than ever as breakfast ball stated. I'll admit that I am a late convert. I never would have guessed that Rex Grossman would be a SuperBowl quarterback.

I believe in Lovie Smith. In his third year this boring as vanilla coach had a plan after all. His uninspiring comments during his press conferences were right after all.

"We are a running football team," Lovie would say as dispassionately as a paint salesman. This point was emphatically proved with Thomas Jones, and to a much, much lesser degree Boo Hoo Benson rambling for 196 yards. Jones ran for 123 of those yards for an astounding 6.5 yards per carry. Benson was mostly ineffective and I still think he is a cancer that should be cut. But that can wait till next year.

I believe in this Bears team. During the game, which I watched with some other DCS staffers, I found myself uncontrollably singing the Bear Down Chicago Bears song. No one at DCS has been more critical of this team than me, but I was dead wrong. I now realize that Lovie is not boring, but confident in his team and decisions. Rivera is a great defensive coach and Turner has figured out how to minimize Grossman's mistakes and make the two-back system work.

As I have stated earlier, nothing would make me happier than for the Bears to prove me, and their many other critics wrong. They have. And if on cue, the nationally media has again fallen in love with the story of Peyton Manning get the monkey off his back. The current line in Vegas is the Colts are a 7 point favourite. Tony Kornheiser said they should be a 10 point favourite. This is just the kind of talk that will inspire Urlacher and his teammates. Lovie does have a plan, and he is going to deliver in two weeks.

Bear Down Chicago! The Bears are going to be Super Bowl Champs!