The Chicago Bears won today’s game against the New Orleans Saints. The score was 39-14 at Soldier Field. The Bears are headed to their first NFL Title game in twenty one years. The Football legends have not gone to the Super Bowl since 1985, the days of Coach Mike Ditka and Jim McMahon.
Lovie Smith is the first black head coach to make it to the title games in its 41 years. Coach Smith is quoted as saying: “I’ll feel even better to be the first black coach to hold up the world championship trophy.”
The Bears will play either the New England Patriots or Indianapolis Colts, depending upon which team wins their playoff game. A Colts victory would put two black coaches in the big game for the first time. The Super Bowl game will be held in Miami in two weeks.
Football greats, The Chicago Bears have won nine NFL titles. For the last two decades, however, they have been considered an also ran.
Lovie Smiths. Bears had big plays on defense and a steady running game in the sleet and snow. The sloppy field was an issue throughout the game. Once the cold rain, followed by sleet and snow, began falling. Runners, receivers and returners kept slipping and areas of the turf were gashed by halftime.
There are few teams with such an impressive record that has been critisized and maligned as the Bears. After romping past the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, they are headed to their first game since the memorable season in 1985
The Bears played in true Bears fashion, with big plays on defense and a steady running game in sloppy weather. Sunday’s gam has ended the Saints uplifitng saga.
Thanks to running back Thomas Jones, All-Pro kicker Robbie Gould and a defense that made enough decisive play, all worries about how genuine the Bear”s outstanding season was have ended.
Reggie Bush had an electrifying 88 yard touchdown bringing the Saints within two points 16-14. From then on, Brian Urlacher and the Bears defense took over.
Ofter criticized, Grossman, had four comletions which included a 33 yearder to a diving Bernard Berrian that clinched it. The bundled up fans in soldier Field broke into foot stomping hysteria and chants of “Super Bowl, Super Bowl.”
Coach Smith and Bears owner Virginia McCaskey, daughter of Bears founder Geore Halas, accepted the Halas Trouphy moments after Grossman tosses the football into the stands after the final kneel down.
“This is why we play the game, to get to the Super Bowl and win,” Urlacher said. “This overshadows everything.”
The defeat was a bitter, sloppy conclusion to the Saints’ remarkable turnarouind from a nomadic 3-13 season in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina’s destruction to this winning season. AS New Orleans rebuilds, the Saints has provided an uplifting respite in the sga. The was the first trip this far into the playoffes for the 40 year old franchise.
The Bear’s Defensive Coordinator Ron Rivera played for Coach Ditka from 1984 to 1992 with The Bears. This is his first season in charge of Lovie Smith’s defense He compared the styled of the two great coaches as nearly polar opposites. “There is a start contrast here, of course,” he said. It almost relects where they were brought up: coach Ditka from steel town in Aliquippa Pennsylvania, and coach Smith from the easygoing town of Big Sandy, Texas.
“Coach Smith is constantly composed. He’s always emotionally in contraol. The perception is everything is steady like a rock. With coach Ditka, it was the outburst, the verbal assaults. I mean, both men are tremendous motivators, but they go about it a different way.”
