Chicago Bears Football Team

The deal Thursday that sent quarterback Jay Cutler from Denver to Chicago for a Brinks truck full of draft picks wasn't just a tale of two cities. It will reverberate throughout the NFL. It's also good news for Georgia's Matt Stafford, USC's Mark Sanchez and the fast-rising Josh Freeman of Kansas State, because it could trigger a run on quarterbacks at the top of the draft. Consider this: Had Cutler gone to Detroit instead of Chicago, that would have satisfied the Lions' need for a quarterback.

After winning their first seven games, the Chicago Bears were 6-3 in their last nine games and looked very beatable because of poor quarterback play and injuries on defense. Much-maligned Rex Grossman and his 73.9 passer rating were often blamed for the shaky play of the Bears, who open the playoffs against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday at Soldier Field.

\o7C\f7\o7HICAGO\f7 -- At least, I think this is Chicago. Same striking skyline, same dark skies and chilly weather. Something's missing, though, almost as if somebody drained Lake Michigan. There's no maniacal, delusional hysteria for the Bears. Not even a 13-3 record, with home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs, is enough to crank up the usual unrealistic expectations.

The higher the stakes, it seems, the lower the standards for the Chicago Bears. They won their first seven games in the regular season and elicited comparisons to the Super Bowl XX champion Bears team. That proved to be excessive, but all the Bears had to do Sunday for a spot in the NFC championship game was be superior to the Seattle Seahawks. The Bears managed to do that, winning 27-24 in overtime, despite an increasingly vulnerable defense and a highly questionable coaching decision.

Chicago Bears defensive end and resident philosopher Alex Brown reflected on the place Sunday's 27-24 overtime victory over the Seattle Seahawks might warrant in team annals. "This game right here, it'll be an instant classic," Brown said after the NFC semifinal. "Great game. Somebody has to win and lose, and unfortunately ... " Brown hesitated. There are limits to sportsmanship. "No, fortunately, Seattle had to lose."

There are plenty of similarities between the Chicago Bears of this season and the franchise's 1985 team that won Super Bowl XX. What's odd is, most of them are on offense. With running back Walter Payton and quarterback Jim McMahon, the champion Bears relied on a strong running game and looked to beat defenses with play-action pass plays. This season's Chicago offense counts on Thomas Jones and Cedric Benson to lead a ground attack that sets the table for play-action passes from Rex Grossman.

The Chicago Bears worked hard during the regular season to gain home-field advantage in the playoffs and they hope it pays off today when they play host to the New Orleans Saints in the NFC championship game at Soldier Field. "Our formula for winning football games includes the three phases: offense, defense and special teams," Coach Lovie Smith told reporters last week. "But here in Chicago we talk about the fourth phase also: our fans. I think it matters playing at home.

Today at 6 a.m., Nick Grgov will awaken from a restless sleep and grab a Chicago Bears sweatshirt. For his dog. After taking the pit bull for a walk, Grgov will shower and dress in an outfit that includes Bears boxers, Bears socks, a Bears T-shirt, a Bears sweater, and a Desmond Clark-autographed Bears cap. Then at 7:30 a.m.

If it seemed as though the Texas twang in Lovie Smith's voice was more pronounced Sunday as he wore his NFC champions cap and T-shirt, maybe it's because it's finally easy to just be himself. Although Smith holds the title of head coach of the Chicago Bears, he'll never be Da Coach. That's a moniker reserved for Mike Ditka. Twenty-one years have done nothing to diminish the hold the Bears' lone Super Bowl championship team has on this town, and no one was more beloved than the volcanic Ditka.

Hours after Chicago's Lovie Smith became the first black coach to reach the Super Bowl, Tony Dungy took history a step further. When Dungy's Colts beat New England, they guaranteed an African American coach -- either Dungy or Smith -- will wind up hoisting the Lombardi Trophy. So significant was the moment that John Wooten, who has devoted his life's work to that, could hardly say the words. He spoke haltingly in a telephone interview Sunday and needed a moment to compose himself.