Super Bowl XLV

The Conference Championship games are over and the Pittsburgh Steelers will take on the Green Bay Packers for the title of World Champions for the 2010 NFL Season. It will be a match-up of two of the more storied franchises in professional football. The Steelers have six World Championships, all coming in the Super Bowl era. The majority of those titles were earned under Chuck Knoll in the 1970s. The "Steel Curtain" was the name for one of the toughest defenses in the history of the game. The most recent of championships came in 2005 and 2008, each with Ben Roethlisberger leading the team at quarterback.

The Green Bay Packers were in existence a year earlier than the NFL. The team is located in the smallest television market and is owned by the citizens of the city. In 1997 the team opened up the stocks to all of their fans for $200 a piece. It is the only major league franchise operated in this way. Green Bay has a record 12 World Championships including three Super Bowl victories. The Packers enter Super Bowl XLV after taking the NFC Conference Championship from long-time rival, the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field.

This year's title game will be played for the first time at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. A crowd of 105,000 is expected on February 6th.

Bear Down, Chicago Bears

Pro Football has its own traditions, but nearly not as many as college. Found at every college game is the school's fight song. While the Green Bay Packers are known as the closest atmosphere to college football in the NFL, the green and gold lack a fight song. However their long time rival claims to have their own fight song known as "Bear Down, Chicago Bears." It is played following all scores, including safeties. Luckily I only had to hear it twice in the Bears' defeat.

NFC Championship National Anthem

Growing up a Cubs fan we had the pleasure to listen to longtime PA Announcer Wayne Messmer perform the National Anthem at Wrigley Field. His deep voice would resonate throughout the Friendly Confines, and at times would be joined by his wife. At the United Center, fans of the Chicago Blackhawks are able to listen to another deep voice, Jim Cornelison belt out the anthem in the midst of 18,000 cheering fans. For two playoff games the Chicago Bears were treated to the tradition created on Madison Avenue and had Cornelison perform his memorable rendition. At the NFC Championship game Cornelison had it followed by a U.S. Air Force flyover as seen above.

Jay Cutler

I am one who has never been a fan of Chicago Bear quarterback, Jay Cutler. My dislike for him began as a fantasy owner. He was my starting qb, yet with great promise his point total was always disappointing. Then in his final year with the Denver Broncos, he led his team to an 8-4 start, needing only one win to secure a playoff spot. However they dropped their last four and remained out of the play off hunt allowing San Diego entrance into the NFL post-season exclusive club.

But the heat he has received from the fans since being benched for injury in the NFC Championship game has been unfair.

Many experts believed for the Bears to win, they needed to run the ball. But facing one of the most difficult defenses in the NFL, the Bears running back Matt Forte only had seventeen carries. This forced Cutler to make plays he wasn't comfortable doing. Having the advantage of being at the game, I'm not sure television was able to convey how uneasy Cutler was at the line and in the pocket. The Packers were changing their looks on defense at the line causing Cutler problems of trying to call the right audible at the line of scrimmage. Once in the pocket, Cutler was unable to avoid the pressure as his counterpart on the Green Bay side of the ball was doing. Before his injury and after, Cutler was never in a comfort zone.

Then following the game, the Twitter universe lit up the Chicago QB. Many other NFL players were questioning his heart and commitment to the Bears in the playoffs. Some players called him a "quitter" and criticized him for not playing through the pain. Worse yet, the Bears organization claimed him to be questionable, but after the game Bears head coach, Lovie Smith declared he was definitely out.

What I felt was unfortunate is how the fraternity of football players did not stick up for one of their own. Teammate Brian Urlacker stated his support for the tough QB as well as other teammates. But those around the league stepped up and questioned his attitude and wondered why a guy, who was labled as questionable, couldn't come back in the biggest game of the 2010 season. Lovie and the doctors had to make a decision on what is best for the Chicago Bears as well as Jay Cutler, and that was to keep him out. Cutler may not have exhibited the facial features that many were looking for or the involvement with the team that many expected, but that doesn't make him a team player. Honestly, have you seen any qb be that closely involved with the offensive guru, Mike Martz.

I'll continue to be one of Cutler's biggest critics, but I can't criticize him for this. His mobility was already poor, his effectiveness was lacking and the offense may have needed a little jolt from someone different to stay in the game with the Packers. The Bears need to concentrate on getting the offense some help while taking some of the pressure off Cutler to make plays.

NFC Championship Game

 Two teams who have met each other on the field 128 times played for the first time in the post-season since 1941. The Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears have the longest running rivalry of any team in professional football, and the 129th meeting decided who would win the Halas Trophy (named after the one-time owner and coach of the Chicago Bears) and the right to play for the Lombardi Trophy (named for the head coach of the Green Bay Packers who won Super Bowls I & II). The road to Dallas and Super Bowl XLV went through Chicago's Soldier Field.

The weather in Chicago was typical for January. Lake effect snow greeted the early tailgaters, but the sun came out with clear skies and temperatures in the upper teens. Not only was the stadium's field prepared for the last game of the 2010 season, but sand and salt was sprinkled throughout the stands for fans. With this being the biggest game of the NFC schedule, the NFL on Fox crew took their show on the road. Personalities such as Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long, Michael Strahan and Jimmy Johnson went live from Chicago an hour prior to kick off.

Aside from the rivalry of these two teams and their fan bases, the game featured one of the hottest offenses in the league taking on one of the leagues toughest defenses. Aaron Rodgers led the Packers a week before in a rout of the #1 seed Atlanta Falcons. However that game was inside, on turf and under controlled conditions. This week the defense was better than Atlanta's and the field conditions were questionable. The opening kick off provided some slipping and sliding and perhaps a pre-cursor to how the game would be played. The Chicago defense stepped up in the first meeting of the year by creating a turnover leading the winning touchdown. The second meeting in Green Bay was a defensive battle with the Packers taking the win allowing them this play-off run. These two units were definitely their respective strengths.

After an opening drive which culminated in a Rodgers keeper for seven, the Packers were also able to score seven more prior to the halftime break. Chicago's offense was sputtering with poor field position and struggled moving the ball. Bears' starting QB Jay Cutler, hurt himself in the second quarter and tried to make a go of it, but had to sit on the sidelines. After Michigan alum Todd Collins failed miserably, Chicago head coach, Lovie Smith turned to Colorado State alum, Caleb Hanie. Hanie provided a spark absent from the Bears all day and drove them on their first scoring drive of the day. However Hanie turned the ball over on an interception to B.J. Raji in the fourth quarter resulting in a touchdown. But the Bears rallied around their third-year QB. With Packer fans beginning to feel the Super Bowl with a 14 point lead with under ten minutes to go in the 4th qtr, Hanie led them on another drive cutting the deficit to 7.

The Packers were unable to seal the victory and gave the ball back to Chicago for one last opportunity to tie the game. But on the final drive, Hanie threw the ball to a Packer with less than a minute to go, giving the Packers the win, the trip to Dallas, and most importantly the Halas trophy. Due to an agreement between both teams, the Packers departed the Soldier Field sod for the warm locker room and the presentation of the Halas Trophy.

Packer fans were not ready to leave. Many stuck around waiting for the players to return. But the patience of the Green Bay fans were waning and they began to head to downtown bars to celebrate their first time to the Super Bowl under GM Ted Thompson. The Packers sealed up the first slot of the Super Bowl pairing, and the Pittsburgh Steelers won the second. The game will be played at Cowboys Stadium on February 6th with the view to the Texas skies closed.