The 13-3 Bears are coming into a game at home outdoors and against the dome-bound 10-6 Saints as an underdog. I don't know if they are an underdog in the traditional sense (factor out homefield and the game is essentially pick-em), but everyone in the media from King Kaufman to Jay Novacek to Ron Jaworski are picking the Saints this weekend.

And they're all going to be wrong.

Brian Urlacher has been pimping hard the disrespect notion that the Bears don't get any credit for the long season they just completed with a spectacular record. The defense is no good, the quarterback is schizo, and Lovie Smith can't manage the clock.

OK, the last point is valid.

But the Bears are mad. And even without Brown and Harris, they have a lot of talent. If Grossman plays reasonably well and the defense stuffs Bush in the backfield a couple of times, this could turn into a blowout win for the worst 13-3 team left in the playoffs.

Get used to hearing this phrase - "Grossman throws long on second down and Muhammed/Berrian catches it for the touchdown!".

Even without any mini-Ditkas - Bears - 31, Saints 17.

Wes, you're just wrong about the '85 Bears being overrated.

They lost key players at the end of the 85-86 season that made them much more ordinary, and late in the 86-87 season in one of the worst cheap shots in history, Jim McMahon was body slammed to the ground late by Green Bay Packer Charles Martin, lacerating his kidney. Even with Doug Flutie taking over for Jimmy Mac, the Bears made the playoffs only to be beaten by the Redskins, primarily because of Darrell Green's outstanding play in the secondary.

The '85 Bears were an astounding team, and the first since the 40's to shut out two playoff opponents.

Plus, there's this snotty whiner complaining about the quality of the letters today...

My prediction - Bears - 31, Saints 17.

The result - Bears 39, Saints 14.

DAAAH Bears. And have a dish of humble pie, pundits.

Filed for future reference as the 5 ESPN pundits, King Kaufman, and Jay Novacek predictions for a Saints win were filed last week.

Can we get some moderation on the more ignorant of these comments (sure, include mine if you wish)?

Did everyone hear that mix? I thought it was pretty limited in distribution.

You say you're not an Indy fan. I'm guessing by your hostility to the Bears you may root for another team that didn't make it to the playoffs. Perhaps one in green and gold?

Look like monkey

Smell like one

But you write very well and I hope we get to enjoy your work for years to come.

I mean did you even mention that Canada beat Russia at the World University Games Curling competition.

Good lord!

They're postponing the annual Macinaw Mush Sled Dog Race because of lack of snow!

http://www.record-eagle.com/2007/jan/31race.htm

This could be the end of the sport! Pay attention!

Manning's thumb gets the blame postgame, and everyone calls the Bears the worst team to ever win a SuperBowl.

Until next year, when they win it again.

As we saw last night, having a SuperBowl in a warm city doesn't guarantee good weather.

Football isn't a game like baseball where a few drops of rain make the players melt. Let's see the SuperBowl rotate around the league. I'd love to see a SuperBowl at Lambeau or Soldier Field in late January or early February.

I'm hoping you're kidding. The player is named Muhsin Muhammed and they crowd wasn't booing (well, maybe the Colts fans were). They were chanting "Mooooose!" which is a show of support he gets every game in Chicago.

Actually, dmmacfarlane, I took away from the Coke civil rights ad that apparently nothing's changed since 1963 to advance Civil Rights or mofiy the Coke bottle design.

"He invited me to write for the Examiner, and the result was articles such as "The Female Lenny Bruce," my celebration of Sandra Bernhard ( more about her later)."

Who in the wide wide world of sports wants to hear ANYTHING MORE about Sandra Bernhard? Maybe we can have a side article about Joey Buttafuoco?

The one and only time I've been in a plane where everyone, and I mean everyone, clapped when we landed was at Pittsburgh airport on US Air.

It was the Sunday after September 11, 2001 and we were coming from Paris, several days delayed by the attacks and all very, very glad to be back on U.S. soil.

Cubs starting pitcher (insert name here) injured in freak accident, out until mid-June.

Missioncreep, the problem is the distribution of music is now controlled at a far too central level to let the really good bands hit it big.

The combination of the FCC relaxing ownership rules for radio stations and the RIAA squelching any alternative distribution models that people would actually want has made music all about the American Idol winners and corporat products rather than the fun new bands.

Find a good indie college radio station (my local favorite is WTMD, Towson, Maryland) and you'll hear some great music that isn't getting play on the Clear Channel owned stations in the big markets.

Many of these are available through the Internet, though with the recent ruling that may kill Internet radio, we'll see how long that lasts.

But King is right. That was compelling reading. You're missing out if you don't give it a glance.

I don't care if I pick for them or against them. Whatever I predict, they do the opposite. Same with Xavier. If the two teams someday ever met in the tournament, the whole thing would be canceled due to a plague of frogs, locusts, and idiots yelling "SERENDIPITY, BABY!"

smileyy, there was no tournament last year. Just a blood red sky and a rain of frogs.