Duh Bears.

Man, what a disappointment. The problem with a young team is that many of its members haven't spent the last 20 years waiting for another Bears trip to the Superbowl. They're mired in contract negotiations, personal statistics, and getting in the news or Sportscenter. We saw a clear case of experience taking over as Steve Smith took the entire #2 defense to school last night.

I think it might not have been such a great idea to pooch the last game of the season, either. It was like the whole defense was out of sync. I know we had a couple of injuries, but none of the players were making plays. Urlacher had a key interception and some nice tackles early on, but the hallmark of the defense for the rest of the season was their cooperative play. Plus, the front four didn't collapse the pocket like they did in the first meeting.

C'est le vie. The White Sox victory got the juices flowing, I guess. I did say to a friend early on in the season that this team is a lot like the '84 Bears. The flashes of greatness were there but they were just too young. It was pretty easy for everyone to compare this team to the '85 Bears since they were celebrating the anniversary of that team all year.

I was excited about the 2005 season all year. When it got here, and Rex Grossman went out with an injury during the pre-season, I was stunned and disappointed. It was a lot of waiting for what appeared to be the end of the season before it officially started. Then, with the combination of a semi-soft schedule and a defense like I haven't seen since, oh, 1984, the Bears appeared to be a contender again. Next year should be good.

I've always told my old neighbors that if the Bears couldn't win the Superbowl, I hoped the Steelers would. Looks like that could happen.