Round 2

The gauntlet has been thrown down by the Green Bay faithful, but Chicago has answered. And, although after seeing The Dilemma last night, I am almost embarrassed to call the City of Big Shoulders home, the voice of the city must still ring. What an abomination that film was. You're better off spending $9 on MGMT "Oracular Spectacular" CD and taking enough psychedelic amphetamines to fall asleep comfortably. Anyway, here is today's new installment of opinions from the readers of Chicago Sports Noise.

First off, we have "Dr. Souce" from Lake Zurich, Illinois

"I doubt anyone in Chicago is going to deny that Aaron Rodgers is a top-notch quarterback. He has got the skills to avoid the rush, hit receivers downfield, all at the same time possessing the ability to grow one of the finest rapist mustaches in the Midwest. Chris Hanson can vouch for that.

The Bears definitely have a great opportunity to pull off the upset this weekend. The obvious key is to keep the Packers high-octane offense off the field. In our previous two contests this year, we have held them to 6-21 on 3rd down conversions. I’ll take that any day. Our defense has to come and play, no doubt about that. We know their offense, we know their tendencies. Just don’t let Greg Jennings get past you.

Primary concern is going to fall on the Cutler-Martz combination. Martz will be opening up the playbook more after having a very basic approach in week 17. It’s going to be up to Jay Cutler, to get the ball in the receivers hands, and key where Woodson is lining up. Damnit Jay, do not turn the ball over you dick! With the Packers depleted LB corps, I expect Olsen to have a good day again.

I’m cautiously optimistic when making my prediction. But I say the Bears take this win 24-17."


Next, we have a "Treat from Meat" hailing, once again, from Lake Zurich, Illinois

"Bears/Packers for the NFC title. What more could any of us ask for? For that matter, what more could the NFL ask for? Two storied franchises with big named quarterbacks, linebackers and coordinators; even the punters and kickers are highly touted.

I'll start with the Packers. Before the season started, a lot of people had them in the Super Bowl. But after countless key injuries, their stock fell, yet they still found a way to make it to the playoffs and now they're playing for a trip to Dallas. The Packers have the hottest QB in the NFL and a defensive coordinator who knows how to utilize his freakishly athletic LB, Clay Mathews.

As for the Bears, before the season started one would be hard-pressed to find anyone who picked them to finish over .500, let alone making it to the NFC title game at HOME! The 2010 Bears are one of the biggest overachievers since the Cardinals in '08. The recipe of great Defense and superb Special Teams have taken them this far with the help of the second hottest QB in the NFL, Jay Cutler (Yea, I said it). Although, if the Bears are to win this game it's going to come down to the Bears D coming up with big stops versus Rodgers.

As much as I'd like to pick the Packers, as a Bears fan I cannot. I'm going with the Bears over the Packers 24-21, with the game ending on a 4th down slip by a Packers receiver on the notorious Soldier Field grass. It's called home field advantage for a reason. Also, the fact that the Packers barely beat the Bears the last game of the season at home fighting for the final playoff spot in the NFC only helps my pick. I just don't see the Bears luck running out, this week at least. The "Hay Bowl" should be fun to watch. Bear the eff down"


To break up the point of view, here is the opinion of "Baby got Bach" from Milwaukee, WI

"You couldn't ask for a better NFC playoff matchup. WHY NOT?!? Bears and Packers, Super Bowl on the line. No two teams in NFL history have shared as much history as these foes. It doesn't matter what happened in the regular season, throw away what Green Bay has done the last two weeks in Philly and Atlanta, or what Chicago did against Seattle. It simply doesn't matter in this one.

I am not a fan of the Bears by any means, but it is hard not to respect what they have done this year. Nobody gave them a chance since day 1 and once again, they are home underdogs in the NFC Championship game. I think a lot depends on the weather. The Packers are a more talented team, but the weather can neutralize everything. The Bears, on the other hand, have a much more polished running game and their defense gives up close to nothing on the ground. But, it is going to come down to the offensive lines. If the Packers can consistently get to Cutler and disrupt his rhythm, they will win, and the same goes for the Bears' pressure up front against Aaron Rodgers. If Rodgers is able to sit in the pocket or buy time with his crafty wheels and hit members of his talented receiving core down the field, it's going to be a long day for the Bears D.

Bottom line, Cutler can flat out sling the rock, and if he can manage his team efficiently from start to finish and throw the ball accurately, it could be a long afternoon for me in Wisconsin in which I polish off 44 cocktail meatballs and take enough tums to kill a small farm animal. Like Favre always presented, Cutler will bless the opposition with a few opportunities to snag interceptions, and the Pack must take advantage of those (unlike the great ball Cutler threw against Seattle to the corner of the endzone). Like any football game, turnovers and penalties are going to be crucial. And, I hate to break it to you Bear fans, but we're not going to give you the gift of committing 19 penalties again like we did week 3 in Chi-town, unless Bulaga goes out on Saturday night, in that case, I'll kill him myself.

I do like the fact that the Packers have already gone into two hostile environments and picked up wins on the road in the first 2 rounds. Say what you want about the dome atmosphere in Atlanta, but they went out and got it done in Philly as well, which was on a windy and cold day in Pennsylvania. But again, none of this matters, these teams know each other so well. I'm getting chills thinking that the winner of this game gets a shot at the Lombardi trophy and is entitled to an entire year of "ish" talking to your Chicago/Milwaukee friends (if you even stay friends after this one).


Next, we have the familiar voice of "The Body" coming straight out of his parents' basement in Lake Zurich, IL

"Sunday's game will mark the second time that two of the most storied franchises in the NFL meet in the playoffs. The Bears won the first match up a week after Pearl Harbor, a game that apparently didn't live in infamy because I have never heard it referenced in my life before the Bears win last week. Regardless, fans and media have hyped this game to be the most important game in Packers/Bears history. The winner moves on to face the AFC Champ (Big Ben's Bathroom Rapists or Toe Sex Rex) in the first Super Bowl in Dallas' beautiful new stadium (yes, I used the word beautiful, and I saw Country Strong with a guy last week). The loser will not only be eliminated from the playoffs, but will have to bow to the other team and honor their new reign as King of the NFC North.

After the Packers dismantling of Matty Ice and the Falcons in Atlanta, it is hard to imagine that any team could slow down their explosive offense. Good for the Bears, the infamous turf at Soldier Field should be able to do that for us. It will be much harder for the uber talented Aaron Rodgers to complete his timing routes and back-shoulder passes to his plethora of receivers when they are out there slipping like my Derece Bannick in Cool Runnings the first time they step on the ice. Shouldn't this negatively effect the Bears as well you might ask? Well, due to our offensive line's new found ability to block (thanks to Mike Tice), the Bears should be able to shove a consistent dose of Forte and Taylor down the Packers' throat. I'm not saying we are going to run all over the Pack, who boast an extremely stout defensive unit, but our dedication to the run should open up play-action passes to our tight ends and also open up the field for our midget men (Hester and Knox),who both have arguably the best speed in the NFL. Speed kills, literally, I've done it.

I have not seen the weather forecast yet for this highly anticipated game, but the meteorologist in me is predicting it to be cold (20's or below), windy, with a good chance of snow lake effect snow trickling down throughout the game. These conditions, plus the aforementioned turf, will hopefully slow down Aaron Rodgers and give the Bears a realistic chance of winning the NFC Championship. This is hard to imagine because not a single Bear fan (including myself) expected the Monsters of the Midway to be over .500 this season. Sometimes, the best presents are the ones you don't expect. Hopefully, Cutler can keep his blood sugar up and the Bears can deliver at least one more unexpected present."


Also chiming in, we have the "Speakin' Deacon", also from Lake Zurich, IL

"It's going to be a good ole fashioned air attack this weekend between the Bears and the Packers, a battle of the gunslingers, Cutler vs. Rodgers. It couldn't be written any better. This game is going to be won on which defense can force the most mistakes out of the opposing QB. The Bears D has been playing rock solid, a few hiccups throughout the season, but I feel they have all the kinks worked out, it's playoff football folks. They showed their skills against the Seahawks last week with 3 quarters of shutout football. Cutler has been looking stellar and if he can continue his precision under pressure, he will pick the Pack apart like a surgeon, even though they have the second best D in the league. The key to the Bears' air attack will rest on the shoulders of Forte, who is responsible for pounding the rock to keep the Packers guessing whether it will be a pass or run on each play. Each team won on their home turf and split the season series. The Bears had a lock on a playoff spot, but still chose to play all of their starters in week 17, giving them a great feel for what they will be going against on Sunday. I see a real barn-burner in the future for this game, with each quarterback racking up good numbers, but not a scoreboard explosion. Prediction: Bears-27 Packers-23."


Lastly, we have the "Wizard of Wheaton" who chimed in her two cents with this SMS message:

"According to People Magazine, Kristin Cavallari is in love, why wouldn't you be afraid of Cutler now?"

There you have it. The tribe has spoken yet again...

Now they're done. Rack em

Frost