Marcus Riley, Casual Bears Fan


I guess the time for talking is just about over and we'll soon see whether the Bears have the right stuff to make a run to the Super Bowl. Personally, I like their chances, given an extremely weak NFC. Defense wins championships, and the Bears defense, while tattered, is still better than most, and can rise to the occasion for such a meaningful game. The Saints are good, but they need a year of playoff experience before they make their run.

Not to play armchair quarterback, but one thing I still can't understand is why on earth would Lovie play Rex in the last game to begin with? There was absolutely nothing to gain. He's wasn't about to learn anything new that he didn't already pick up in the previous 15 games, and Griese could have used a full games-worth of snaps in case he was needed in the playoffs. If you had no intention of benching Rex no matter how badly he played, why set yourself up for the possibility of him throwing a stinker and then the resulting media and fan firestorm for two weeks? You didn't have to be a soothsayer to see that one coming. But of course, my criticism comes days after the fact -- a luxury we in the media enjoy!

Here's some historical stuff for ya... I dug up some video of the postgame interviews after the Bears won it all in 1986. Click here to check it out.