Kenneth Sothman, Bears Superfan

For the past two weeks (at least once I got over my Wendy's food poisoning from Dec. 29th... let's just say the combination of being sick on New Year's Eve plus Rex's 0.0 did not make for a fun night) I've been on a journey searching for five burning questions I felt I needed answered. I went through desserts, jungles, scaled up mountains, poured in countless hours of NFL shows, read thousands of words on the internet, and even asked the young lady at the Target cash register her feelings of tomorrow's game. The answers below are what I've collectively gathered.

1. Can Matt Hassleback defeat the Chicago Bears defense?

Out of all the "good" quarterbacks in the NFL, I'd have to say that Matt Hassleback is the quarterback I fear least. In fact, he was one Tony Romo fumble away from not even playing this week. Which as a whole, I'm much happier that we're facing this Seahawks team instead of the Cowboys, especially since it makes for a better story line. Shouldn't our road to the Superbowl be through the defending NFC Champs anyways?

Now I'm not saying that Hassleback's not talented, but would anybody honestly be surprised if he turned in a one td, three INT, and 189 yard game tomorrow? If Lovie's defense was playing like they were during the first time these two met and I was a gambling man, I would bet the dorm room that Hassleback is a lock to have a bad game. But with how shaky the Bears defense is right now, it's not really a guarantee anymore.

So will he do it? Personally, I'm gonna say no. Which brings me to my next question...

2. Does the previous time these two teams met mean anything at all?

Besides the fact the Seahawks now have extra motivation to win at Soldier Field tomorrow, no, that first game has no meaning at all. These are two completely different teams from when they first met, and I don't mean that in a positive way at all for the Bears. Doesn't it feel like forever ago that Rex was tossing TD's left and right, the defense was shutting down offenses like they were playing video games on easy mode, and we felt as if 30-point victories were the norm?

Then for the Seahawks, for the most obvious reason they were missing their team-MVP in Shaun Alexander. If the Seahawks were to win tomorrow, it's going to be all on Alexander. There's just no way Hassleback can do enough by himself to carry this alone.

Also, don't forget Hassleback's quote from last week, "We used that Chicago game to exploit our weaknesses and fix them."

3. Is it fair that the media has basically portrayed the Bears as a bad 13-3 team?

Though I had mentioned before that momentum is something you clearly need heading into the playoffs, I don't think Chicago can be taken nearly as easily as everyone has made it out to be. You don't win 13 games by flat out luck, the Bears are a really good team with an above average defense, an above average special teams unit, and have an above average tandem of running backs. Sure, maybe the Rex and the offense will make mistakes, but it doesn't mean the other Seahawks offense is going to get an easy stroll into the end zone because of it.

And just to get the Packers game out of the way, it was in all a game that didn't matter standings-wise. This happens every year where the team with the most wins easily coasts into the off-season, so it's not really as big of a deal as made out to be. Now do I believe that Rex is right for admitting he phoned it in? Of course not, and I believe the players that were out on the field should have given 100% no matter what. It's too easy for somebody to get hurt if they don't, and given Rex's position, he could've at least phoned in a semi-decent first half. Overall, I found his act despicable. Which brings me to the next question...

4. Can Rex even stay in the whole game tomorrow?

My gut says Rex will be in the whole game, especially since it's been beaten into our heads that Lovie doesn't have him on a short leash. Now for what time of game he's actually going to have, that to me is too baffling. The good news is everytime he seems to have been counted out, he fires back with a really good game. Which maybe that's the consistency we actually need from him? The bad news is, well, he's Rex, so who knows what can happen.

I don't think he's particularly going to have a break-out game, but I think he'll have one td, one int, about 230 yards, and he'll be leaning heavily on Jones/Benson to carry the offense.

But now that I've been pro-Rex all year long (and his whole career), I will state this. If Rex blows the game tomorrow, I will come on here Monday and say alot of negative things about him, and dis-own him as my favorite player.

(Just out of curiosity, let's say Rex plays this way through the Super Bowl, and the Bears win the Super Bowl. Would he then get an automatic free pass to start all of next year? Or could for once, this story just fade away?)

5. Is this the Bears last game of the season?

I'm going to say no. I honestly think the Bears are going to be in control most of the game, and win by the score of 24-17, but the game won't be nearly as close as the score suggests.

Truthfully though, if the season were to end tomorrow, I'd ultimately feel cheated. This team is too good to not at least make the NFC Championship, and now that they're only one win away from it, it just wouldn't seem right. I need that taste of defeat from last year ultimately washed out.

Some random thoughts on the playoffs so far, which have been very entertaining besides the Colts games

- I truly feel for the fans in Philadelphia, for it just doesn't seem fair that a team should potentially lose the game because of an off-sides. Jeff Garcia's throw on fourth down while getting rattled was a great highlight too.

- If anybody could save Peyton Manning in the playoffs, it does make sense that it'd have to be Adam Vinataeri. But I'll give credit where credit is due: the Colts beat a very good Ravens team. I think they were basically handed the win against the Chiefs, but the Ravens game shows they're possibly legit. Peyton is still playing bad though, and I have to think it's going to bite them in the end eventually.

- And as for the Pats/Chargers game tomorrow, I'm at as much of a complete toss-up as everyone else seems to be. I can't picture Tom Brady losing, but I can picture Tom Brady's defense losing. So I think the Chargers are going to pull out the win, but it's going to be a very fun game to watch.

So when I come back on here next, I'm hoping it's not to say goodbye...