Tommie Harris had finished his singing performance on stage at last Super Bowl’s GospelFest in Detroit and was talking backstage. Patti LaBelle and other gospel legends on the program passed by and there was more to talk about than football.
But there was one Super Bowl thought that was on the mind of the Bears’ defensive tackle.
“We should’ve been here,” Harris reflected quietly.
The Bears this year believe they should be in the Super Bowl. Last year they were not as sure, leaving unanswered the question of what might have happened if they had approached the Carolina game with a different state of mind.
“The only thing I can see different from that time to this time is that we expected to be here,” defensive end Alex Brown said. “Last year I thought we were happy to be here.”
Teams just happy to be somewhere typically don’t go anywhere. So it was with last season’s Bears. Were they fully prepared mentally for that Carolina game? Arguably not, if they were feeling as if they already had achieved much by winning their division and gaining a first-round bye.
That game has not been forgotten by the Bears. As important as any tactical aspect of Sunday’s game against the Seattle Seahawks is what many believe they learned from last year’s playoffs.
“Once we made the playoffs last year, honestly we were satisfied with that,” Pro Bowl special teams standout Brendon Ayanbadejo said.
“Sure we wanted more and we hoped for more, and when we lost, it hurt. But now, anything less than a Super Bowl is going to hurt worse.”
Remembering the past is one thing. Understanding the future is another. Young players will do well to realize that it is promised to no one.
Dan Marino reached a Super Bowl in his second season and never played in another. The ’85 Bears never reached a second game with a Roman numeral on it either. That team was the NFL’s youngest in addition to being its most talented. Neither mattered. They went 14-2 and also lost in their first playoff game despite a bye and lost the 1988 NFC championship game.
“Young guys definitely don’t understand that,” Ayanbadejo said. “There are young guys in this room who may never even go to the playoffs again, so understand how crucial it is once you get there to seize the moment and get everything that’s there for you.”
Extra points
Muhsin Muhammad was held out of practice for “general soreness,” but coach Lovie Smith said the wide receiver will start Sunday. “All of our team is ready to go,” Smith said. “Very seldom do you have your entire team on the field this time of year.”
Neither Darrell Jackson nor D.J. Hackett practiced Friday and Seattle coach Mike Holmgren said both receivers will be game-day decisions. If they don’t play, that leaves Deion Branch, Bobby Engram, Nate Burleson and rookie Ben Obomanu, signed off the practice squad last week.
The Seahawks always have backup quarterback Seneca Wallace as an option. Wallace lined up at wide receiver on the first play against the Cowboys and caught a 6-yard pass. . . .
To bolster their secondary depth, the Seahawks also signed cornerback Gerard Ross off the practice squad to fill the spot that opened when safety John Howell was waived Tuesday.
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jmullin@tribune.com
