Solid Gould
A day after mentor Adam Vinatieri kicked the Colts into the AFC championship game with five field goals, Robbie Gould nailed an even bigger 49-yarder in overtime to save the Bears’ season. Talk about precious mettle. Gould was denied the chance to win in regulation from the same distance against the wind when Lovie Smith cautiously and questionably opted to pooch-punt, but second-guessing became a moot point in overtime. Seattle was hoping for another Tony Romo moment, but holder Brad Maynard safely caught Patrick Mannelly’s snap and placed the ball down as he has 1,000 times in practice.
Clutch Rex
Good thing Rex Grossman came into the game with the mentality: “If the throw is there, give it a shot.” If Grossman hadn’t, he might never have found the nerve to let it fly to Bernard Berrian for a 68-yard TD pass in the second quarter, which was the difference in the game. A go-for-broke play like that and the overall performance by Grossman–21 of 38 for 282 yards and an interception that wasn’t his fault–justified the faith and patience Smith placed in him all season. The best No. 8 on the field wore a Bears uniform. He had the most to gain by playing well and winning.
Better lucky than good
The Bears tried to give it away. Receivers dropped two red-zone passes in the fourth quarter, one by Muhsin Muhammad leading to an interception. They inexplicably called a timeout with two seconds left, giving Seattle one more shot. They committed an illegal block to wipe out a 63-yard Devin Hester punt return for a TD. With one swing of Gould’s foot, none of the blunders matter. Seattle came in as a team of destiny, but fortune smiled on the Bears. The intangibles they take from the win will give them more momentum heading into the NFC title game than if they’d won via blowout.
Money time
Time for the Bears to pull Lovie Smith’s new contract out of whatever drawer it’s in. Team President Ted Phillips and GM Jerry Angelo have said it’s coming since Christmas, and nobody can argue with the direction Smith has the Bears headed after their first playoff win in 12 years and first home postseason victory in 16. The irony is that some coaching moves caused more than a few observers to scratch their heads. But in the big picture, beating the defending NFC champs validated a 13-3 regular season and clarified Smith’s future, which might have been cloudier with a loss.
