BATTLE OF THE BENSONS
Saints: Tom Benson, New Orleans Saints owner and chief practitioner of the “Benson Boogie.”
Bears: RB Cedric Benson, who, as far as we know, bears no relation to the Saints’ Benson–despite their strong resemblance.
PAYTON PLACE
Saints: Head coach Sean Payton. Payton, a Naperville native, played for the Chicago Bruisers of the Arena Football League (1987) and for the Bears (1987).
Bears: Hall of Fame RB Walter Payton, who broke Jim Brown’s rushing record with a 6-yard run against New Orleans on Oct. 7, 1984.
MASCOT MAYHEM
Saints: Gumbo, a dog who can’t seem to keep his tongue in his mouth.
Bears: Staley the Bear, the champagne of mascots. Or is it Champaign?
SLOGAN
“Who dat?” Questions shouldn’t count as slogans–and don’t get us started on the grammar.
“Bear down!” What does it mean? Who knows? But it sounds menacing.
CROSS-COUNTRY CONNECTION
Saints: LB Danny Clark (Hillcrest High) and Zach Strief (Northwestern University).
Bears: FS Chris Harris (Louisiana-Monroe) and CB Charles Tillman (Louisiana Lafayette).
