Lovie Smith hasn’t been the type of coach who carries on an animated conversation with officials during a game.
But because the Packers were flagged for a franchise-record 18 penalties — including several holding calls — on Sept. 27 at Soldier Field — Smith might be inclined to remind the officials to watch closely Sunday in the NFC championship game.
Will there be sideline banter when the Packers return?
“Not a whole lot because I don’t think officials really have a whole lot to do with the outcome of the game,” Smith said Friday at Halas Hall. “We will try to help them out from time to time, but they normally don’t listen.
“I am going to spend most of my time worrying about our team and try to help them more so than worrying about what the officials are doing.”
No tomorrow: Whatever it takes.
That is the stated mission of Jay Cutler as the Bears quarterback winds up preparation for Sunday.
When his receivers are covered, Cutler has managed to run for positive yardage and first downs on occasion. Will he become more cautious against the Packers?
“If we have the first down, I’ll try to slide,” he said. “If I have to get it or get hit or something like that, I’m going to do it. Whatever it takes.”
Cutler said he is eager to get on the field after the incredible hype.
“We’ve had a great week of practice on offense,” he said. “We just have to stay calm. I am sure there will be a lot of jitters early on, but we have to settle down quickly and really execute our game plan.”
Just for kicks: Perhaps the most innovative winning ploy in Bears-Packers games was the seldom-deployed free kick.
On Nov. 3, 1968, Mac Percival kicked a 43-yard field goal on one with 20 seconds left to lift the Bears to a 13-10 victory.
NFL rules permit a free kick, punt or placement without opposition after one team makes a fair catch of a punt.
So that day, when Cecil Turner fielded Donny Anderson’s short punt on the Green Bay 43, Bears coach Jim Dooley called on Percival to kick a field goal. (The goal posts were on the goal line in 1968).
“I swear, I don’t think any of us knew the rule,” Percival said Friday in an phone interview with the Tribune from Houston. “Well, we had no idea what (the coaches were) talking about. (They) had to tell us, ‘Well, you line up like you’re going to do a kickoff.’ Then Richie Petitbon had his leg out like he always does to hold it. An official came up and said: ‘No, you’re offsides. Pull your leg back so you won’t be offsides when you hold the ball.’ Then they told me to try to kick it, which was fairly easy because there was no rush and no hurry. It was kind of like just being out at practice. It was quite exciting.”
The Packers had done the same thing in 1964 against the Bears with coach Vince Lombardi calling on Paul Hornung for a 52-yarder at the end of the first half in a game Green Bay won 23-12.
Extra points: Packers linebacker Frank Zombo (knee) is listed as out and offensive lineman Jason Spitz (calf) did not practice and is questionable. … Hall of Fame nominee and former Bears defensive end Richard Dent has been named the team’s honorary captain for Sunday’s game. The MVP of Super Bowl XX finished his career with 137 1/2 sacks, tied for sixth all time.
