I never thought I would say this, but Steve Sabol showed me the way.
The president of NFL films hosts the specials looking back at the league’s past Super Bowls and Friday’s mid-afternoon specials featured games from this century.
I saw the 2001 Ravens and 2003 Buccaneers and started remembering the Patriot and Steeler teams also earning the right to hoist the lackluster Lombardi Trophy.
When the highlights from the extremely boring Ravens-Giants Super Bowl ended, I decided I was taking the 7 points the Bears are getting from the Colts on Sunday.
It’s as if Lovie Smith also watched these Sabol-hosted specials and decided crafting a stout defense, hard-nosed running game and a quarterback who does just enough to get the job done (sans Tom Brady) because that’s pretty much the formula for winning a Super Bowl these days.
I know the tide is flowing in the Colts’ favor right now. Their defense is click and the offense woke up in the second half two weeks ago while the Bears’ defense has slowed some in the playoffs and their offense has remained dormant as it has all year (I know the Bears put up a ton on the Saints, but I probably could have provided tighter coverage than Fred Thomas in the NFC Championship game).
But tide means nothing to me. This is the Super Bowl and not the MPC Computers Bowl. A team’s true colors generally take the forefront and that’s what I expect on Sunday: High-powered offense versus stingy defense and my money’s with the defense.
So I’m taking the Bears, hoping Ricky Manning Jr. will beat up some nerds in celebration and thanking Mr. Sabol for my epiphany.