The Bears and the Packers. These are two teams that don't like each other much. It's a great old rivalry that goes back to Lombardi, Starr, Nitschke, Jim Taylor, Ron Kramer, and backup QB, Zeke Bartowski. This rivalry goes back to Curly Lambeau, whose name is stamped on the Packers home field.
I have memories of some great Bears-Packers games. I saw Bart Starr play, perhaps one of the greatest field generals of all time. Starr ran the offense. Made the big throws, He was the unflappable leader, bearing the cold, and Lombardi's glare. Starr making pinpoint passes to Boyd Dowler, and Max McGee. These teams played the original smash-mouth football, without the equipment innovations players have today.
Now, this game, this backyard brawl, will be for the NFC marbles. For the championship. Played at Soldier Field, where Walter Payton etched his name into NFL history. This isn't the field where Sayers, and Roosevelt Taylor, Bennie McCrae, and Dick Butkus played. That was Wrigley Field, But their legacy as great Bears players live on in Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs, and Devin Hester. Julius Peppers, who has been a great player this season for Chicago, will find out how heated the battle will be, with the high stakes on the line. He will need to rise to the occasion.
This is a game that holds of history of the NFL---George Halas, the owner and former coach of the Bears would have loved to coach in this game.
Aaron Rodgers, who now QB's for Green Bay has demonstrated his leadership and talent. He's even made Packer fans forget Brett Favre, who was the man in Green Bay for so many years. Some day, they make a statue of him and put it out near Lambeau.
A lot of attention will be focused on the upstart New York Jets and their battle with Pittsburgh, which will be a donnybrook. Rex Ryan has as much swagger as his Dad, Buddy, who coached the famed "46" defense of the Super Bowl champs back in 1985. The Packers are very good team. But, even though they have a great defense, you can score points off them. But they can score points too.
This game will feature some hard-hitting, no holds barred smashing. It will feel like two teams, breathing heat, fire, and determination in a likely frigid stadium in front of full-throated Bears fans. It doesn't get much better than this.
