Not to bring down the mood, but as a kid this was one of the first super bowls I remember. All I knew is that Devin Hester was my favorite player, Urlacher was the best LB in the league (idc bout Ray Lewis), and Rex made my dad throw things at the wall.
Looking for a deepish dive into why we couldn’t stop the Colts average running attack. Did the rain play a factor? Or just poor scheme? I know we were more dominant as a pass defense, and Peyton played well below his standards. I also realize with a league average QB we probably win that game.
Just wondering how Dominic Rhodes was an unstoppable force and we couldn’t stop Addai on short routes when we had one of our best defenses ever.
It wasn't just that... Thomas Jones got hurt. He was better than Benson by miles. Also, we played scared. The offensive play calling was predictable. We got out played and out coached.
It was a Rex Grossman led passing attack with an injured defense going up against Peyton Manning. They were the better team by that point in the season.
We played scared because of Benson getting hurt and Jones being bottled up, they had to rely on rexy airing it out in the rain which wasn’t ideal
We scored 17 points. 7 came from Hester. Bears D forced 2 turnovers and the offense only put up 10 points. Grossman only had 165 yards passing. Brutal showing from the offense
The Reggie Wayne touchdown broke Lovie. The defense was at that point flying, aggressive, and taking risks. After that play, while it took a series or two to materialize, the defensive philosophy got more conservative out of a fear of getting beat deep. With the safeties back, the linebackers had to drop more to cover the intermediate routes and opened up the dinking and dunking. That ultimately wore down the defense.
Yeah, they went from a good lead and being aggressive to playing scared and very predictable. This is what did them in. They also were running all over the Colts, but decided to put the game in Grossman's hands for some reason. It was a coaching failure on both sides of the ball, but the defense was just handing them easy yards for the rest of the game.
Aside from the TJ long run they weren’t really running all over them. The ball got put in Grossman’s hands because they were down multiple scores. Also, objectively, the play that broke the game was the Cedric Benson fumble.
Rex wasn’t good enough but it’s too simplistic a narrative to say he was the reason we lost.
The play calling was a big reason. They passed when the should have ran and vice versa. TJ was doing well and I thought Benson was cheap shotted by Sanders.
They threw too many deep balls playing scared. They were down because the normally aggressive D was giving them 5 free yards every play.
That broken play TD literally broke the Coaching staff's minds.
The defense only gave up 22 points. Thats not why they lost.
Ron Turner calling so many passing plays in the rain is why they lost.
Thomas Jones was averaging 7.5 YPC that game -- 7.5!
The Colts became the more physical team and ran the ball 42 times vs us just calling 19 plays in the rain.
The weather was built for us to win, but instead Turner was dialing up passing plays, even though we knew Rex had a fumble issue and a tendency to throw picks.
Brutal offensive gameplan.
Defensively, after the Wayne touchdown, we played in a deep cover 2 and Colts picked us apart underneath.
No deep dive required. Two all pros on the defense injured. A nose tackle and string safety - key run stoppers. And then you have to respect the colts passing game, so you can’t stack the box.
No Tommie Harris or Mike brown 😭 the way that Super Bowl started nobody could tell me we would be on the losing end of it 😞. That was my 2nd sports heartbreak I had ever felt (1st was Kings getting robbed by the lakers in WCF)
The NBA has blood on their hands for that 2002 Sacramento Kings robbery. Crazy part is that the refs admitted years later that the series was fixed 😤
The Bears were who we thought they were. If you wanna crown ‘em then crown their ass.
This. Dennis Green enjoyed that SB. He was vindicated.
But having no Harris or Brown made it really difficult.
I’m very confident Dennis Green meant they were not the NFC Champions ….. which they were.
Pretty sure he meant Super Bowl champs. The Bears were 4-0 going into MNF and many were saying the Bears are going to win it all. He didn’t buy it. When his team shut down Grossman and the offense including 4 interceptions and led 23-3 with backup QB Matt Leinart he clearly had them beat. Until the Bears defense and Hester took over, scored three touchdowns, missed a game winning field goal attempt and were let off the hook. A game I will never forget.
"backup QB Matt Leinart" like he wasn't just drafted 10th overall and looked at as the future of the franchise.
And was he? How did he work out? He was a backup. Being drafted 10th meant nothing.
He started 11 of the 12 games he played that year so yeah, I feel pretty fucking confident that he was the starting QB for the Arizona Cardinals that year.
The primary starter was Warner. But he was benched by Green early on that year as he wanted to see Leinart play and Warner was getting old. That’s what I meant by backup. I know Leinart started the Bear game. Yet it was Warner who took them to the Super Bowl two years later. Ken Wisenhunt made the smart call. Warner, undrafted, Super Bowl champ, MVP, went to three Super Bowls, NFL Hall of Fame. Matt Leinart, 10th pick, Heisman, College legend was an NFL backup for almost his entire career.
By that logic, Justin Herbert was the backup his entire rookie year because Tyrod Taylor was supposed to be the starter.
I know it sounds similar but not exactly the same because you are taking things at face value.
Kurt Warner was going to be the starter. He was a Super Bowl champ and former league MVP. There was no rush to have Leinart play at all that year. This was when Rodgers was riding the bench for years in Green Bay. It was normal for rookies to wait. The Cardinals knew Warner had the ability to lead them to a Super Bowl and sure enough he did. If Harrison is tackled on that 100 yard return the Cardinals may have won that game. What a play right? You have a chance to go into halftime up 14-10 with 1st and goal at the 2 with :18 left in the half but instead you are down 17-7. And yet they came back and took the lead in the 2nd half. Definitely one of the all-time greatest games and plays you will ever see. I still can’t believe that play when I see it. And the dramatic catch in the end zone to win it. It was like a movie. Poor Cardinals. I was pulling for them.
Tyrod Taylor was a journeyman starter merely keeping the seat warm for Herbert. No one felt Taylor would be leading them to a championship. That was many years later in this current era when many rookies are thrust into starting ASAP due to pressure from owners, media, fans, etc.
After game 4 in the 2006 season the Bears were the odds favorite to win the NFC Championship while the Colts were still considered the odds on favorite to win the Super Bowl according to the odds makers in Vegas. I will admit after reflective thought the word “crown” used by Denny Green would indicate he was thinking Super Bowl Champs.
Yeah he was specifically annoyed at the people who said Bears are going to win it all (even if the Colts were favored).
It’s honestly weird to talk about that 2006 team as if they were that great. My team was the 1985 Bears and the 80’s years. 2006 was a great defense but not like the 46 defense. I know most commenting were too young or not alive in 1985 so oh well!
Talked with Israel Idonije through a work relationship.
Danieal Manning had the wrong coverage on the Wayne TD (iirc). Manning had the right play, but he missed the signal to run it reverse.
Obv not the reason for losing the game, but thought it was insightful to hear
I’ve heard this same story on a podcast before, you’re right it didn’t lose us the game but that was a huge swing I thought we were gonna shut em out before that
I’ll go to my grave thinking Rhodes should have won MVP in that game. Addai really got his numbers in the passing game because we left the middle of the field open in an attempt to take away the outside receivers and the deep ball. That’s not a bad strategy but once the Colts adjusted to more of a dink and dunk offense then we should have had a plan B ready to go. The fact that we didn’t is crazy to me.
Rhodes just ran all over us. As others have said, missing Tommie Harris and Mike Brown was big but also playing two safeties back was a bet that the Colts wouldn’t be patient with the running game over the course of a full game. They were patient though, and I give them credit for that.
Rhodes and Jacoby Jones are my two biggest SBMVP snubs in my life, Rhodes looked unstoppable grinding on us
The biggest snub in Super Bowl history was probably awarding it to Chuck Howley whose team lost Super Bowl V.
Yea I’m 29 lol
29 is fine but why should that matter? I wasn’t born when Super Bowl V was played either. But I am a student of the game. I studied the films, learned the rules and read/watched the history. Granted I am 53 but why would not being alive stop me?
two biggest SBMVP snubs in my life
Lovie’s fatal mistake was playing the safeties 20 yards back to take away the deep pass. So the Colts went with death by a thousand cuts and it worked.
Harris and Brown being out didn’t help.
Wizard spells
I love Ron Rivera, but in 2 SBs, one as DC one has HC had no answer for opposing team O at halftime. IMHO Colts OC Tom Moore knew Urlacher was not good at shedding blocks. Urlacher relied on football instinct and speed. So every Addai run was motion one way, chip block on Urlacher, no Tommy Harris to stuff the chip, clog up the middle, no Mike Brown coming up to stuff. And there was this guy Peyton Manning that could read a D as well as anyone, calling audibles. It was there all day for the taking.
Imagine if someone told you after this game that you’d only see one more playoff win for the next 19 years. This franchise is an absolute joke. Fuck the mccaskeys. Absolute mediocrity, we’re irrelevant on the NFL landscape
Things will be changing this year. I promise you.
I saw Super Bowl XX. I don’t have to talk about why didn’t we win it. It was glorious to watch that whole season. I know many fans on here are too young to have seen it. To me it was not that long ago and simply having the memories of it all still makes the Bears feel successful to me. 40 years ago with a championship team apparently doesn’t feel the same as 19 years after losing the Super Bowl. I honestly don’t need them to win another. I saw the greatest and I am satisfied. But do I want more? Hell yeah I want a dynasty right now.
we couldn't stop Addai. and Rhodes. because the guy playing QB is one of best ever at preparing for and executing offensive plays
It was Manning against Grossman. We were never winning that game.
With Chico concentrating on stopping Peyton, their focus was elsewhere.
We needed a QB to manage the game. Our QB said he wasn't a game manager - he wanted to make big plays. If he had just managed the offense, the Bears would have won.
Sometimes when I think back on that game, I feel like we were lucky to have even got there. Offense wasn’t really that good, defense was banged up and I thought it was gonna have to b3 a high scoring game for us to have a chance
No Tommy Harris and no Mike Brown. 😔
When people talk about this game this should be the first thing mentioned for the Bears. I get next man up yadda yadda, but Tommie would be in the HOF if his knees weren’t 99 years old at 22 or however young he was.
Edit : were to weren’t
Star pass rush DTs are like star flame throwing pitchers in the MLB.
Enjoy it while it lasts, because it could just be a great 2 year showing.
Knees were fine until Colombo did that illegal leg whip and ripped Tommie's hammy off his leg on both ends....
yep, Ian Scott and Daniel Manning started in their places. It was also the wettest Super Bowl on record, receiving over an inch of rain during the game.
Which should have favored the team who is known for playing outdoors vs a dome team like the Colts, but it was Chicago looking like the rain affected them more…
Small hands Rex.
Loosing all pros and playing all joes in sub par conditions tends to do that. The defense got shredded because it lost it’s catalyst and it’s safety valve.
Tommie Harris was definitely the catalyst for that defense(as Hicks was for the 2018 one) and Brown was great but I still wouldnt say they got shredded.
They lost 29-17 but 7 of the points they gave up were from a pick 6 and the bears offense was completely inept with a bunch of short 3 and out drivers or turnovers to leave them on the field all game.
The first drive after the opening return was a Bears pick to give them the ball up 7-0 on the colts 41 yard line with a chance to take a huge early lead but the offense did nothing.
A tick shy of 200 yards rushing, they got shredded. The weather held the colts back, not the defense.
06 defense wasn't THAT great at rush defense. Their net yards/attempt was actually greater on D then it was on O. They were a much better pass defense.
#5 rush defense in the nfl, better than pass defense which was #11.
1 pass defense by yards/art, and #11 rush defense
I was going total yards on both. Anyway, neither part of the defense was bad, until they lost Harris and brown.
This right here. If we have both those guys, we probably run the super bowl and Manning has 4 picks
well, luckily i didn’t have to scroll far for the absolutely correct answer
I apparently have repressed many memories of this game. Brown and Harris were out or got injured during the game.