Super Bowl XLI Prep 1.25.07 [J. Mark English]

• Bad News for the Bears according to Tom Bevan: The outcome of the Superbowl has been simulated more than 10,000 times by a computer using various game conditions and the Bears lose to the Colts by an average of 3.5 points.
• David Haugh of the Chicago Tribune writes about what the Bears must do to stay on top, if they hope to become a dynasty: Staying on top could be harder than getting there for the Bears, as having seven different NFC champions in the last seven seasons illustrates. And perhaps no team is a better example than those '85 Bears, who failed to reach another Super Bowl even though they boasted the NFL's youngest roster as well as its most talented.
• Tony Dungy remarks that the passing of his son, James Dungy, was a test: "For me, I think it was really a test..I think God gives you tests to see if you're going to stay true to what you believe and stay faithful. For me, that's what it was, having to continue to believe. Sometimes when you have disappointments, it makes that final destination that much sweeter."
• Bob Kravitz of the Indy Star writes of 'cautionary tales' before a Super Bowl: It was the night before Super Bowl XXIII, less than 24 hours before Solomon Wilcots' Cincinnati Bengals were to meet the San Francisco 49ers in Miami. Wilcots and several teammates were heading down the elevator to a ballroom, where the team would be having its final meeting before the big game...."I forgot my playbook,'' Stanley Wilson, the team's bruising fullback, told his teammates as he exited on his floor. "I'll meet you guys downstairs.''....Wilson never came back....After battling addiction for years, he had fallen and fallen hard.
• Despite being arrested three times over the past month for charges related to such crimes as weapon charges, Chicago Bears defensive tackle Tank Johnson, will be allowed to play in the Super Bowl: Tank Johnson breathed a huge sigh of relief Tuesday when Cook County Judge John J. Moran agreed to allow the Bears defensive tackle to travel with the team to Miami for Super Bowl XLI.
  
• Okay, I'm sorry, but this Judge Moran (MORON) must be a die hard Bears fan...how else does this dude get to be allowed to leave the state of Illinois?
• The Chicago Bears website offers up a touching interview with Virginia McCaskey, the owner of the Bears. It was her father, George Halas, whom first owned the Bears, and is one of the founding fathers of the NFL. Here is a portion: (On winning the George Halas Trophy) I wish I could really answer your question and make some sense in answering but I'm still trying to understand what all of this means because it was just such a special time Sunday being on the sidelines when the game was still going on. You couldn't even see the field action. I was watching the video boards. Lots of hugs and happy moments. During a game! That was the strangest part for me because it's always, 'Wait until the last play is completed.' Here we were laughing and enjoying, the snow was coming down.
• Last year it was the Rooney family that once again had the chance to hold the Lombardi trophy. It warms your heart to see family owners, who have stuck with their teams through the nadirs and zeniths, to make it to the top of the mountain. I'm sad that Wellington Mara did not have one last opportunity to do so in 2001 when the Giants played the Ravens in Super Bowl XXXV.
• On the Colts website, team president, and former Buffalo Bills president, Bill Polian speaks about how this Super Bowl team of his compares with the Bills teams in the early 1990's: As far as this team compared to the Buffalo teams that we took to the Super Bowl, I think this is a much different era. You have free agency. That has changed everything. Offensively, this might be a bit better than our Buffalo teams, because you have Dallas Clark, who is arguably a Pro Bowl-caliber tight end. You have (Bryan) Fletch(er) and you have (Ben) Utecht. In Buffalo, we just had (Colts quality control coach) Pete Metzelaars really and Keith McKeller. Not to downgrade any of those players, but they weren’t the offensive threats that our guys are. I think with (Colts wide receivers) Reggie Wayne and Marvin Harrison we’re probably deeper at receiver than we were in Buffalo. Defensively, it’s a different story because of the salary cap. (Defensive end) Bruce Smith was a Hall of Famer in Buffalo and (linebacker) Cornelius Bennett was very close to it. (Linebacker) Shane Conlan, people of that nature, (defensive end) Phil Hansen . . . you can go on and on on defense. But you can never put together a full team like that in the present salary cap era. It’s really hard to judge the two, although you have obviously two great quarterbacks in Jim Kelly (of the Bills) and Peyton Manning (of the Colts). Hopefully, in two weeks, (the Bills will have) a Hall of Fame running back in Thurman Thomas and we (the Colts) had one in Edgerrin James and obviously, Joseph Addai is a great running back. But it’s hard to compare. It’s a different era.