This IS the Super Bowl

Hard to believe it hasn't come to this before in my lifetime. For that matter, it hasn't happened in my dad's lifetime, either. He has never been a big fan, but I can guarantee he'll be watching this one.

This year's Bears have already way surpassed my expectations by finishing the regular season at 11 and 5, then crushing the Cinderella Seattle playoff team after losing to them earlier in the season.

The losing streak at the beginning of the season had me thinking that the former loser head coaches were spent as coordinators as well. Urlacher is not getting younger, and the offensive line was a total mess. Somehow, after the bye week, everything fell into place.

The special teams unit has been consistently excellent for years, but that's not enough to win championships. It can get you over in a few games, though, and it did this year.

Defense has been the anchor of this 2010 Bears team. Solidifying safety was the number one issue. Having so much depth at LB with Brian Urlacher at the helm again makes that one of the best LB squads in the league. Picking up Julius Peppers has changed how teams plan for the Bears, and the acquisition of Tim Jennings came in under the radar, but I'd debate whether or not that's the second best pickup of the off season. We have DBs to cover any group of wide receivers now.

The offense went under a major transformation. Mike Tice is coordinator of the year, in my estimation, for taking a line with only 2 better-than-average players and making them solidify. Cutler took a few steps this year, too. Instead of throwing the ball when the read is not there, he just takes the sack. Sucks for him, but that shows that he's a team guy and is learning. Still tons of upside, and so far he's 1-0 in the post season.

The Packers are where I'd expect the Bears to be next year. They had a terrible year for injuries and their record shows it. Despite all of that, they got in to the playoffs by beating the Bears, although I don't think there was any urgency on the part of the Bears. This game should be a real monster.

The Packers still have a few key injuries, but both teams seem to be peaking at the same time. The Bears have home field advantage, and including a terrible turf surface, we also have a loud, disruptive crowd. Can't wait for kickoff.

I got an e-mail from a friend this morning; his prediction - Bears 100, Packers -7.

Bears.