Increase your Bears IQ

10 things to know before kickoff (or whenever your Super Bowl party begins!)

It may seem hard for diehard football fans to fathom, but there are plenty of Chicago area dwellers who have paid little or no attention to our beloved Bears until they earned a trip to Super Bowl XLI. But that doesn't mean these Jane- and Johnny-come-latelies won't be heading to Super Bowl parties Sunday. And no one wants to show up completely clueless about the Bears and the opposing Indianapolis Colts.

So we've compiled a cheat sheet about the competing players and coaches that'll let even the most casual observer sound like a gridiron guru.

Perennial Bears Pro Bowl center Olin Kreutz wasn't only a standout high school football player and senior team captain, but he also nabbed his native Hawaii's state heavyweight wrestling title.

Bears head coach Lovie Smith's and Colts quarterback Peyton Manning's acquaintance goes deeper than game film study. Smith was a defensive backs coach for the University of Tennessee Volunteers from 1993-94, during Manning's early days at the storied football school.

And they should be, as the Colts made it to the Super Bowl despite having the league-worst run defense during the regular season. But since the postseason return of the previously injured (and diminutive) defensive back Bob Sanders, they've kicked it up several notches.

We Bears fans always seem to be hazing Grossman, but the QB really was a "Sexy Rexy" during college at Florida. Among the accolades: 2001 Heisman Trophy runner-up, AP National Player of the Year and lowest career interception percentage in Gators history. No slouch during his days at Indiana's Bloomington South High School, either, he was named 1998 Indiana Player of the Year by USA Today and made the Parade All-America team.

Not all Bears players and coaches are Super Bowl virgins. As a Carolina Panther, star wide receiver Muhsin Muhammad made it to Super Bowl XXXVIII (but lost). Quarterbacks coach Wade Wilson was a member of Dallas' Super Bowl XXX-winning team, while head coach Lovie Smith, in his first season as defensive coordinator for the St. Louis Rams, helped his guys beat Tennessee in 2000 (but lost to the Pats in '02).

Two Bears players -- Pro Bowl kick returner/ cornerback Devin Hester and third-string linebacker Darrell McClover -- went to the University of Miami, where the Bears' Super Bowl practices are being held. On the Colts' side, Pro Bowl wideout Reggie Wayne is a Miami alum.

With a contract that expires after the Super Bowl, look for Bears Pro Bowl linebacker Lance Briggs to get majorly paid -- especially if his team wins. Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney's in a similar position should Indy pull off the big one. Among hot Bears coaches with expiring deals: defensive coordinator Ron Rivera (who has been interviewed for several head coaching vacancies) and special-teams coordinator Dave Toub. And of course head coach Lovie Smith's deal is up next year.

Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri -- whose foot has shattered the dreams of many a football team during his time in New England and now Indy -- has hit two last-minute, game-winning field goals in Super Bowls. And he's the only player in NFL history to kick successful field goals in three different world championships.

Both the Bears anlts used a running back tandem to rush into the Super Bowl. The Bears team Thomas Jones and Cedric Benson; the Colts employ Joseph Addai and Dominic Rhodes to get it done on the ground.

Bears defensive tackle Israel Idonije hails from Lagos, Nigeria. Pro Bowl special teams ace/linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo also spent some early childhood years in Lagos, while New York-born defensive end Adewale Ogunleye is a descendant of Nigerian royalty.