Resolve to finish a good start for Bears

MIAMI -- Though a hot, devilish moon is known to loom over this city, we safely can assume it won't belong to a Chicago Bear. Such was the ongoing concern the last time the boys were in a Super Bowl, specifically the acupunctured hind end of Jim McMahon, who flashed helicopters when he wasn't questioning the sexual mores of New Orleans women. But that was, um, a different team, a different coach and a different mind-set.

It's pointless to compare these underdog-embracing, bipolar Bears to the partying, pummeling legends of '85, not only on the field but in potential distraction terms. Just as Richard Dent is kicking off the week with robust comments that this team is a mere sod clump in the cleats of that team -- ''There's no comparison there,'' he said, while grumbling that Brian Urlacher is used improperly -- the party quotient surrounding a Lovie Smith operation may ring truer to a Florida octogenarian pace than the Bourbon Street madness of 21 Januarys ago. Smith has set a midnight curfew starting tonight at the isolated, suburban-like Airport Hilton, which is about 10 miles and a traffic-clogged causeway from South Beach, and even if the Ice Bar launches a Miami branch, my guess is Tank Johnson will obey the edict like all his teammates.

''It won't be a problem for us. We have real men who know what's at stake,'' said Smith, dressed in a blue blazer and orange tie Sunday evening as he met the arriving media in a hotel ballroom. ''They know that if one guy takes a wrong turn, we'll all hear about it. We'll police ourselves, but at the same time, we won't run a boot camp where they have to be in their rooms at 8 o'clock.''

We'll pause for sharp commentary about the Tankster being a real man with his assault weapons and rounds of ammo. That said, the players respect Lovie too much -- and embrace the mission too heartily -- to end up on a police blotter. I say that while knowing Miami is as hedonistic as Detroit was arctic, with this Super Bowl week offering more opportunities than any other for sin, scandal and a player being photographed with a thong around his head. If a social stiff like me can receive party invites, imagine the options for a participating player in a town that doesn't start loosening up until 1 a.m. Also note a certain embattled quarterback has a history on South Beach, recalling a 2002 Orange Bowl in which Rex Grossman blew curfew and was banished to the bench for nearly the entire first half by Florida coach Steve Spurrier.

But Rex is a married homebody now, only interested in mooning media who keep dogging him as one of the worst of all Super Bowl quarterbacks. And Terry the Tank, one would hope, is being monitored by every security guard, spy and sophisticated piece of surveillance equipment available. Other than wayward Cedric Benson, always capable of forgetting what time it is, and the off chance Ricky Manning Jr. might morph into the Incredible Hulk upon seeing a Denny's, I have faith the Bears will behave. The all-business tone has been established by Smith and, just as importantly, by Urlacher, an avid nighttime crawler who now sounds like a bible salesman.

''There's gonna be some distractions, I realize that. But we have some good veterans who know the deal,'' said Urlacher, whose lead is followed. ''If you're in your room on time, follow curfew and follow the schedule, we'll be fine. We're here to work.''

''Everything gets started after midnight anyway,'' said Devin Hester, who would know as a local native and former Miami Hurricane. ''So it's good we're staying in.''

Not long after Smith spoke, Thomas Jones and Adewale Ogunleye, both with Miami roots, were due to co-host a Soul Kitchen party on South Beach. But in the total scope of what could go wrong at a South Florida Super Bowl, such a bash doesn't rate on a scale in which ''10'' is Stanley Wilson snorting cocaine the morning of the game and ''9'' is God-fearing family guy Eugene Robinson, honored by the Fellowship of Christian Athletes that morning, arrested on Biscayne Boulevard for soliciting an undercover cop for oral sex on game's eve. I could be foolishly mistaken, but I think the Bears are too driven to prioritize any party over the grand purpose.

''I'm happy ordering room service every night,'' Muhsin Muhammad said. ''Bring on the game.''

''We're here to win,'' Olin Kreutz said. ''We'll have time to party after the game.''

So the Bears are here, amazingly enough, carrying the immense pride of a city with a fresh sports identity. For all the moping we've done about the heartbreak and futility of Chicago sports, an NFC title officially has stamped a new awakening. Only 15 months after the White Sox became the first local baseball team to win the World Series since dinosaurs roamed the earth, the Bears are in the big game. Stretch the timeframe to 15 years, and we can add the six championships of the Bulls, who might be in position to reach another NBA Finals if they deal for low-post scorer Pau Gasol or, less likely, Kevin Garnett. The Bears are bidding for the city's eighth major title since the early '90s, a run surpassed only by metro New York, which has more franchises and has to include three Stanley Cups by the New Jersey Devils for its nine titles since 1991. True, Gotham didn't have Jordan. But seriously now, who counts hockey in pre-eminence discussions?

Everywhere you looked in the team hotel, a posted sign dominated the mood: ''FINISH.'' It has been Lovie's mantra since the dog days of Bourbonnais, and much as his players have been doubted, they are in position to finish what they started. No, they aren't the '85 Bears, as Dent told the New York Post. ''They're maybe the best ever,'' Smith offered with typical class. ''But if we win, we will be a champion that will be talked about. That will validate everything we need.''

When the big airliner landed, Smith was among the first to walk down the stairs. He moved quickly to one of the waiting buses so he could see his players react. ''I saw their big smiles,'' he said. ''They couldn't wait to rush off that plane, couldn't wait to get to practice tomorrow.''

The Maxim party, Playboy party, Penthouse party, Shaquille O'Neal party, Dwyane Wade party, two P. Diddy parties and Carmen Electra Leather & Lace Party -- leave those to the amateurs. The Bears have a bigger bash in mind.

Jay Mariotti is a regular on ''Around the Horn'' at 4 p.m. on ESPN. Send e-mail to inbox@suntimes.com with name, hometown and daytime phone number (letters run Sunday).