It's time to retire Supersized shadow of those other guys

MIAMI -- Though not as poetic as Carl Sandburg, Brian Urlacher has it right about Chicago's most influential social force the last 20 years. He recognizes that the 1985 Bears are almighty -- ''they run s--- in that town,'' as he puts it -- and, rather shockingly, also suggests members of that rollicking, iconic team would root against these Bears in Super Bowl XLI.

''That's all anybody ever wants to talk about, what happened in '85,'' Urlacher told Sports Illustrated in a story furiously making the rounds as kickoff nears. ''We want our own identity, and now we're in the process of getting it. Oh, they HATE this right now. They're putting food-poison in our room service.''

What he has done, with blasphemous bravado, is throw down a challenge against the most beloved and celebrated of Chicago teams. It's one thing for Urlacher, Rex Grossman and Lovie Smith to lash out against the evil media and use their trusty no-respect card as an emotional cause. It's quite another to say people are threatened about the '85ers being sacked as kings of the lakefront. ''I guess when you've lived on it for as long as they have, you have a different perspective on [enjoying someone else's success],'' Urlacher said. ''They kind of run s--- in that city, and they probably like it that way.''

So, is this a raid of the castle in America's most passionate football town, a city as united by the Bears as it is split by the Cubs and White Sox? Will Urlacher and his chippy teammates defy the forecasts of Vegas, most prognosticators and Sylvester Stallone -- even Rocky is picking against them -- and hee-haw at the world one last time? Is the new NFL commissioner, Roger Goodell, about to ''CROWN THEIR ASS!!!'' months after Denny Green mocked them? Will Coach Lovie, the anti-Ditka, lead the masses away from their fixation with Da Coach? Will evening rain muck up the field, minimizing Peyton Manning and helping Cedric Benson and Thomas Jones? ''We'll definitely take that. We practice in it most of the time,'' Smith said.

Or is Urlacher talking smack he's going to regret?

Not that our city is suffering like humble, two-team Indianapolis, which never has won a title in a major sport (who's counting the ABA?). But it's time for new, wonderful, roman-numeraled memories in the Windy. Sure, '85 residue remains thicker than Mike Ditka's cigar smoke, but only because the masses haven't been given a chance to enjoy another contender until now. And while the aura from that team never will die, some key figures are fading. Jim McMahon is barely visible these days, saying he hasn't watched a Super Bowl in 10 years. Richard Dent, who did start the hissing match by saying these Bears don't compare to the '85ers, is still waiting for a Hall of Fame call. William Perry keeps trying to make bucks off his ''Fridge'' character, which is sad. Mike Singletary is trying to beat the Bears as an opposing coach. Steve McMichael and Dan Hampton are somewhere on the radio, I think. Gary Fencik was offering himself for interviews down here. Buddy Ryan is retired on his horse farm. Emery Moorehead's kid plays for the Colts.

Folks are waiting to fall in love with this team, an underdog dissed because it resides in the downscale NFC. Understandably, because of Grossman's erratic performances and inevitable Chicago paranoia, they won't fully let loose until Lovie is hoisting the Vince Lombardi Trophy. I am picking the Colts, if for no other reason than they have a Hall of Famer quarterback and the Bears have a sometimes-quarterback. But it wouldn't surprise me if the city is celebrating its second major sports triumph in 16 months and eighth since the Jordan dynasty began. The thumb-the-nose, play-angry approach has worked well for the Bears, and all week, they've embraced destiny -- almost to the point of a victory guarantee.

''Absolutely,'' Lance Briggs said. ''You look at a game like Arizona, a game a lot of people said we should have lost, but we found a way to win. You win games where you have five, six turnovers, and you know that it's meant to be.''

The one player who shouldn't be yapping, Grossman, weighed in with his ill-advised opinion that media are ''ignorant.'' You hope for Rex's sake that ignorance doesn't backfire on him. Super Bowl lore is attached to particular scenes, and he doesn't want his ''moment'' to be a three-interception nightmare after calling out media. The latest analyst to doubt him, Fox's Michael Strahan, is the NFL's all-time sack leader. He is not ignorant. ''He looks nervous,'' said Strahan, predicting Rex will wilt.

Weak nerves are shredded on Super Bowl Sunday. Rex-watchers usually know in the first two possessions how he's going to play, and while he rallied in the second half against New Orleans, trying to mount a comeback against Manning isn't wise. Lovie and the players are commended for their loyalty to Grossman, but the patience ends today. Payback is due, but for evidence that a young, embattled QB can thrive in the ultimate deep-fryer, simply listen to the analyst on CBS' telecast. ''There was lots of negative talk when I was going to the Super Bowl,'' said Phil Simms, who outdueled hyped-up John Elway in Super Bowl XXI with a 22-for-25, three-touchdown, MVP showcase. ''But nothing, or even close to that, compares to what Rex is going through. Football has changed a lot in the last 20 years -- coverage of it, the expectations the media and fans have put on the quarterback now, and you have to live with that.''

Grossman's loved ones are doing their best to boost his ego. At a poolside party Friday night at a South Beach hotel, he was celebrated by about 50 family members and friends wearing No. 8 jerseys. A recut version of Justin Timberlake's ''Sexy Back'' -- ''Rexy Back'' -- played over the speakers. Yet to hear another famous poolside figure, Manning already has won the game. ''I think he's the best that's played already. I mean -- ever,'' said Joe Namath, he of the Super Bowl III guarantee.

Having Broadway Joe pick against you in the big game isn't cool, either. But the Bears have overcome worse this season. More importantly, they survived South Beach without off-the-field trouble, a reflection of their respect for Smith in a host city known for scandalous Super Bowl episodes and nighttime zaniness. I don't know which sight was weirder for me -- Vince Vaughn introducing himself to people with an alias or Kevin Federline walking past Alex Rodriguez without either noticing the other -- but the Bears weren't involved in the shenanigans.

It's time to win a championship, change a football culture in Chicago.

''I know what I'm going to say to the team. And I can't wait to say it,'' Smith said of his pregame speech. ''But I'm not going to tell you what I'm going to say.''

Why would he? All the world's the enemy.

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.)