Defense proves experts wrong

Bears look like old selves in getting best of Brees & Co.

Difficult as it was to stop the New Orleans Saints, the bigger battle for Alex Brown was holding off fellow defensive end Adewale Ogunleye from giving coach Lovie Smith the prerequisite Gatorade bath as a way to celebrate victory in the NFC Championship Game. With nine minutes remaining, Ogunleye got it in his head that Smith needed a good drenching, but somehow Brown stalled him until only two minutes remained.

It was 28 degrees at kickoff, 13 with the windchill at frigid Soldier Field. If Ogunleye had had his way, Smith wouldn't just have been the first African-American coach to lead his team to the Super Bowl -- he might have been the first with pneumonia.

Smith does one TV commercial that anybody can remember, and it's the one where he pulls out a universal remote of some kind and freezes the action as the Gatorade is in the air. The coach moves a surprisingly good-natured referee into his place, and everyone has a laugh. The referees remained comparatively dry Sunday, but there was plenty of laughter and celebration from the team that ended 21 years of futility by sealing its second-ever trip to the Super Bowl.

The 39-14 victory over the Saints came with double value for the Bears, who not only won the NFC, but also reacted with a sort of moral glee after proving their doubters wrong. Portrayed as a plucky underdog more than a dominant team, the Bears were fueled by the disbelief in their season and the apparently universal agreement that they couldn't beat the Saints -- despite the fact dome teams had gone 0-9 when playing in a conference title game outdoors since the 1970 merger.

Ogunleye held up a copy of the ESPN.com Web page in which eight experts all picked the Saints to win.

''This kind of stuff motivated us,'' Ogunleye said. ''And the reason why is the Saints' offense -- they have all these guys. That kind of [ticked] us off a little bit. We're the No. 1 defense in the league, and we get no credit.''

The Bears actually finished fifth in the league in total defense in the regular season after stumbling down the stretch, but they were No. 1 in the NFC. Still, the idea that some instant offense could be created in a single year to overcome a defense built to last -- one that returned all 11 starters from a year ago, even if two were hurt -- seemed to focus that unit into a frenzy of big-time play-making.

Quarterback Drew Brees was sacked on third down to end the Saints' first two drives, and then the big plays really began. Rookie wide receiver Marques Colston fumbled after Chris Harris slapped at the ball as Colston went against the grain following a short crossing route. It was the first of four takeaways for the Bears against zero giveaways. Ogunleye and Lance Briggs forced Brees into a safety (intentional grounding in the end zone), and the Bears sacked him three times.

But the Bears settled for field goals early, and as often is the case, they let their opponent stay in the game. The passing game faltered badly in the first half, and proven as the combination of running the ball and playing defense has been over the years, quick strikes on offense can quickly level the playing field.

That's what happened when the Saints got a quick touchdown drive to end the half and added an 88-yard touchdown by Reggie Bush on their first possession of the second half. Bush turned and pointed at a pursuing Brian Urlacher as he pulled away and did a somersault into the end zone. Ogunleye was one of the first to meet him in the end zone.

''I told him it was unprofessional of him to do that,'' Ogunleye said. ''He's a rookie and he's a hell of a player; he's going to be a hell of a player in this league. For him to look back and point -- he had no class. I swear I was a second away from punching him. I'm glad I didn't.''

Said defensive coordinator Ron Rivera: ''Our guys took it a little bit personal because of the way he celebrated. They were still down, but yet he was a little flamboyant.''

If the game ultimately came down to a big-play offense against a big-play defense, it was the turnover battle that sealed the victory. The Bears managed to beat Seattle last week despite losing the turnover battle 2-1. But their top priority on defense is to get the ball, with a stated goal of producing three takeaways a game.

They have an 18-3 record under Smith when winning that battle in the regular season, compared with 4-10 when they lose it and 7-7 when it's even. The Bears produced 44 take-aways in the regular season -- the most in the league -- while the Saints' had just 19, making them the only team under 20 other than Washington (a league-low 12).

When the defense started producing the big plays, it was only a question of time before Smith got a victory bath.<