No snow from Urlacher -- but sunshine at last

Has Brian Urlacher ever been this happy? There he was, taking a second round of questions after the game, praising everyone from coach Lovie Smith to the fans to, I think, Staley Da Bear, unable to keep the smile off his face.

''The crowd was great, man,'' Urlacher said. ''Our fans were loud. It was awesome. I'm so excited for our team, our coach, our fans -- everybody.''

Wearing an ''NFC Champion'' T-shirt and cap that he might never take off, Urlacher was basking in the Bears' 39-14 victory over the New Orleans Saints. In the biggest game for the franchise since its previous Super Bowl appearance 21 years ago, the defense shut down the Saints' explosive offense.

''This overshadows everything,'' Urlacher said. ''This is why we play the game, to get to the Super Bowl. We want to win. That's our main goal.''

The record will show that the Bears middle linebacker had four tackles and a couple of batted-down passes and not much else. Nothing special there. Heck, he usually puts up those numbers by halftime.

But Urlacher wouldn't trade the win for anything. Not 20 tackles. Not 10 sacks. Not five interceptions. Not 20 tackles, 10 sacks and five interceptions. Not for another trip to the Pro Bowl. Not for any other individual award. Are you kidding? It's like Urlacher said about quarterback Rex Grossman after the game: ''I don't know what his career record is, I don't care what his stats are -- he's a winner.''

Defensive ends Adewale Ogunleye, Mark Anderson and Israel Idonije each had a sack. Cornerback Nate Vasher had a pick. Vasher and Ogunleye each recovered a fumble. Linebacker Lance Briggs pressured Saints quarterback Drew Brees into making his biggest mistake of the game -- the intentional grounding from the end zone, resulting in a safety for the Bears.

And Urlacher? He was just thrilled for all his guys.

''We have played the same all year long,'' he said. ''Our numbers haven't been there lately, but we've showed up [when it mattered]. We're going to the Super Bowl, and that's all that matters.''

It has been a long six years for Urlacher, who has been one of the game's best players almost since he entered the NFL in 2000. And now, finally, his team has caught up with him. Urlacher suffered through the 4-12 season of 2002, the 7-9 season of 2003, the 5-11 season of 2004. He still hasn't forgotten the lean years -- or last year's playoff loss, for that matter. Trust him, it's more fun when you're winning.

Urlacher is beginning to feel his place, and this team's place, in Bears history. He called Sunday's victory ''a great team win for our franchise,'' adding that the Bears have had ''some hard times and some tough years.'' Is he aware of the prominent role he has played in the turnaround? It's not something he likes to talk about. But others will.

''He's like a guiding light,'' Briggs said. ''He's the guy that guides us in the right direction. He's a priceless player, and a priceless man. I don't know where we'd be without him.''

When Brees heaved the ball out of the end zone on the play that resulted in the safety, it was Urlacher who ran over to the ref. For Urlacher, it was a no-brainer. ''I just wanted to make sure [the ref] knew the rule,'' he said. But his teammates appreciate that he always has their backs.

When Reggie Bush, the somersaulting, dancing young fool, pointed at Urlacher on his way into the end zone, many Bears defenders took it personally. What did Urlacher think about it?

''I think we're going to the Super Bowl,'' he said.

General manager Jerry Angelo didn't draft Urlacher, but he did lock him up to a nine-year deal after the 2002 season. Lovie Smith wasn't here when Urlacher arrived in 2000, but he couldn't wait to coach him. Defensive coordinator Ron Rivera inherited Urlacher, too. And Rivera doesn't want to think about where the Bears would be without him.

''A guy like Brian is your anchor,'' Rivera said. ''He's the guy you build around. That's one of the things Jerry Angelo and Lovie Smith recognized.''

Defensive end Alex Brown likens Urlacher to the character Maximus from the movie ''Gladiator.''

''He leads the charge,'' Brown said. ''He's a very strong-minded guy.''

What more is there to say?

''Year after year after year, he's the most dominant [defender] in the game,'' linebacker Hunter Hillenmeyer said. ''And it's not because of bone-crushing hits but because of what he brings to our defense. If they gave the Most Valuable Player [award] to the person who means the most to his team, it would have to be Brian.''

And the most beautiful part about his teammates' testimonials? None of them matter to Urlacher.

He truly only cares about winning.

''He was pretty happy last week,'' cornerback Peanut Tillman said. ''But he's even happier this week.''

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