Bears not taking defending NFC champs for granted

LAKE FOREST, Ill. – A lopsided win over the Seattle Seahawks Oct. 1 at Soldier Field catapulted the Bears to the top of the NFC. But Chicago players insist that their 37-6 rout has absolutely no bearing on Sunday’s rematch in the divisional playoffs.
“We’re not thinking, ‘Oh, we shut them (down) last time and we’re going to run them over again,’” said cornerback Ricky Manning Jr. “We’re going into the game thinking it’s going to be a battle. This is a playoff atmosphere. These are the defending NFC champions. They’re going to come to play and we better be ready.”
Bernard Berrian beats cornerback Kelly Herndon for a 46-yard reception Oct. 1 in the Bears' 37-6 win over the Seahawks.The Bears (13-3) were in a similar situation a year ago when they defeated the visiting Panthers 13-3 in November but lost to Carolina 29-21 two months later in the divisional playoffs at Soldier Field.
Chicago’s defense produced eight sacks and two interceptions against Jake Delhomme in the regular-season meeting, but the Panthers quarterback rebounded to pass for 319 yards and 3 touchdowns in the rematch in the playoffs.
“You don’t want to have that same feeling,” said running back Thomas Jones, who rushed for 80 yards on 20 carries in last year's playoff loss. “It hurts to lose in the playoffs because you know you’re so close to making it to the Super Bowl, and that’s why you play.
"We’re not taking anyone lightly. We didn’t take Carolina lightly. They came out and played well early and got some momentum, and it was hard for us to come back. You have to play four quarters of good football, and that’s what we have to do to win the game.”
The Bears will see a different Seahawks team Sunday than the one they dominated on Sunday Night Football in October. Running back Shaun Alexander sat out the regular-season meeting in Chicago, the first of six games the 2005 NFL MVP missed with a broken foot.
“He’s a great back,” Manning said. “We know how much of a threat he is. We definitely have to make sure we have everything tightened up and guys are in their right gaps and everybody is flowing to the ball because he’s a strong, quick back and he can break tackles and make moves.”
“It’s definitely a different offense with him in there with his ability and what he does for that team,” said strong safety Todd Johnson. “We have our hands full with him in there now.”
Without Alexander in the regular-season meeting, the Seahawks employed a four-receiver set that they had utilized with success a week earlier in a 42-30 win over the New York Giants.
“We didn’t really run the ball at all, or even try,” Hasselbeck said. “We were in third-and-forever situations quite a bit. They were offensive on defense. We definitely felt that. They dictated to us how the game was going to be played, not the other way around. So we’ve got a lot of film to look at and a lot of things to work on to even give ourselves a chance.”
While Seattle has all but eliminated the four-receiver set, Seahawks players will see plenty of it Wednesday when coach Mike Holmgren shows his team a tape of the 37-6 loss in Chicago.
“I want to show them how bad we played,” Holmgren explained.
The tape will also show two Pro Bowl defenders, tackle Tommie Harris and strong safety Mike Brown, who have since been lost for the season with injuries. The Bears defense hasn’t been the same after losing the two playmakers, but the unit is confident that it will revert to form.
“We have to be able to,” said coach Lovie Smith. “It’s playoff time right now. We have to play that kind of football.”
The good news for the Bears is that a handful of players who missed games late in the regular-season due to injuries—most notably Johnson and cornerbacks Nathan Vasher and Charles Tillman—have returned to practice and are expected to play Sunday against the Seahawks.
“We’re getting a healthy group back,” Smith said. “We’ll put the best group we possibly could this time of year on the field Sunday, so we like our chances.”
The Bears, who have made the playoffs in back-to-back campaigns for the first time since 1990-91, feel that they’re better prepared for the post-season due to the experience they gained a year ago.
“I think the first time you go through it, you don’t know,” Smith said. “You have an idea of what it’s like, but you never really know until you have actually been in that situation.
“Everything we’ve been doing this year, we know. We went through it all last year, having a home game, playoff atmosphere and all that. I know it will change a little bit, but we do have an idea and for the most part we have the same football team. I just think we will handle all of that a lot better.”
The sense of urgency at Halas Hall is apparent, even to those who are making their maiden voyage into the NFL playoffs.
“Most definitely we are motivated,” said rookie Devin Hester. “You can tell by the looks on the vets’ faces that it’s a one-and-die situation. We know if we lose, we go home. We’re very hungry. We feel we have a great chance of going to the Super Bowl and winning, so that’s the way we are taking it.”