Da bears are back, baby

By Rachel Luberda

It's not time for the Bears' Super Bowl Shuffle—well, at least not yet. Though the past few years have seen Chicago's team in the NFC cellar, the Bears (6-1) now boast a six-game winning streak and sit atop the NFC Central Division. With its best seven-game start since 1990, the Bears have ridden a wave of unexpected success and have gained the admiration of previously hopeless Chicagoans.

Sunday's last-second heroics at Soldier Field only accelerated this newfound Bear mania in the Windy City. Trailing the Cleveland Browns by 14 points in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter, da Bears seemed on the edge of defeat. Though he had experienced an incredible resurgence in the first few games of 2001, quarterback Shane Matthews had struggled throughout the day against the upstart Browns. The Bears offensive line failed to protect Matthews, allowing five sacks. When the former University of Florida quarterback found time to throw, the results were not much better, as three of Matthews' passes were intercepted and eight were deflected. To the astonishment of Browns players, Matthews and the Bears offense experienced a sudden change of fortunes, beginning at their own 20-yard line with 1:52 left on the clock.

GENE SMILANSKY/YH

With 28 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, Matthews capped an 80-yard drive with a nine-yard touchdown pass to Marty Booker. After recovering an onside kick on the ensuing play, Chicago again marched to the endzone. As the clock ticked down from eight seconds, Matthews hurled a Hail Mary pass that miraculously fell into the diving arms of Bears' running back James Allen, forcing overtime. In the extra period, safety Mike Brown snagged a deflected pass and sprinted to the end zone for an unexplainable Bears victory.

For many spectators, the 27-21 comeback win encapsulated the Bears' destiny-driven season. As amazing as their comeback against the Browns was, it merely imitated a brilliant turnaround against the San Francisco 49ers the weekend before. Trailing the 49ers by 15 points with less than five minutes left in regulation, Chicago's offense suddenly ignited as Matthews and company tied the score in the game's waning seconds. And while an interception return for a touchdown is rare in its own right, the same Bears player returned overtime picks for game-winning touchdowns in consecutive games. Against both the Browns and the 49ers, tackle Mike Brown reaped the benefits of gutsy offensive comebacks by shuffling his massive frame—and the intercepted ball—into the endzone in overtime.

With the sudden and unannounced success of the previously "Bad News Bears," what's transformed this team? Half of the Bears' wins have been thrilling come-from-behind surprises; during week two, they rallied from 10 points down against the Minnesota Vikings. Yet such good favor cannot always be expected to fall upon Chicago. Can a team that wins with its scrappiness and desire compete week in and week out with the Packers, Vikings, and Bucaneers—three division foes that possess far greater talent? Will the luck run out for the Cardiac Bears, or do they have what it takes to crack the playoffs, a promised land they haven't seen in several years?

Next on the Bears' schedule is a crucial NFC showdown against the Green Bay Packers (5-2), a game that can either validate the Bears' early season success or provide fodder for their critics. Clearly the Bears are not wholly comfortable with the manner in which they have won over the past few weeks; coach Dick Jauron's, PC '73, decision to start Jim Miller this Sunday as quarterback reveals just how truly concerned he is with creating and keeping leads during games. While Matthews' skirmish style has provided spectators with consecutive wins, Jauron seeks a formula that will produce consistent wins without the need to scramble at the game's end.

Hopefully, the Bears can maintain their early-season success and return a winning tradition to the fans of Chicago. But regardless of whether they win or lose, fans and teams alike have learned one thing these past few weeks: no Bears game is over until the clock strikes 0:00.

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