Okay, so it’s been a few days, but I’ve decided I want to chime in.

These are my thoughts on Super Bowl XLI:

• Chicago was the better team. For them not to win speaks volumes — not about the resolve of the Colts, but about the lack of character and leadership on the Bears.
• After the opening kick was returned for a touchdown, every kickoff the Colts made was a flopping squib kick to keep the ball out of Devin Hester’s hands, resulting in a lot of returns from the 35 by linemen and role-players. Why didn’t the Bears adjust to this strategy by loading up the area around the 35 yard line with running backs and receivers?
• All year long, Cedric Benson has been the Bears’ featured back while Thomas Jones has chewed up the yards and made defenses miss. How do you get to the Super Bowl and still be unaware of this? Benson had two short runs and a fumble before his injury gave Jones the opportunity. Result: huge gain on the next run, by Thomas Jones. The fact that his future in Chicago is unclear is atrocious.
• The Indianapolis defense was the worst in the league against the run this season, yet closed their gaps effectively throughout the entire postseason, basically taking away the run as a weapon for their opponents. I think the name of Anthony MacFarland should not be overlooked when credit for a Super Bowl win is discussed in Indy.
• By comparison, the Bears defense was categorically number one for most of the season, before they eventually melted down. By the time they got to the Super Bowl, they were missing tackles and dropping interceptions as if they were a totally different team. What happened?
• When you’ve got Brian Griese on your bench, how do you keep going back to Rex Grossman every week? Why hasn’t the NFL learned to stop drafting quarterbacks from football factory schools in Florida?
• I’m happy for Payton Manning and Tony Dungy, two gentlemen whose brilliant careers will finally be taken seriously now that they’ll be wearing rings. There’s a guy named Urlacher who understands that really well right now.