Voice of the People

Over at the World Wide Leader In Pay for Web Access to Useless Sports Commentary, they are running a poll on this week's Bear-Panther tilt. At the time I voted, I was in agreement with the majority on all but question 11.

1) Which team will win Sunday's game in Chicago?

62.3% Chicago Bears
37.7% Carolina Panthers

2) How many points do you think it will take to win this game?

57.1% 15-20
17.3% 10-14
16.2% More than 20
9.3% Fewer than 10

3) Which team will get the best of it when Chicago has the ball?

65.9% Carolina defense
34.1% Chicago offense

4) Which team will get the best of it when Carolina has the ball?

80.2% Chicago defense
19.8% Carolina offense

5) Which quarterback would you rather have?

75.6% Jake Delhomme
24.4% Rex Grossman

6) Which running back would you rather have carrying the ball 25 times?

57.8% Thomas Jones
42.2% DeShaun Foster

7) Which star would you rather have anchoring your defense?

75.5% Brian Urlacher
24.5% Julius Peppers

8) Which secondary makes like tougher for opposing quarterbacks?

73.3% Chicago: Nathan Vasher, Charles Tillman, Mike Brown, Chris Harris
26.7% Carolina: Ken Lucas, Chris Gamble, Marlon McCree, Mike Minter

9) How much better is Chicago's offense with Rex Grossman at QB than it was with Kyle Orton at QB?

54.0% Significantly better
36.4% Slightly better
9.6% No real difference

10) Which coach would you rather have preparing your team for a playoff game?

52.8% Lovie Smith
47.2% John Fox

11) On a scale of one to five, with five being the toughest, how tough a place to play is Chicago?

43.7% Four
34.7% Five
17.5% Three
2.6% Two
1.5% One

Total Votes: 40,217

Until proven differently, Soldier Field is a very weak home field advantage for the Bears. Since 1985, they've won two home playoff games and lost four. Bear Weather has shown itself to be a myth of Loch Nessian proportions. The new stadium seats fewer fans than the old configuration. I'd have to think (I have not been to the flying saucer yet) the noise factor is lower than at the old place.

Why would anyone think that Chicago is a tough place to play?