This Sunday at noon, you will hear the Bears' intense 27-24 overtime victory against the Seahawks in the NFC divisional round on Jan. 14, 2007. Ahead of each, I'll share some of my favorite memories and observations.
-- Riding a 12-year postseason drought, this day marked the great escape at Soldier Field as Robbie Gould nailed two of the biggest field goals in his (at the time) young career. It was only Gould’s 32nd NFL game, including the playoffs. He capped a 12-play drive with his first career playoff field goal with 4:28 left to play in regulation, a 41-yarder that tied the game at 24-24. He then won it with his 49-yarder in overtime.
-- The Chicago Tribune’s headline "Worth the Wait" said it all for Bears fans, who for the first time in 18 years would enjoy an NFC Championship appearance.
-- Those first two playoff field goals of Gould's started a streak of success that has now reached 15 consecutive made field-goal attempts over 10 playoff games, including two Super Bowls.
-- Few kicks in Bears history have meant more, and they were huge for Gould. "Those kicks really jump-started my career," Gould said Friday. "I think it was one of those kicks that solidified, 'OK, I can do this.' And it was my ‘ah ha’ moment in the National Football League."
-- Gould recognizes that he had great support from long snapper Patrick Mannelly, punter-holder Brad Maynard, special teams coordinator Dave Toub and assistant coach Kevin O’Dea.
-- Was it the biggest kick ever made? After a long pause, Gould replied, "Probably." He then went on. "I mean it’s so hard," he said. "I’ve had 16 game-winning field goals, and some are easier than others."
-- To me, it was the biggest of his career because of the magnitude of the moment in this rabid-football city and in one of more difficult stadiums in the league to kick in -- especially for a youngster who was on his third NFL team.
-- Gould told me he doesn’t evaluate the kicks based on the moments and claims he never did. "There’s no moment too big, there’s no pressure too big," he said. "I think that’s why there is a difference in young kickers who make it and guys who don’t."
-- It was exhilarating. I remember the empty feeling of Panthers receiver Steve Smith destroying the Bears in Carolina's playoff win at Soldier Field a year earlier. This win made it feel like truly the Bears were Super Bowl contenders.
-- Before I get into the details of how the Bears won, I remember how great Rashied Davis was in the game. He kept coming up with big catches, including the most important of his career to set up the game-winning field goal. I always admired Davis because he was a tryout, walk-on player and carved out a niche with his desire and toughness. "Here you are having Rashied Davis, an undrafted free agent, catching the ball down the seam," Gould said. "You’re talking about a team that really developed a relationship of everyone doing their job."
-- One of the great traits of linebacker Lance Briggs in the running game was his ability to get small and set a new line of scrimmage, and he did it repeatedly against the Seahawks. Briggs made it happen in the biggest of moments. He snagged Seahawks running back Shaun Alexander on third-and-1 and fourth-and-1 late in the fourth quarter on his way to 11 tackles.
-- The Bears defense came up with nine tackles for loss, but Alexander still carried 26 times for 108 yards and two touchdowns.
-- The Seahawks had won the NFC a year before, when Alexander won MVP and scored an NFL single-season record 28 total touchdowns. Their offensive line was outstanding. These 2006 Seahawks still had Alexander, All-Pro left tackle Walter Jones and two Pro Bowl linebackers in rookie Julian Peterson and veteran Lofa Tatupu. The Bears destroyed them 37-6 at Soldier Field in Week 4 of the regular season -- but Alexander didn't play in that game after cracking a bone in his foot a week prior.
-- After Seahawks receiver Nate Burleson caught a 16-yard touchdown to tie the game at 7-7 in the second quarter, Bears offensive coordinator Ron Turner called for the big strike a play later. From his own 32-yard line, Bears quarterback Rex Grossman hit streaking receiver Bernard Berrian on a deep-post pattern for a lead-changing 68-yard touchdown pass. It was the fifth 30-plus-yard touchdown they connected on in 2006.
-- Bears cornerback Charles Tillman and safety Chris Harris combined for 16 tackles. On the defensive line, Adewale Ogunleye, Tank Johnson and Alex Brown each sacked Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck.
-- Devin Hester muffed three punts in the game but fortunately didn't lose any of them. On the last of his muffs, which came in the fourth quarter, Hester recovered it and ran 66 yards for what initially seemed like the go-ahead touchdown with 10:33 left in the game, only to have it wiped out on Ricky Manning’s illegal block above the waist.
-- The Seahawks won the overtime toss, but their drive sputtered. Facing third-and-10 at his own 34, Grossman came up with one of the biggest throws of his career. He rifled a laser and hit Davis in stride in the seam for 30 yards to the Seahawks' 36. The next three plays moved the line of scrimmage to the Seahawks' 32, which set up Gould's game-winning field goal from 49 yards out.
-- Enjoy the broadcast, and Happy Easter everyone.