Lovie Smith loves to talk about the weather being a factor, and he's right, not because it makes the Bears better, only because it makes opponents worse.
This is what you do when you can't make your team better as a coach. You pray for acts of God that make other teams worse.
In this case, Smith has a case. As mind-numbing as it is to hear about "Bear weather" since the 49ers came in here 20 years ago for a freezing playoff game and proceeded to pants Ditka's Bears in what ended this town's Super Bowl window, Smith has numbers that make his opponent worse.
The Saints have outgained the Bears the last two times they came here, but New Orleans turned over the ball seven times and Saints QBs were sacked six times. Even better for making Smith's opponent worse because he can't make his team better: Drew Brees' career passer efficiency rating at Soldier Field is 72.7, more than 16 points below his career mark of 89.1.
At this point in our program, I would normally point out that Brees went to the same Midwestern snow bank of a college in West Lafayette, Ind., that Bears quarterback Kyle Orton did, but stops in San Diego and New Orleans obviously thinned Brees' blood, as well as his completion percentage.
Another thing about this weather talk: It doesn't matter whether fans or media believe it, only that Smith brainwashes his players into believing it. .
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