Saints vs. Bears, NFC Championship Game: 3rd Quarter

- The Bears will have the ball to start the second half... Grossman drops back on first down, and picks up 17 yards to Berrian. Nice job by Berrian to go up and get it, and maybe the Bears will unshackle and let Rex be Rex from here on out. I don't know if it would be good for the Bears or not, but it would be more fun.

- And that... is what makes Reggie Bush Reggie Bush. Colston sets a little screen with a slant route, Reggie runs a little wheel route down the sideline, just outruns the coverage and has the ball lofted right onto his chest by Drew Brees... the rest is Reggie Magic. 88 yards, and it feels like the Saints, even though they're still trailing, have this game by the balls right now.

- Three and out for the Bears, and it looks like Grossman is making every throw off his back foot, and they're all sailing on him.

- Great job by Brees on a 3rd and 5 to step up in the pocket and find Mike Karney, who has small hands and smells like cabbage.

- 3rd and 10 for the Saints at the Bears 29... lots of hands on hips on the Bears side of the ball. It's incomplete to the far sideline, and here comes... Billy Cundiff to attempt to the field goal. It's out of John Carney's range. Billy Cundiff's, too, apparently. The Bears remain in the lead, and get the ball back here in pretty good field position.

- Fox is panning the stands for a crowd shot at a pretty innocuous time of the game... nothing at all going on, and yet, a pissed off Bears fan in an Urlacher jersey steps up and gives the camera the finger. In fairness to him, I don't think he realized it was the special DLP cam, nor did he realize that it was "the mirrors." I think he was mad because he was wearing orange pants and a red-and-blue jacket.

- After an excellent punt, Drew Brees is first to throw the ball away twice... and on the second one, he gets called for intentional grounding, and when you do that in the endzone, it's a safety. And that's the right call, there was no one near the area... terrible mistake by Drew Brees.

- I don't want to make Brees' day even worse, but that big stain on his left shoulder... it might be mud, but it could also be that birthmark thing on his face spreading. He might want to have a dermatologist take a look at it.

- The Bears give it right back on a three-and-out, and I think it was smart to do that quickly... that way, they get their defense back on the field and they have a chance to score.

- After a Saints punt, it's Rex Grossman's time to get back under center at his own 15. Deep out route by Berrian, and Grossman hits him for a first down.

- Grossman again, this time to Muhammad on a short post, and again, the ball was on the money. That'll going to bring us to the end of the third quarter. Should be an exciting finish. And in case you didn't know what quarter was coming up, Brian Urlacher is holding up four fingers.