Quarterback: (Adv – Colts)

Rex Grossman has upped his game since the postseason started. Then again, after having a zero-passer rating in three regular season games this year, it’s not hard to improve. Peyton Manning has an injured finger from the AFC championship game, but if I were a Colts fan, I’d be more worried that he will lose his voice by the time the Super Bowl arrives, considering how many commercials the guy has taped. The easy pick here is Manning. That guy’s pretty good ‘ if you like a 6-foot-5, 230-pound quarterback with a laser rocket arm.

Running Backs: (Adv – Bears)

The Colts have the only runner this year to gain 1,000 without starting a single game in rookie Joseph Addai and a big change-of-pace back in Dominic Rhodes. The Bears have arguably their best running back since Walter Payton in Thomas Jones, and a former first-round pick who’s shown glimpses of excellence in Cedric Benson. What makes me pick Chicago here is that opponents constantly put eight men in the box to force the Bears to throw, yet Jones and Benson produce while the Colts’ runners usually have only six to seven people defending the run thanks to Manning.

Wide Receivers: (Adv – Colts)

On paper, this matchup is a joke. Colts’ Marvin Harrison is a future Hall of Famer and Reggie Wayne is looking to follow in his footsteps. Both were 1,000-yard receivers and are heading to the Pro Bowl. On the other side, you have Muhsin Muhammad, Bernard Berrian, Mark Bradley and Rashied Davis, with only Muhammad considered a star. What makes paper so deceiving is that during this postseason the Colts’ WRs have been pedestrian, with neither Harrison nor Wayne going over 70 yards in any of the three games. Still, big-time players seem to step it up on the big stage, and that’s what the Colts duo should do.

Tight Ends: (Adv – Colts)

The most underrated position on both teams is the tight end. For the Bears, Desmond Clark has been Rex Grossman’s security blanket this season. Dallas Clark was the third option for the Colts during the regular season but has been money during this postseason, leading all receivers with 281 yards. In the battle of the Clarks, Desmond comes up short as Dallas reigns supreme.

Offensive Line: (Adv – Push)

When it comes to offensive lines, these are two of the best. Each has two Pro Bowlers. For Indy it’s center Jeff Saturday and tackle Tarik Glenn, and for Chicago it’s center Olin Kreutz and guard Ruben Brown, who are headed to Hawaii. The only thing I can think of that could distinguish the two lines is that the Colts’ O-line has scored one touchdown this postseason (Saturday).

Defensive Ends: (Adv – Push)

When it comes to sacks and pressures from defensive ends, you won’t find many better tandems than the Colts’ Dwight Freeney/Robert Mathis and the Bears’ Alex Brown/Adewale Ogunleye. Whether it is Freeney’s famous spin move or Ogunleye’s toughness, these athletes just get the job done. I call it a push, but if I had to pick a winner it would be the fans, because we don’t have to worry about getting hit by these guys.

Defensive Tackles: (Adv – Bears)

Two big reasons I should pick the Colts here: One, since Bears all-pro Tommie Harris has been injured, Chicago’s defense has struggled. And two, the Colts’ Anthony ‘Booger’ McFarland has been to the Super Bowl before, with Tampa Bay in 2002, and provides veteran experience as well as helping to shore up a previously porous run defense. So why do I pick the Bears? Well, if I didn’t, I’m afraid that DT Tank Johnson would shoot me.

Linebackers: (Adv – Bears)

These are polar opposites. For the Colts, Cato June was a Pro Bowler last year, but the same can’t be said this year for him or any of the other linebackers. This is the Bears’ strength. They have Pro Bowlers in Lance Briggs and reigning Defensive MVP Brian Urlacher. It’s time these two got mentioned in conversation with great Bears linebackers like Mike Singletary and Dick Butkus.

Cornerbacks: (Adv – Bears)

One of the most memorable moments of the postseason had to have come when Marlin Jackson intercepted Tom Brady in the final moments of the AFC championship game, sending the Colts to the Super Bowl. What’s this have to do with the position breakdown? It gives me something positive to say about the Colts’ cornerbacks, and it allows Jets fans to revel in Patriots fans misery one last time this season. As for the Bears, they have three corners that are capable of holding their own in Nathan Vasher, Charles Tillman and Ricky Manning, Jr. How these corners play against the Colts’ WRs is going to be one of the key matchups of Super Bowl XLI.

Safeties: (Adv – Colts)

If this article was ‘Jeopardy’ and the answer was Bob Sanders, the correct question would be, ‘Who is the Colts’ MVP so far in the playoffs?’ Sanders only played in four games in the regular season and the defense suffered. When he finally returned, Indianapolis was so confident in his tackling skills that they were able to devote more men to the run without concern, and it worked. On the flip side, Chicago lost safety Mike Brown to injured reserve and has never fully recovered in the secondary.

Special Teams: (Adv – Colts)

This was one of the hardest positions to pick a side for. On one hand, we have one of this season’s best kickers in the Bears’ Robbie Gould. Chicago also has the Pro Bowl skills of rookie kick/punt returner Devin Hester, who set an NFL-record six returns for TDs. On the other hand, Indianapolis has the most clutch kicker in NFL postseason history in Adam Vinatieri, whose right foot won two Super Bowls in New England. My head says to go with the Bears, but Vinatieri’s big game experience makes my gut say Colts.

Coaching: (Adv – Push)

Indianapolis’ Tony Dungy has playoff experience on his side, but I feel that the Bears would not be where they are if it were not for Lovie Smith. This will be a great matchup between two former Tampa Bay Buccaneer coaches and current friends.

Prediction: There’s too much going for the Colts. After years of A-Rod-like postseasons, both Peyton Manning and Tony Dungy finally expelled their demons in true storybook fashion by beating Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots in the AFC championship game, and the run defense has stepped up at the perfect time after being one of the worst of all time in the regular season. History even backs Indianapolis. The AFC has won seven of the last nine Super Bowls, including the last three. This is not to say that the Chicago Bears are a bad team; they are far from it. It’s just that the AFC has been dominant over the NFC this whole season, and I don’t expect that to change.