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INDIANAPOLIS -- The New York Giants' 21-17 victory over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI marked the second time Mark Anderson came up short in his quest for a championship ring. As a rookie in the 2006 regular season, Anderson was a key member of a Bears squad that lost Super Bowl XLI to Indianapolis in South Florida.

"I'm not really thinking about five years ago," Anderson said when asked to compare the pair of Super Bowl defeats. "I wanted to get the victory tonight. We were close, but not close enough. The Giants won so my hats off to them."

Anderson got off to fast start Sunday night. He recorded a sack against New York quarterback Eli Manning on the Giants' first offensive possession, and finished the game with a productive 1.5 sacks, 1 tackle for a loss and a pair of quarterback hits. But overall, the New England defense did not generate enough pressure, according to Anderson.

Manning was sacked just three times on 40 pass attempts, and was able to complete 5 of 6 passes for 76 yards on New York's game-winning drive at the end of the fourth quarter.

Compare that to Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, who was either sacked or under duress during half of his dropbacks in the fourth quarter, and hit five times on the games final drive, per ESPN Stats & Information.

"We let them sneak away with that win right there," Anderson said. "The defense didn't stop them at the end, so I'll take the blame for that. I felt like I could have gotten more pressure. That's what I do; I pressure the quarterback to help the team out. I wish I could have got to him more often.

"We went over this all week. It's the same offense that we played earlier in the system. It's the same personnel, the same team, we knew we had to stop the run. But we needed to get after Eli more. That's my main thing. I wish we could have rushed a little better."

ESPN Chicago's Jeff Dickerson profiles the journey of former Bears and current Patriots defensive end Mark Anderson.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Bill Belichick taught the Chicago Bears a valuable lesson.

When the New England Patriots cut a player still believed to be in his prime, watch out, because there was probably a good reason behind his release.

The Bears got burned last year when they picked up New England castoff Brandon Meriweather to the tune of a one-year deal worth $3.25 million. The safety turned out to be a disappointment in Chicago, starting just four games in what is expected to be his one and only season with the Bears. Even with all their problems on defense in 2011, the Patriots still felt they were better off without Meriweather, a former first-round pick with two consecutive Pro Bowl selections on his resume.

How did New England see what the Bears could not?

Patriots defensive backs coach Josh Boyer politely declined to comment directly on Meriweather during media availability for Super Bowl XLVI, but was willing to reveal exactly what New England requires at the safety position.

In other words, read between the lines.

"The first thing we look at is if a guy is physical, if he can tackle, can he makes tackles in-line in the box and can he make tackles in the open field," Boyer said. "Then we look for guys who have good ball skills, who can track and locate guys in the air. They need some sort of range where they can cover from the middle of the field to the sideline.

"I would say, much like baseball, the strength of your defense is probably up the middle. With our interior linemen making calls up front, to our linebackers making calls up to our linemen and also back to the secondary, and our safeties making calls to the corners and linebackers."

And here's the key: a safety cannot be responsible for busted coverages. That happened way too often for the Bears in 2011, and not just due to Meriweather. Major Wright had his share of memorable lapses in coverage, which in turn, cost the Bears dearly in several big games.

"The safeties have to make sure we are in the correct coverages," Boyer said. "Football intelligence is very important for that position. They must have a lot of flexibility to recognize offensive formations, to recognize route concepts on the snap, then be able to get themselves in a good position to play."

INDIANAPOLIS -- It all happened so fast for ex-Chicago Bears' defensive end Mark Anderson.

Anderson, selected in round No. 5 of the 2006 NFL draft, burst onto the scene as a rookie with a team-high 12 sacks, and was a valuable member of a defense that propelled the Bears to a berth in Super Bowl XLI.

Then it all began to unravel.

The Bears made Anderson a starter the following season. He lost his starting job then he lost his job period when the Bears released the pass-rusher in 2010. After a stint in Houston, Anderson found new life in New England, where he recorded 11 combined sacks for the AFC champion Patriots.

Surrounded by media at his own reserved section at Super Bowl XLVI media day Tuesday at Lucas Oil Stadium, Anderson admitted he took the initial trip to the Super Bowl for granted.

“Honestly it’s true," Anderson said. "After my first year in the league, I knew we would go back. I thought all you had to do was win a majority of the games in the regular season and then win out in the playoffs. We didn’t even make the playoffs my other four years with the Bears. This is my first year coming back to the playoffs, five years later."

Five years later, Anderson has re-made himself. A terrific situational pass-rusher early in career with the Bears, he now finds himself in playing in New England's hybrid 3-4 defense, as opposed to the 4-3 front used in Chicago.

The way Anderson sees it, the Patriots' defense affords him the opportunity to showcase his biggest football strength: athleticism.

"I really like the different packages and stuff, the freedom we have and different things I can do," Anderson said. "It's a fun defense. Once you understand what you need to do, you can really make a lot of plays and contribute a lot. I'm doing different packages at outside linebacker and defense end, so I just try to make the most of it at all times. If you're real athletic, you can rush out of the two-point or you can rush out of the three-point, you can do a lot of things. You can even drop back in coverage if you have to. It really can highlight your athleticism."

That Kansas City Chiefs director of college scouting Phil Emery secured a second interview for the Bears general manager job should hardly come as shock, given Emery's past employment with the Bears as an area scout from 1998-2004, not to mention his excellent reputation in the NFL scouting community.

As we've written before, Emery is considered an extremely hard worker who has been well received by his peers during his various stints with Chicago, Atlanta and Kansas City.

But fellow finalist Jason Licht, the New England Patriots’ director of pro personnel, also possesses certain traits that no doubt stood out during his first interview last Monday with Bears president and CEO Ted Phillips.

When Licht was in Philadelphia from 2003-07, first as the assistant director of player personnel then later vice president of player personnel, Eagles employees who were privy to Licht's personnel reports called them "concise" and "convicted". Licht was heavily involved with Tom Hecket (now the current general manager of the Cleveland Browns) and Ryan Grigson (now the general manager of the Indianapolis Colts) in the Eagles’ draft preparations, and was considered one of several rising stars in the organization.

However, for reasons not completely clear, Licht was let go by Philadelphia in 2008, in a move that eventually paved the way for Howie Roseman (the current Eagles general manager) to rise through the ranks. Eagles scouts were said to have been baffled by the decision to fire Licht, but understood Roseman, the vice president of football administration with a salary cap background before Licht was pushed out, had considerable pull with Eagles president Joe Banner.

But Licht landed on his feet and joined the Arizona Cardinals in 2008, the year Arizona went to the Super Bowl. He left Arizona after one season, a move that raises eyebrows for some, but for whatever reason the Cardinals did not make Licht sign a contract, so he was able to jump to New England the following year after interviewing with Bill Belichick at the 2009 NFL Combine.

Licht previously worked for the Patriots as a college scout, national scout and assistant director of player personnel from 1999-2002 before heading to Philadelphia.

Those who understand the power structure in New England are adamant that Licht is a valued member of the front office who is involved in New England's personnel decisions, to an extent. That's because it's widely known Belichick has final say in all matters, and on draft day, only wants a select few bodies in the war room to limit distractions. Besides, according to sources, Licht's input on the draft is given before the event actually begins, so his actual presence in the Patriots’ war room during the draft isn't required by Belichick, who again, makes all the calls in New England.

Emery is no doubt qualified and would be a comfortable choice for the Bears to make because of his past history and understanding of how the McCaskey family operates the franchise. Licht, however, has spent the majority of his NFL career working alongside some of the most talented personnel evaluators in the game.

Licht wouldn't be an easy choice. But he wouldn't be a bad one, either.

LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Chris Harris' sitting out Wednesday's practice with a bad hamstring could lead to increased playing time or possibly, depending on the severity of Harris' injury, a starting assignment Sunday for recently acquired safety Brandon Meriweather.

Meriweather rotated in at safety for a couple of series against Atlanta in Week 1 and finished with two total tackles.

"Just looking at what he able to do last week coming in with just a few days of practice, we were pleased with his first time out," Bears head coach Lovie Smith. "I'll just say he's been working overtime, final exams, all those ways of describing that what he's been doing to try get ready [and] more prepared for this week.'

"Of course the plan is try and continue to get him more reps this week. When you have a player like Chris Harris who misses today, he's able to get more reps in practice, and that's what it's about. Just practice reps and getting more and more comfortable in what we do. Hopefully we'll see more improvements this week."

Major Wright and Meriweather handled the first team reps at safety on Wednesday as Harris watched from the sidelines. The Bears moved Wright to strong safety and put Meriweather at free safety when the two were on the field together at the same time during the Falcons' game.

A two-time Pro Bowl selection for the New England Patriots, Meriweather made 40 starts over his first four years in the NFL.

LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- As the Chicago Bears prepare for the possibility of playing outdoors Monday night against the Minnesota Vikings, they may want to use a lesson learned the hard way Sunday against the New England Patriots.

Read the entire story.

ESPN Chicago's Jeff Dickerson talks about the Bears bad loss to the Patriots and how they are hoping to rebound next week.

LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Although the loss to the New England Patriots was ugly, the Chicago Bears' season is far from being over.

"Believe it or not, this week we can wrap this whole thing up, which, at the beginning of the season, as our ultimate goal," Bears tight end Greg Olsen said. "For as bad as things looked [Sunday], we’re fortunate that we’re in a position to achieve everything that we wanted.

"Once you make the playoffs, it’s a clean slate. We have our future in our hands here, going forward. We have a huge division game, national TV, Monday night, a chance to kind of redeem ourselves from [Sunday's] poor performance. We have everything in front of us, and we just have to take care of business."

The formula is simple: The Bears can clinch the NFC North if the Packers lose on the road to New England and the Bears beat Minnesota. Even if Green Bay somehow pulls off the upset of the Patriots, the Bears can still clinch the division tie-breaker over the Packers if they knock off the Vikings.

"Maybe a week from [Monday], we’ll be celebrate being NFC North champs," Olsen said. "We’ll see."

The NFL determines playoff tie-breakers in the following order:

1. Head-to-head
2. Division record
3. Record in common games
4. Conference record
5. Strength of victory
6. Strength of schedule
7. Best combined ranking among conference teams in points scored and points allowed
8. Best combined ranking among all teams in points scored and points allowed
9. Best net points in common games
10. Best net points in all games
11. Best net touchdowns in all games
12. Coin toss

Bears weather? Hardly.

In fact, the last three times the New England Patriots have played in the snow, they have dominated. Their 36-7 win over the Chicago Bears in Soldier Field on Sunday was just the latest example.

Brady Vs. Four Rushers

Tom Brady did not shy away from the challenge of throwing into a crowded Chicago secondary on Sunday. Entering Week 14, the Bears led the NFL in lowest passer rating allowed when bringing four or fewer on pass rushes this season. Against the Patriots, the Bears allowed their worst such passer rating in their last 18 games.

Brady Vs. Cutler

Tom Brady and Jay Cutler entered Week 14 ranked one and two in passer rating on passes 10 yards or shorter this season (min. 80 attempts). The two quarterbacks combined to throw 10 yards or shorter 76.9 percent of their attempts on Sunday, with drastically different results.

LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- The Chicago Bears' offense finished up their long meetings long before the defense, probably because there was fewer film to analyze.

In another staggering statistic to come out of the 36-7 blowout loss to the New England Patriots, the Bears' offense was on the field for only 42 snaps, compared to 78 for the Patriots.
The Patriots easily won the time of possession battle 39:41-20:19.

"It’s kind of hard, not getting a rhythm out there like we did and the turnovers hurt us again," Bears running back Chester Taylor said. "We just can’t make those type of mistakes again."

To make matters worse, the Bears fell behind by so much in the first half, it became impossible to establish any sort of offensive identity against the Patriots.

"That throws off our running game, and then we have to play catch-up and that’s what the Patriots are used to doing -- people playing catch-up with them," Taylor said. "That was our downfall."

Taylor scored on a 1-yard run in the third quarter, but barely touched the ball the rest of the day. Taylor missed practice earlier in the week with a sore knee, but said he "felt pretty good."

LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- People love to rip the Cover 2.

But circumstances forced the Chicago Bears to stray from their signature defense in the 36-7 loss to the New England Patriots, according to Bears coach Lovie Smith.

"That was a rare happening [Sunday]," Smith said. "There’s nothing wrong with our scheme. We played a little Cover 2 [Sunday]. Normally, that’s an easy person -- you know that Cover 2 person to jump on -- but [Sunday] we weren’t in an awful lot to be truthful. So we’re not going to use that. The scheme is good, we didn’t execute. The scheme has helped us get to 9-3, but [Sunday], again, we didn’t execute."

The Patriots' offense was on the field for 78 plays, and because of the lopsided score, the Bears were forced to play man coverage the majority of those snaps. It should be noted the Bears' defense was ranked No. 3 overall before facing the Patriots, a clear indication that when run properly with correct personnel, the Cover 2 can still be an effective scheme.

But when the MVP of the league is given ample time to sit in the pocket and survey the field, few, if any, teams will be able to slow down New England.

Not to be the bearer of bad news, but history doesn't lie.

No Lovie Smith-coached Chicago Bears team has ever made the playoffs with three home losses. Obviously, the Bears -- after Sunday's loss to the Patriots -- already have reached that number, having fallen to the Seattle Seahawks and Washington Redskins in back-to-back games in October.

But the Bears appear to be well on the way to bucking the trend. The club just needs to defeat the Vikings on Sunday, and a Green Bay loss at New England to clinch the NFC North.

"We can't count on other teams," Bears quarterback Jay Cutler said. "We have to take care of our business. We have to win games. We don't want to slide in the back door. We want to be playing our best football right now so we can make a serious run at this."

After the game Sunday at Minnesota -- the site of the game isn't yet decided -- the Bears host the New York Jets before completing the season on the road against the Green Bay Packers.

Under Smith, the Bears have lost three home games just three times (2004, '07 and '09).

In the wake of a 36-7 loss to the New England Patriots, Mike Ditka said the Chicago Bears need to remember one thing: they're still in first place.

"The Bears control their own destiny," Ditka said Monday on "Mike & Mike In The Morning" on ESPN Radio. "Nobody else. They don't have to worry about what this team does or that team does. They control their whole situation. Their deal right now is to get back on track next week against Minnesota and forget about this."

The Green Bay Packers remain a game behind the Bears in the NFC North standings after they lost to the Detroit Lions on Sunday. A Bears win over the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday and a Packers' loss to the Patriots wins the division -- and a playoff spot -- for Chicago.

"You learn from games like this," Ditka said. "You take it, you say we got beat. How did we get beat? We got beat because we played against the best quarterback in football, we played against the best coach in football, we played against a team that was really doing everything right."

Listen to the entire Ditka interview

Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler admitted Sunday there was pressure to compete with Tom Brady, one of the NFL's most prolific passers.

Brady bombed Chicago for 369 yards and two touchdowns to go with a passer rating of 113.4 in New England’s 36-7 win over the Bears. Cutler countered with a 32.9 passer rating and three turnovers.

“You want to try and keep pace with them,” Cutler said after the game. “It’s the only way to play with them. You know they’re going to move the ball. They put up points each and every game. They’re No. 1 in scoring. If you don’t convert third downs, if you have turnovers, you’re going to be in the hole. It’s tough to climb out of that.”

No doubt. The Bears converted 1 of 5 third downs in the first half, and the Patriots returned a fumble by Johnny Knox 35 yards for a touchdown in building a 33-0 first-half lead, which proved insurmountable.

“You want to score points as fast as possible,” Cutler said. “But there is no 33-point play out there. We came up short in a lot of areas.”