[peytonvols18]

Pretty much where the Colts are gonna be the next few years, huh?

Nahhhh, we paid Manning to "pretend" to have neck surgery so we could get that number one pick. It was staged the whole time. Peyton Manning is coming back to the Colts and we are going to the SuperBowl. Call it the Manning Bowl 2.

[joe callahan13]

I vote for the Bears also. I grew up near Chicago, lived there until I left for college. I had the same dilemma, I always liked and respected Favre, which was obviously blasphemous, given the region I was in. Then... he started with his retirement fiasco(s) and pic texting and all the other stuff, which helped straighten out my problem since I lost all the respect I had for him. :-(

You can't go wrong with the Bears history. It is one of the longest and richest histories of any NFL team, and quite interesting too. There is everything from Ditka to Payton to Brian Piccolo and Gale Sayers. Good stuff.

In closing, I will make one final 2 word argument that I feel will seal the deal. "SUPERBOWL SHUFFLE". Hahaha

---

Also, for anyone that has NOT seen the Walter Payton "A Football Life" on the NFL channel, I HIGHLY recommend it. It's amazing.

[ryancholden]

however being Norwegian does the name Jan Stenerud mean anything to you.

Nope. Great sweater on his wikipedia page though!

[ryancholden]

Let me throw another loop at this rope. I stated earlier that the Hawks really are Iowa's version of a professional sports franchise. Great fans, great history, great coach, great stadium. Both of my grandfathers, several of my uncles had season tickets. Maybe at the end of the day, I'm a college football and Iowa Hawkeye "fanatic". While I enjoy the NFL...the glitz, the coverage, the big games...maybe in the end I'm a Hawk fan who kicks back and watches the big matchups on Sunday?

I could always collect Hawkeye players in the NFL...Lord knows there is a bunch of them.

???

[estuaryman]

Problem solved!! The Hawkeyes are in your blood. It would be difficult to find that passion for a NFL franchise. The upcoming draft and the new season might have you leaning towards a certain team. Just enjoy some football!!

[ryancholden]

Problem solved!! The Hawkeyes are in your blood. It would be difficult to find that passion for a NFL franchise. The upcoming draft and the new season might have you leaning towards a certain team. Just enjoy some football!!

I think you are right!

---

Yet I still run into the same dilema: I'll always love the Hawks. But for the next 10 years, my Saturdays in the fall will never allow me to watch them! Last day of aruements. Make your closing statements and a decision will be reached.

[ryancholden]

In the end, they say that you don't choose a team, the team chooses you. A few thoughts bumble around my head that have lead me to this decision:

1) I am, and always will be a Petyon Manning fan. However, I wasn't all that happy when they won the Super Bowl in 2005.

2) I love so much about Green Bay. The tradition, the small market, the cheese, the fans. But I was rooting for the Steelers in 2011 Super Bowl.

3) I think football is made to be played outside, in the elements, rain snow or shine. Watching the Vikings play in the Dome is painful.

4) Two happy days that seem to stand out in my head concerning football over the last several years are the days that Jay Cutler (and Orlando Pace) came to Chicago. And when Peppers came to Chicago. I called my father in law giggling when I found out about Cutler. Too bad he hasn't won anything.

I was only 3 years old when the Bears won the Super Bowl, so I'm largely disconnected from those times. But I remember fondly my dad laughing at the Bears and how bad they were when I was a kid, even though Neil Anderson and Brad Muster on Tecmo Super Bowl are unstoppable so long they stayed healthy. I grew up not far from Chicago which is why their were so many Bears fans around. While that annoyed me (much like the Cubs), it's part of who I am. When I turn on a Bears game as a 29 year old after a long week and the kids running around like crazy, for evena few hours, I sort of feel like a 12 year old with not a worry in the world...other than wondering why "we" can't be more like the Packers (envy!). The Bears have history, winning, losing, dysfunctional at times, exciting at times....just like home.

Da Bears.