Idonije: 'We're Playing For Something Bigger'
As the final seconds ticked off the clock and the Chicago Bears moved onto the NFC Championship game, all of Chicago was sent into a frenzy as the Bears were now a week away from playing their archrival, with a shot at the Super Bowl on the line.
While the fans started gearing up for the biggest game they would see since the 2006 Super Bowl, the players remained focused and returned to their business as usual mentality.
"You know what you're playing for," Bears' defensive lineman, Israel Idonije said on the Mully and Hanley Show. "We weren't just playing to make it to this game, you know, we're playing for something bigger."
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That something bigger is the Lombardi Trophy, awarded to the NFL Champion and winner of the Super Bowl. The Bears have been to this point before, they know what it will take to make it to Dallas.
"Business has to be as usual," Idonije said. "You can't change up what you've been doing now that you're here. You have to continue to prepare even more so."
But with so much on the line it can be difficult not to let your mind wander to the possibility of what a win would bring to this franchise and city. In the 90 years that these teams have been playing each other, no win would mean more than one on Sunday.
"We have to focus," Idonije said. "You have to turn it up. All the things that you've been doing to get to this point, you've got to turn it up a few notches. And the only way to do that is to remain focused and not change what you've been doing. I think that's where were at, we're just focused on getting our job done and being the best we can be for Sunday."
And if the Bears are able to do that, to play at their best, then they'll probably be playing the AFC's best down in Dallas.
