I usually start my work day by doing a little web surfing once I get to the office, just to see what I might have missed from the previous day in the sports world. It may be a shock to some, but I find there is usually more substance out there than the usual parade of dunks, touchdowns and home runs covered on the morning SportsCenter. 

I have a few favorite sites I check for general sports headlines, then peruse the box scores, check my fantasy teams (oh my gosh, who can I drop to pick up Delonte West?) and generally just float from site to site while I ease into "work mode."

As a fan of the NFL, I have an inherent interest in THE big game just days away, so I've been reading a bit about that too. During my recent internet meanderings, one thing has become abundantly clear; the Chicago Bears feel they aren't getting enough respect.

Living a scant 152 miles from Chicago places me somewhere on the outskirts of what some may refer to as "Bear-Country." Accordingly, I know quite a few Bear fans, and it seems they too, are hurt by their teams' lack of respect. They just can't wrap their feeble little minds (c'mon, they're Bear fans) around how this team can open as seven-point underdogs.

Now, we hear this "lack of respect" thing all the time in the sports world. During contract negotiations, players claim they are not getting the respect of their teams. With the most recent baseball Hall of Fame voting, the writers were disrespecting Bert Blyleven, Andre Dawson, Jim Rice, Goose Gossage, et al. We hear how coaches don't get respect, players aren't respected for their talents, fans bases are disrespected, and, of course, Rodney Dangerfield don't get no respect. 

The Bears, it seems, are no different. Some of the headlines I've seen during my morning surfing the last week are "Bears Get No Respect From Vegas Bookies," "Bears Barely Getting any NFC Respect," and "Chicago Bears… still no respect."

All I can think is; boo-hoo! To me, the lack of respect claim always seems absurd, regardless of who the discussion involves. In these instances, it usually appears that anyone without a direct stake in the debate, such as employees of the organization, fans, players, etc., feel the supposed dis-respected party is getting exactly the level of respect they deserve. I think that is the case here. 

Why exactly are the Chicago Bears feeling the contempt of the media and football fans around the country? It seems the Bears feel disrespected because they are not favored to beat the Indianapolis Colts in the Super Bowl, just like they were not favored to beat the New Orleans Saints or the Seattle Seahawks previously in the playoffs. As a 13-win team (one more than Indy's 12 victories), Chicago presumably feels they are being slighted by one and all.

The Bears have made it clear throughout the season that win-loss record is the organizations primary barometer in determining team strength. We've heard this repeatedly as Lovie Smith has cited the team's win total as proof of Rex Grossman's ability to lead. I mean, he's the quarterback of a team that won 13 regular season games and is in the Super Bowl, so he must be good, right?

Wrong. Common-sense would suggest overall team success is not a direct by product of an individual's performance, even if that individual is the quarterback. In reality, team success is a result of the cumulative efforts of the teams' different elements. A team can get poor quarterback play, but still record a win as a result of good performances from the running back position, the defensive unit or special teams. This has oftentimes been the case with the Bears.

I'm getting a little off track though. So why the lack of respect? The way I see it there are two main reasons.

Grossman has been inconsistent all season long, and even though a team's offensive performance does not rest solely on the shoulders of the quarterback, it does rest in his hands more than any other offensive player.

Again, let's take win-loss record out of the equation since that is more an indicator of team success and not necessarily a good indicator of overall offensive efficiency or a quarterbacks' individual performance. 

One oft-reported statistic that gets to the root of the issue takes a look at quarterback rating. Grossman is the only signal-caller in the NFL with seven or more games of a QB rating over 100. That is good. 

On the flipside, he is also the only QB in the NFL with a rating of below 40 in at least 5 games. That is bad. 

On Sunday which Rex Grossman shows up? He could be the one player whose performance most determines the outcome of Super Bowl XLI. So be warned Bears backers, if Grossman drops back and throws a bullet right to Cato June camped out in the flat, you may need to put those CPR skills to the test when uncle Tony chokes on his polish sausage.

Quarterback play is not the only reason the Bears have drawn the short stick in Super Bowl predictions. There is also that vaunted Bear defense, which weakened appreciably as season the progressed. 

It's almost been a tale of two seasons for the Bears defensive unit. Let's go back to week 11. The Bears had just shut out the New York Jets to complete a two week New York sweep by also beating the Giants in week 10. To that point Chicago opponents had scored an average of 12 points per game and no team had yet to eclipse 300 total yards of offense. 

Comparisons were being made to the great defenses of years past, like the 1976 Pittsburgh Steelers, the 1985 Bears and the 2000 Baltimore Ravens. The team was 9-1 and preparing to face the New England Patriots. 

The Bears fly into New England prepared for a battle and the contest, true to form, is a struggle. Nine total turnovers between the two teams is the story of the game, but Tom Brady keys on TE Ben Watson to the tune of six catches for 87 yards and one TD to pull out the 17-14 victory on the new turf at Gillette Stadium. 

From that point on through the NFC title game, the Bears fail to hold an opponent to under 300 yards of total offense. Over those last eight games Chicago opponents average over 21 points per contest.

Granted, they had clinched the division title by week 13 and were playing without injured studs Mike Brown and Tommie Harris, but they were facing the likes of Green Bay, Detroit and Tampa Bay. They weren't exactly facing offensive juggernauts by any stretch of the imagination.

So what it comes down to is that there is a very real chance that the bizarro-Rex throws up a Billy Kilmer like 14 of 28 for 104 yards, no touchdowns and three interceptions, while the defense that shows up is Version 02 instead of the unit that suited up for the first 10 games of the season.

Now that may be enough to doubt the Bears chances, but there is one more thing that appears to factor into the Bears lack of respect.

Chicago played in the weakest division, in the weaker of the two NFL conferences. For the 2006 season, AFC teams went 40-24 against NFC opponents. The Bears were no stranger to the domination of the AFC either. Prior to the season's final weekend loss to northern rivals Green Bay, their only losses had come against AFC opponents. The four NFC division champions went a combined 6-10 against the AFC.

Through 16 regular season games, the Bears played only four teams that would eventually make the playoffs. When looking at the Bears 13-3 record, victories over divisional opponents Detroit, Minnesota and Green Bay, as well as NFC brethren Tampa Bay, San Francisco and Arizona, carry little weight.

Am I saying the Bears have no chance of beating the Colts on the NFL's biggest stage? No, I'm not. I am saying that there is enough reason to suggest their underdog status is well deserved. 

So there you go Mr. Urlacher, Mr. Jones, Mr. Smith, Mr. Grossman and all you other Chicago Bear complainers. Think about that before you tell one more reporter you haven't been given the respect you deserve.

And, to my Bear-fan-friends; Enrique, Mark, Dave, Rob, Tony and the lot, I think it should now be abundantly clear – the only way this team earns the respect they really want is to walk onto the field at Dolphins Stadium on Sunday and take it over.

Besides, won't it truly feel better that way?