Imrem: These aren't your dad's Bears, Packers

It was easy to imagine George Halas and Vince Lombardi sitting at that big gin rummy table in the sky Sunday afternoon.

Each kept one eye on their cards and the other on the heavenly big-screen TV transmitting the Packers-Bears game from Soldier Field.

Cable knows no limits, you know?

Neither of the two legendary former football coaches could believe what they were seeing. They tuned in to the Packers and Bears, but a Showtime Lakers vs. Jordan Bulls score-fest broke out.

"What the heck is going on down there," Lombardi finally said in his inimitable tone.

That was about when Green Bay was taking a 21-17 halftime lead on the way to a 38-17 victory.

The game was as much in the tradition of Bears-Packers as Lindsay Lohan is in the tradition of Audrey Hepburn.

"Remember our first game against each other?" Lombardi said.

He arrived at Green Bay in 1959 and his first regular-season game as Packers coach was a 9-6 victory over the Bears.

"I can't believe we lost that one," Halas groaned.

Lombardi chuckled, "I can't believe we let you score 6 points."

Every yard was precious when Halas and Lombardi squared off from '59 through '67. The game plan was to play stingy defense and on offense run the ball to set up, well, more runs.

In 1962, Green Bay allowed the Bears 7 points in two games. In '63, the Bears allowed the Packers 10 points in two games.

Sunday the teams combined for 38 points in the first half alone. The 2010s are pretty pastels, while the 1960s were black and blue.

Defense - whether it be strategy or ferocity - was only a rumor in this latest edition until the Bears managed to stop themselves in the second half.

The NFL is more entertaining now, especially if scoring is your thing. Three yards and a cloud of dust has been succeeded by 30-yard pass completions and 15 more yards after missed tackles.

The Bears did run the ball in an attempt to keep it away from Green Bay's offense. They finished with 235 rushing yards, but the Packers' passing game scored faster and more often.

"Do you believe neither team forced a punt in this game?" Lombardi said.

Back when he and Halas coached against each other, some coaches believed the punt was the most exciting play in football, just ahead of the 2-yard-plunge on third-and-long.

"No punts and no punches, either," Halas said, perhaps remembering back to when the Bears beat you up even if they didn't beat you.

Sunday, a couple of Bears fans wore shredders on their heads to declare what their offense would do to the Green Bay defense.

Shred them the Bears did, too, gaining 496 total yards and controlling the ball for 36:22 to the Pack's 23:38. But the Bears' still aren't equipped to win a shootout with Green Bay, and they were shut out in the second half.

Jay Cutler threw an interception on a bad pass and another when Brandon Marshall ran the wrong route. The Bears squandered points with bad play-calling and/or execution at the end of the first half.

Bears head coach Marc Trestman realized that his defense had no chance to hold off the Packers' offense, so he tried an onside kick. It served only to spot the Packers 18 yards on the way toward another score.

"It was evident today that Aaron Rodgers was at his best and the Green Bay passing game was at its best," Trestman said.

In a game of pass-fail, the Packers passed to daylight and the Bears ran toward futility.

Lombardi jabbed at Halas, "We learned to throw the ball with Brett Favre in the 1990s and you're just starting to with Jay Cutler. Good luck with that."

Yes, the Packers do have Rodgers now, the Bears do have Cutler, and there's still no comparison between the two.

But Halas did have a comeback that finally quieted Lombardi.

"Gin!" Papa Bear roared.

mimrem@dailyherald.com