Hampton: We would have pounded Brady

You can't help but wonder about that 1 field goal.

You wonder where the 1985 Bears would have landed in history if an errant blocking call hadn't led to Walter Payton's fumble in Super Bowl XX and a Patriots field goal 1:19 into the game.

After shutting out the Giants and the Rams in the first two playoff games, had the Bears been leading 44-0 instead of 44-3, Buddy Ryan would have called the fourth quarter like he did the first three, and there would have been no New England TD.

"I'm glad you brought that up, because I know Buddy would have wanted to pitch three straight shutouts, which would have ended, once and for all, any discussion of who's the best team in NFL history,'' said Bears Hall of Famer Dan Hampton, via phone from Phoenix on Wednesday.

"And believe me when I tell you they had no chance to score if we had played the way we played the first three quarters.''

No, they didn't. Every play was pretty much a jailbreak, and even the 46-10 final didn't do justice to the rout.

Still, in three playoff games against top NFL clubs, the best defense in history allowed an average per game of 145 total yards, 42 rush yards and 10 first downs, while forcing 10 fumbles, collecting 16 sacks (for 143 yards), and giving the offense the football for nearly 37 minutes per game.

Final combined score of the three postseason games: 91-10.

Which brings us to the 2007 Patriots and whether they stack up with the 1985 Bears.

"There's no doubt that with our offensive line and Walter, we would have run all day long on a team that's giving up 4.4 yards per carry,'' Hampton said. "That (New England) defense is all smoke and mirrors.

"As for Tom Brady, he's a great, great player and maybe the best around, but the secret is out that the way to slow the Patriots down is to get pressure on Brady and keep their routes short and underneath, where Randy Moss isn't going to hurt you.

"The question is whether they could stop our pass rush. Everyone knows about the '46,' but we also had a '59' package where we had Otis (Wilson) on one side, Wilber (Marshall) on the other, and myself, (Steve) McMichael and (Richard) Dent in the middle, and it meant their line had to block five Pro Bowl pass rushers 1-on-1.

"You going to block Richard Dent 50 straight times in a game? Me? Otis? I don't think they could and I think we'd be in his face all day. I think we would have pounded Brady back there.''

Considering the era, the size of the '85 Bears is shocking when you line them up against the Giants' front four of today.

Dent was 6-feet-5, 260 pounds to Michael Strahan's 6-5, 255; Hampton was 6-5, 270 to Osi Umenyiora's 6-3, 261; Fridge Perry went 6-4, 320 to Barry Cofield's 6-4, 306; and only McMichael would be underweight for a tackle today at 6-2, 265 to Fred Robbins' 6-4, 317.

"People can talk about how it's a different game and all that, but I'll take our guys at our 1985 size and our 1985 speed,'' Hampton said. "That argument doesn't work for the '85 Bears, which is just one more reason why most people who played in that era, or coached in the '70s, believes we were the best team of all time.

"Before Thanksgiving, I was thinking we might have to move aside for the Pats, but since then, they've been barely getting by.

"Most of our games, we knew the games were over by halftime. What did you say that score was for three playoff games, 91-10? That's really all you need to know.

"New England's a good football team, but they wouldn't have been able to play with us. How can anyone say we're not the best ever?''

Forecasting

If it sounds like Hampton's rooting for the Giants, he is.

"They remind me of our 1984 team. We didn't know how good we were. We didn't know no better,'' Hampton said. "If the Giants hang around that game long enough, they could win it.

"They can run the football, and they can get to the quarterback. It's going to be a fight for New England.''

Ivan Boldirev-ing

Regardless of whether the Blackhawks become buyers or sellers in the next couple of weeks, it appears that Tuomo Ruutu could use a change of scenery, and Ottawa is a club that might need Ruutu's gritty presence down the stretch.

Ruutu is at his best when he's running people over and going hard to the net, but his game no longer seems to mesh with the Hawks' style.

That being the case, they might be able to get someone like Senators defenseman Christoph Schubert, not the answer to any of their power-play prayers but a big man who can play up or back and skates with an edge.

Worst break

Libertyville e-mailer Scott Phillips: "I programmed my TiVo to tape 'The Biggest Loser' and it recorded the Bulls-Timberwolves game.''

Flying low

Dan Hampton, on New England's narrow victories of late: "They've had more close calls than air-traffic control over DFW Airport.''

The quote

The NFL Network's Deion Sanders, on seeing Giants coach Tom Coughlin flash a rare smile: "That's because he knows he gets to keep his job a couple more years.''

Best headline

Sportspickle.com: "Patriots vow to chop block the next person who accuses them of being dirty.''

And finally …

Patriots lineman Matt Light, on a week of Super Bowl stories: "It's like trying to put on your wife's sock. There's only enough material to cover half your foot.''