Celebrate Indianapolis! You'll be back Chicago!

By Jared Trexler

It may actually feel like Hell froze over in Indianapolis this afternoon, but Colts fans sure feel like they are in heaven.

A parade celebrating the world champion Indianapolis Colts kicks off at 4 p.m., with fans who brave the elements to catch a glimpse of Peyton Manning and Tony Dungy withstanding temperatures that feel like three degrees BELOW zero.

The parade was even pushed forward several hours to the "warm" point of the afternoon, as temperatures are expected to feel like minus-five degrees as the night wears on.

Indianapolis players will remain on heated buses throughout the ceremonious trip downtown, culminating in a few words by Super Bowl XLI heroes at the RCA Dome.

Yet, for Colts fans waiting for a championship since the team moved from Baltimore prior to the 1984 season, "bitter" and "cold" won't be adjectives that describe the feeling.

Relief. Happiness. Joy. Repeat?

Yes, fans are a fickle group and that word will be bounced around as Dungy expects to reassure patrons he will return as head coach next season.

However, thoughts of grandeur begin and end in a gloom financial crunch. The Colts are in a sour money situation, with pending free agents such as Nick Harper, Cato June, Rob Morris and 2/5 of an offensive line that dominated Chicago in the trenches to the tune of 191 yards rushing.

Dwight Freeney will likely get the franchise tag if he pushes the market, but would the speed rusher even be that missed? Eighteen players, including little-used wide receiver Aaron Morehead, registered more official tackles than Freeney, who didn't sniff Rex Grossman on the pass rush all night.

Rain likely negated his biggest strength -- speed -- but Colts front office personnel must decide if they want to slap such a hefty price tag on a one-dimensional player.

So for now Colts fans, forget that last word. Revel in your team's accomplishment. The Pacers play in the miserable Eastern Conference, and while Kelvin Sampson is turning around the heart of Hoosier nation, Indiana is still several years away from title contention.

Maybe Eagles fans can take solace in the Colts' journey, so many times filled with heartbreak, often the bridesmaid and never the bride.

It could be Philadelphia walking down the championship aisle next season.

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I haven't spoken to my grandfather or either of my uncles in the aftermath of Super Bowl XLI. They either wouldn't want to talk, not have much to say or delve into a profanity-laced tirade about shoddy tackling and Rex Grossman's shortcomings.

Time heals all wounds.

That's the message I have for the passionate Windy City faithful on the day after, one day removed from dreams of a parade and championship gear dashed in a Miami deluge.

Chicago has one of the most passionate fan bases in the NFL. It doesn't travel as well as the followers of "America's Team," or Steeler Nation, but Bears fans embody their city and their team -- a perfect symmetry of rough and tough.

There is no crying in football.

Yet, I'm sure many Bears fans wanted to shed a tear in anger or grief following two Grossman interceptions in a four-pass stretch early in the fourth quarter, ending any chance of Chicago's first championship since the 1985 Monsters of the Midway.

A family member once told me that Bears fans have a certain persona -- the way they talk (a heavy Midwestern dialect), the way they walk (fast and firm), the walk they work (hard, long and proficient).

It's as blue collar as any big, technologically-advancing city you'll find in this nation. Chicago's infrastructure may be coming of age, but its people and fans maintain the same daily moral compass found in the 1980s, or in Bears' terms -- the Mike Ditka era.

You know? Da Bears. Saturday Night Live. Sweater vests. Super Bowl shuffles. It was a glorious time in Chicago -- a franchise that carried the image of its city, much like Pittsburgh's iron workers and Philadelphia's staunch unions.

It had been 20 years since Chicago again got the chance to embrace a team built by the city rather than vice versa. And even though it fell one game short, Bears fans should remember the ride...and look forward to next year.

Time heals all wounds.

**First photo courtesy of the Associated Press; second photo courtesy of the Chicago Sun-Times***

Jared Trexler can be reached at jtrexler@phanaticmag.com

The Phanatic Magazine's continuing Super Bowl XLI coverage concludes Tuesday.