The Chicago Bears had a real emergency Sunday against the Green Bay Packers,
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Instead, the Bears' third-stringer nearly pulled off a comeback for the ages, if not for two deadly fourth-quarter interceptions that doomed Chicago in Green Bay's 21-14 NFC championship game victory.
"You don't expect to come in and play on a day like this — especially the NFC Championship Game," Hanie said. "That's just how it goes sometimes."
The first interception was returned 18 yards for a touchdown by Green Bay nose tackle B.J. Raji with 6:04 left in the game, giving the Packers a 21-7 lead. The second, a pass intended for Bears receiver Johnny Knox, was pilfered by cornerback Sam Shields at the Packers 12 with 47 seconds remaining.
"People are telling me, 'Congratulations,' (but I) threw two picks,
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The Packers prevailed at Soldier Field to advance to Super Bowl XLV in Dallas.
That just happens to be Hanie's hometown.
While Hanie coolly answered any and all questions,
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Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher defended Cutler. "Jay was hurt. I don't question his toughness," Urlacher said. "He's one of the toughest players on our team."
Second-stringer Todd Collins took over and threw four incompletions, and coach Lovie Smith and offensive coordinator Mike Martz had seen enough.
Hanie entered the game with 57 seconds remaining in the third quarter and the Bears trailing 14-0. A 32-yard completion to Knox set up the Bears' first touchdown, a 1-yard run by Chester Taylor.
After Raji's interception, Hanie commandeered the Bears downfield, firing a 35-yard touchdown strike to Earl Bennett that cut the Packers' lead to 21-14.
"We had an opportunity to tie the game,
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It was quite the performance by Hanie,
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"I like to think I don't need that type of motivation, but when you get demoted, you always have a little extra fire in you to come back and show they made the wrong decision," he said.