After five games this NFL season, the Chicago Bears have clearly been the most impressive team, obliterating one opponent after another. They've outscored opponents an absurd 156-36. And here I thought the Bears were so 20 years ago.

But when I think about the 5-0 Bears, I have two questions that will need to be answered before it can be determined if they have what it takes to win a Super Bowl. First, is the defense so good that it can carry the team despite its quarterback? And second, does it even need to be?

In other words, just how good is Rex Grossman? Is he capable of playing solid, mistake-free football on the biggest stage? I'm not sure anyone knows yet.

In the NFC, Grossman's quarterback rating trails only that of the Eagles' Donovan McNabb. He's completing 61 percent of his passes and has been picked off just three times.

But Grossman has limited NFL experience. And since he needs to prove himself in the playoffs, experts — and me — will hesitate to anoint the Bears as Super Bowl favorites.

There are two other teams that have stood out this season in similar situations — San Diego and Denver. Can Philip Rivers, in essentially his first season, lead a potent offense into and through the playoffs? Are the Broncos this good on defense, or will Jake Plummer need to make some big plays before it's all said and done?

When you think back to the recent Super Bowl winners, most quarterbacks have either been steady veterans (Brad Johnson,

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Trent Dilfer) playing in front of excellent defenses, or the most clutch player of his generation (Tom Brady, Tom Brady and Tom Brady).

Last year Ben Roethlisberger was awful for the Steelers, but that game was a jumbled mess of turnovers, gadget plays and poor officiating, so I'm not including it in my highly scientific study.

The point here is, good, clutch quarterback play is a must for teams with Super Bowl aspirations. If the Cowboys and Colts are playing in Miami on Feb. 4, maybe we can all just forget that I ever wrote this, OK?

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(Cheers) To the first-round exit of the New York Yankees. Kind of reminds me why I didn't want the Red Sox to dump all their prospects just so they could get to the playoffs and be immediately sent home, only to be left with a less promising future.

But on the subject of the Yankees, I've always believed Joe Torre took unnecessary criticism each October when the team lost, even though that comes with the territory when George Steinbrenner is the owner.

This year, however, I'm not so sure. Hey, someone has to take the fall. The Yankees have spent about $400 million on payroll the last two years, at least $130 million more than anyone else. And they haven't even played in the ALCS. All things considered, have there ever been two bigger failures?

I realize the emphasis hasn't been on young starting pitchers like it should be, and that's not Torre's fault. But with that fantasy-league lineup, and Mike Mussina pitching Game 2 up 1-0 against a young team that was swept by the Royals at home less than a week prior, the Yankees have to win that series.

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(Jeers) To Patriots coach Bill Belichick for wearing a Tony La Russa jersey earlier this week at a media session. They are friends, and it's tough for me to be truly upset at the Jedi Master. But there's a coach in each league who I find to be undeservedly arrogant — La Russa, Brian Billick and George Karl. They all act like they invented their sports, and let's just say they're not exactly blinded by all their world championship bling.

Larry Brown had been the NBA representative, but after two great years in Detroit I gained respect for him, and after a year with the Knicks, I truly felt sorry for him.

Contact Chris Casavant at c.casavant@yahoo.com