MONROE - Retired Monroe Middle School social studies teacher Gil Jelinek is a die-hard Bears fan who for years has kept a bet going with co-teaching friend Paul Schoenike, a die-hard Packers fan who owns a green and gold Packers car.
Jelinek taught social studies in the Monroe School District for 31 years. Like many area football fans, he's looking forward to the Packers-Bears winner-take-all showdown Sunday, Dec. 29 at Soldier Field. When the Packers beat the Bears, Jelinek used to wear shorts to school and buy Schoenike lunch at the Corner Cafe. The teaching buddies don't stand by the shorts-wearing anymore, but the loser still has to buy lunch at the Corner Cafe.
"I don't do the shorts any more because we are old and our knees don't look well," Jelinek said. "He (Schoenike) wears all of his Packers junk and I wear all my Bears junk. It's all about bragging rights."
The Packers (7-7-1) play the Bears (8-7) with the NFC North division title and a berth in the playoffs at stake. The last time the Packers and Bears played in a win-or-go home game came in the 2011 NFC Championship game when the Packers edged the Bears 21-14 to reach the Super Bowl.
The Lions are out of the playoffs picture after a late November and December swoon where they lost five of their last six games. What happens in a tie? The Bears would also clinch the division title if the two teams break even Sunday.
The game is one of the hottest tickets in sports. Tickets for the Packers-Bears game on Stubhub.com range from $201 to $11,000 a ticket. Endzone tickets range from $252 to $662 a ticket.
Jelinek's son, Matthew Jelinek, a dentist in Minneapolis and a Monroe alumnus, is a Bears fan making the trip to Soldier Field for the game.
"I felt like it would come down to the last game," Gil Jelinek said. "He (Matthew) has season tickets, but he didn't invite me. I will turn the TV down and listen to the game on WBBM. If they (the Bears) win, they will have a home playoff game and I might be able to go then. I also love listening to 670 the Score. They could bad mouth the pope. It's an interesting radio station."
Aaron Rodgers will start at quarterback for the Packers after missing seven games with a broken collarbone. The Packers are expecting running back Eddie Lacy (ankle) to play against the Bears' NFL worst run defense, which gives up an average of 152 yards per game.
Curt Coplien, a Monroe native who now lives in Freeport, is planning on having some friends over for the game. He doesn't think his Packers are taking a risk by playing Rodgers.
"I think it's the best chance the Packers have to win," Coplien said of starting Rodgers. "I think it will be a high-scoring game. They both have susceptible defenses. They (the Packers) need to stop Alshon Jeffery and do a better job against Matt Forte. The key for the Packers offense is to get Lacy going and protect Rodgers in the pocket so he doesn't take a hit."
Gary Lynch, 46, of Monroe, is a die-hard Packers fan. He's excited to have Rodgers back, but he isn't as confident in the defense.
"I think it will help some," Lynch said of having Rodgers back. "I think our defense is in pretty rough shape. I don't know if we can overcome our defense. Chicago is one of our rivals. It's always great to beat the Bears."
Cutler is 1-8 in his career against the Packers. Cutler is a free agent after the season and some have speculated that this is the big game he has to win to validate the Bears re-signing him to a muli-million dollar long-term contract.
"For Cutler, it will be a $100-million game," Jelinek said. "If he plays well he will get the big bucks and if he doesn't play well he could be gone or traded."
Both the Packers and Bears have undergone some adversity with a rash of injuries. Rodgers missed seven games with a broken collarbone. Randall Cobb has missed 10 games with a broken leg, offensive linemen Bryan Bulaga is out for the season and the Bears had several players suffer season-ending injuries including cornerback Charles Tillman, linebacker D.J. Williams and defensive tackle Henry Melton. Cutler has missed four games with a severely sprained ankle and seven-time Pro Bowl linebacker Lance Briggs missed seven games with a broken shoulder before returning to play against the Philadelphia Eagles last week. Green Bay revived its playoff hopes after going winless for five weeks before Matt Flynn was installed as the starting quarterback and led the Packers to comeback wins against the Falcons and Cowboys.
Matt Barrett, a 2005 Monroe graduate who lives in Madison, is a Bears fan, but he's not sure how the game will go with Rodgers returning.
"He's the MVP for a reason," Barrett said. "I feel like both teams have been depleted by injuries. I can't really say who has the edge now."
In the 2011 NFC Championship game, the Packers knocked Cutler out of the game with a knee injury. The Bears turned to third-stringer Caleb Hanie who led the team on two touchdown drives in the loss, and Cutler was later scrutinized by some NFL players for not being tough enough. Now, it's Rodgers returning from an injury that could turn the tide in favor of the Packers.
"The Packers have their All-Star quarterback back," Jelinek said. "He's the icon and he is the Packers. He's one sack or legal hit away from ending his career."
Jelinek taught social studies in the Monroe School District for 31 years. Like many area football fans, he's looking forward to the Packers-Bears winner-take-all showdown Sunday, Dec. 29 at Soldier Field. When the Packers beat the Bears, Jelinek used to wear shorts to school and buy Schoenike lunch at the Corner Cafe. The teaching buddies don't stand by the shorts-wearing anymore, but the loser still has to buy lunch at the Corner Cafe.
"I don't do the shorts any more because we are old and our knees don't look well," Jelinek said. "He (Schoenike) wears all of his Packers junk and I wear all my Bears junk. It's all about bragging rights."
The Packers (7-7-1) play the Bears (8-7) with the NFC North division title and a berth in the playoffs at stake. The last time the Packers and Bears played in a win-or-go home game came in the 2011 NFC Championship game when the Packers edged the Bears 21-14 to reach the Super Bowl.
The Lions are out of the playoffs picture after a late November and December swoon where they lost five of their last six games. What happens in a tie? The Bears would also clinch the division title if the two teams break even Sunday.
The game is one of the hottest tickets in sports. Tickets for the Packers-Bears game on Stubhub.com range from $201 to $11,000 a ticket. Endzone tickets range from $252 to $662 a ticket.
Jelinek's son, Matthew Jelinek, a dentist in Minneapolis and a Monroe alumnus, is a Bears fan making the trip to Soldier Field for the game.
"I felt like it would come down to the last game," Gil Jelinek said. "He (Matthew) has season tickets, but he didn't invite me. I will turn the TV down and listen to the game on WBBM. If they (the Bears) win, they will have a home playoff game and I might be able to go then. I also love listening to 670 the Score. They could bad mouth the pope. It's an interesting radio station."
Aaron Rodgers will start at quarterback for the Packers after missing seven games with a broken collarbone. The Packers are expecting running back Eddie Lacy (ankle) to play against the Bears' NFL worst run defense, which gives up an average of 152 yards per game.
Curt Coplien, a Monroe native who now lives in Freeport, is planning on having some friends over for the game. He doesn't think his Packers are taking a risk by playing Rodgers.
"I think it's the best chance the Packers have to win," Coplien said of starting Rodgers. "I think it will be a high-scoring game. They both have susceptible defenses. They (the Packers) need to stop Alshon Jeffery and do a better job against Matt Forte. The key for the Packers offense is to get Lacy going and protect Rodgers in the pocket so he doesn't take a hit."
Gary Lynch, 46, of Monroe, is a die-hard Packers fan. He's excited to have Rodgers back, but he isn't as confident in the defense.
"I think it will help some," Lynch said of having Rodgers back. "I think our defense is in pretty rough shape. I don't know if we can overcome our defense. Chicago is one of our rivals. It's always great to beat the Bears."
Cutler is 1-8 in his career against the Packers. Cutler is a free agent after the season and some have speculated that this is the big game he has to win to validate the Bears re-signing him to a muli-million dollar long-term contract.
"For Cutler, it will be a $100-million game," Jelinek said. "If he plays well he will get the big bucks and if he doesn't play well he could be gone or traded."
Both the Packers and Bears have undergone some adversity with a rash of injuries. Rodgers missed seven games with a broken collarbone. Randall Cobb has missed 10 games with a broken leg, offensive linemen Bryan Bulaga is out for the season and the Bears had several players suffer season-ending injuries including cornerback Charles Tillman, linebacker D.J. Williams and defensive tackle Henry Melton. Cutler has missed four games with a severely sprained ankle and seven-time Pro Bowl linebacker Lance Briggs missed seven games with a broken shoulder before returning to play against the Philadelphia Eagles last week. Green Bay revived its playoff hopes after going winless for five weeks before Matt Flynn was installed as the starting quarterback and led the Packers to comeback wins against the Falcons and Cowboys.
Matt Barrett, a 2005 Monroe graduate who lives in Madison, is a Bears fan, but he's not sure how the game will go with Rodgers returning.
"He's the MVP for a reason," Barrett said. "I feel like both teams have been depleted by injuries. I can't really say who has the edge now."
In the 2011 NFC Championship game, the Packers knocked Cutler out of the game with a knee injury. The Bears turned to third-stringer Caleb Hanie who led the team on two touchdown drives in the loss, and Cutler was later scrutinized by some NFL players for not being tough enough. Now, it's Rodgers returning from an injury that could turn the tide in favor of the Packers.
"The Packers have their All-Star quarterback back," Jelinek said. "He's the icon and he is the Packers. He's one sack or legal hit away from ending his career."