Chicago Bears

Da Coach’s No. 89 is officially done. The Bears announced Friday morning that Mike Ditka’ number will be retired this coming season.

Bears to retire Mike Ditka’s number - Larry Mayer: The Bears will honor legendary former player and coach Mike Ditka by retiring his No. 89 jersey at halftime of a Dec. 9 Monday night game against the Dallas Cowboys at Soldier Field. Relentless Trestman expects a lot from Bears’ QBs - Adam L. Jahns: Part disciplinarian, part friend, the Bears’ QBs are learning that Trestman is all about details. He strives to trust his QB, empowering him to decide which of three plays to use at the line to attack the defense. Follow WCG on Twitter; like us on Facebook (& click on 'Subscribed to'). Click for Chicago Bears Tickets for next season. Check out David "OSS" Taylor's CheekyMonkeyArt prints and shirts. ---------- Urlacher NFL coaches, players share admiration for Urlacher - Larry Mayer: After Brian Urlacher retired Wednesday following 13 illustrious seasons with the Bears, several individuals who played and coached with and against the star MLB shared their thoughts. Aaron Rogers heaps praise on #54; more reaction from around the NFL. Urlacher's game of legends - Steve Rosenbloom: For that game, if not also that position-changing career, Urlacher was who we never thought any linebacker could be. Moon Mullin: Not #54's personal highlight. The truth about Urlacher - Dan McNeil: On and off the field, there was way more good than bad with #54. Urlacher legacy one of loyalty to Bears - Jeff Dickerson: Urlacher's sometimes frosty relationship with the media shouldn't matter to fans nearly as much as the loyalty and legendary generosity he displayed towards teammates, especially the rookie or practice squad guys with no family in town who were invited to spend the holidays at his house. Urlacher’s career should be defined by brilliant start, not halting finish - Steve Silverman: Urlacher did not have a definitive position when he was selected in 2000. By the time he retired, he had redefined the MLB position in a way that suited the modern game. Did Urlacher call it quits too soon? - Jeff Dickerson: It doesn't sit well with me that Urlacher's final NFL play ended with him limping off the Soldier Field turf after the second-to-last snap of an overtime loss to Seattle. Chris Wesseling: Would have finished out career with Cowboys. Manning, Colts saw Urlacher potential - Michael C. Wright: Peyton Manning revealed on Thursday that his former team, the Indianapolis Colts, hoped that Urlacher would fall to them in the 2000 NFL Draft. [Video] CSNChicago discussion - Is Urlacher a first-ballot Hall of Famer? Debating greatness: Urlacher vs. Lewis - Both will be on the 2018 ballot for Canton and have been compared throughout their careers. Jeff Dickerson and Jon Greenberg state the case for each. John Breech: Urlacher: "Ray's the best of all time". Five Chicago athletes who didn’t go out like Urlacher - Dave Wischnowsky: Here are five Windy City athletes who looked the weirdest playing for a team other than the one they’re best known for. ---------- Bearsss NFL.com: Around the League - Marc Sessler takes a look at teams who are shaking things up in an attempt to reinvigorate their stagnant offenses. Not surprisingly, the Bears number among that group. NFCN Blog - Kevin Seifert: Looking at projected starters, the Bears have NFL's oldest starters. Urlacher vouches for Cutler's toughness - John Paschall: "I played against him when he was in Denver and I played with him in Chicago, and I'd just rather play with him in Chicago. He's a tough dude." Selecting four faces for the Bears' Mount Rushmore - How do you condense the achievements of a franchise of legendary names down to four faces? Moon Mullin gives it a go. ---------- Ditka Bears to retire Mike Ditka's No. 89 - Brad Biggs: A sure sign relationships are healing, Hall of Fame TE will become the 14th Bears player so honored and the first since Dick Butkus and Gale Sayers in 1994. A timeless classic - Dan Pompei: To everyone who has called

Mike Ditka the player (Photo via Sports Illustrated) The Chicago Bears are making preparations to honor legendary coach and player Mike Ditka by retiring his number 89 at a halftime ceremony during their Monday Night Football game with the Dallas Cowboys on December 9th.  As Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune report, two sources have confirmed plans for the Bears to retire a jersey since they retired the jerseys of Dick Butkus and Gale Sayers on a rainy Halloween MNF game back in 1994.  (more…)

Ditka an icon who embodies Bears to generations of fans and truly deserves having jersey number retiredTo one generation, he is a salesman of opinions and pork chops.

Hall of Fame tight end will become 14th Bear honored and 1st since Butkus and SayersThere seems to be a budding debate about whether the Bears can build a bridge to repair relations and retire the jersey number of a certain disgruntled former employee.

Jay Cutler probably doesn’t need to be reminded of his good fortune now that coach Marc Trestman, a quarterback guru, is at the helm, but ex-Raiders QB Rich Gannon — a former top student at the school of Trestman — will do it anyway. “The big thing for Jay Cutler is just realizing that you have an unbelievable opportunity here to work with a guy who has really had success with quarterbacks,” Gannon said. “You have to ask yourself, ‘Why has he had this success?’?’’ Cutler, Josh McCown and Matt Blanchard are quickly learning why through six organized team activities, …

Brian Urlacher will be a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame some day, and it's OK if it's not on the first ballot. There's a chance he will be a fist ballot guy, but if he isn't, it's nothing to gnash your teeth over. Many Bears fans want to bang the drum for Urlacher's first ballot candidacy, and I get that, but in reality the only difference in being elected on the first ballot and not, is the bio line that reads, "First Ballot Hall Of Famer". If you make it into that select company it's a special day. The latest Chicago Bear that went into the Hall was defensive end Richard Dent, who was elected in 2011, fourteen years after he retired. Dan Hampton was elected twelve years after he retired. Mike Ditka was part of the 1988 Hall Of Fame Class, and he retired in 1972. Are their Bears' legacies any less than that of first ballot inductee Mike Singletary? When ever I think about a players Hall Of Fame credentials, in any sport, the first thing I consider is; Was he one of the very best at his position for a decade? Was Brian Urlacher one of the best middle linebackers in the game during his 13 years? The answer is an emphatic yes. Brian Urlacher may not have been the premier middle linebacker in the NFL during his 13 year career, but he was definitely in that conversation. Urlacher himself gives the honor of best MLB in his era to Ray Lewis, and I tend to agree. Regardless of your personal feelings about Lewis, he was an exceptional football player. Sure he played the game with a theatrical flair, and his pre-game dance took on life of it's own, but he was damn good between the lines. The second half of Urlacher's career, the best inside linebacker was probably San Francisco's Patrick Willis, who has never missed a Pro Bowl in his six year career that began in 2007. He's another outstanding football player, and when Urlacher was missing Pro Bowls from 2007-09, it was Willis that was talked up as the best inside backer in the NFC. The only Pro Bowl that Urlacher missed in his first seven years in the league was 2004, when he only played nine games. An injury robbed him of what probably would have been another Pro Bowl that year. In 2007 the Bears' record dipped after their Super Bowl, and Urlacher missed the Pro Bowl even though he had an outstanding statistical season. MORE: Greatest Chicago Bears Seasons: Brian Urlacher 2007 The Bears missed the playoffs again in 2008, and Urlacher again missed the Pro Bowl. Then in 2009 he went down with a season ending wrist injury in the week one game against the Packers. Many experts figured this was the beginning of the end for Urlacher. It wasn't. In 2010 Urlacher not only returned to the field, but he was named to the Pro Bowl for a 7th time, then he made it an 8th in 2011. Last season he valiantly tried to play, but it was clear the injury he suffered in the week 17 game of 2011 was too much to overcome. He had moments of the "old" Urlacher last year, but he just couldn't fully recover from his knee injury. Then a hamstring injury ended his 2013 season prematurely. In total, he had those eight Pro Bowl nods, he was named 1st team All Pro four times, one 2nd team All Pro, a Defensive Rookie Of The Year award, and a Defensive Player Of The Year award. The one thing missing from his resume was the Super Bowl ring, and unfortunately some voters will hold that against him. Those voters will be idiots, but that won't stop them. Another often talked about knock on his career, was his perfect match for the Lovie Smith Tampa 2 defense. The old cockamamie "product of the system" argument. If you were to build a Tampa 2 middle linebacker from the ground up, he would be Brian Urlacher. His speed and coverage ability was tailor made for that defense, but it baffles me that some conveniently forget that he was a four time Pro Bowler before Lovie Smith was hired to coach the Bears. Urlacher thrived in the Dick Jauron version of the 4-3 that had those two behemoth defensive tackles in

On and off the field, there was way more good than bad with UrlacherThose of us in the opinion-making business are guilty of wanting it both ways.

The Chicago Bears have two All Pro starting cornerbacks but beyond Charles Tillman and Tim Jennings, there are potentially three roster spots up for grabs. We break down the competition.

Former Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher ended his illustrious NFL career Wednesday when he announced his retirement. Now it’s time for the next chapter in his life.