Chicago Bears

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.

Robert Griffin III dropped back and launched passes during the Washington Redskins' non-contact practice Thursday, the latest sign of progress from the second-year phenom who said his goals include being ready for training camp and starting the season opener.

MARK POTASH: Brian Urlacher wasn’t the best Bears linebacker of all time — there’s only one Dick Butkus. Urlacher arguably rates somewhere between Bill George and Mike Singletary in the pantheon of the Bears linebackers. But so what? Theodore Roosevelt is no Abraham Lincoln. But he’s still on Mount Rushmore.

Things didn’t get off on the right foot when Jay Cutler first joined the Chicago Bears and he had a lot to prove to the face of the franchise, Brian Urlacher.  While Cutler still has plenty of detractors, don’t count the retiring Bears legend among them.  Even though Urlacher called Cutler a p**sy when he first joined the team, he leaves with quite a different impression.   (more…)

The NFL has taught Bears wide receiver Terrence Toliver much humility. Having bounced around the league his first two years, he now has a realistic shot of contributing in Chicago this year.

The following is the transcript from the latest edition of The Superfans show live from Ditka's Pat - Welcome everybody to the annual Bill Swerski's Superfans Prediction special, and as you can plainly see I am not Bill Swerski.Carl - No you're not Pat, Bill is protesting the blatant trademark infringement that was predicated by the powers that be here at Windy City Gridiron.Pat - Making the Chicago Bears season prediction has been a Superfans staple here at WCG, long since before we were made official Writers on this fine site that is dedicated to the greatest team in the history of the NFL, Da Bears.All - Da Bears! Pat - So with no Bill as of yet, please allow us to introduce us. I'm Pat Arnold.Carl - I'm Carl Wollarski, Pat - And the big guy double fisting the mugs of beer is Todd O'Connor.Todd - Da Beers.All - Da Beers! Carl - This year the honor of running through our schedule was divvied out to four of our compatriots in Bears fandom, and broken out into 4 separate articles.Todd - Can I just say right off the bat that some on those predictions were way off base.Pat - Agreed. Todd - Can I just say that some of those predictions were outright wrong.Carl - Yes.Todd - Can I just say that I haven't had a Kielbasa is about 2 hours.Pat - That's a new record.Carl - Well done my friend, that new heart healthy diet is really working out.Pat - But back to the matter at hand, and our take on the aforementioned theft of our annual prognostication. Carl tell us how they usurped our annual event.Carl - Well Pat, in a nod to the 3rd greatest coach in the history of our storied franchise, Lovie Lee Smith, Windy City Gridiron broke their Chicago Bears' season predictions into 4 quarters.Pat - We never needed four separate segments.Carl - No we did not my friend. Pat - Quarter numero uno was speculated upon by Kay Paradiso, and she almost got it right. She had our beloved boys losing...Todd - (interrupting) Blasphemy...Carl - For shame Kay, for shame...Pat - ... losing to the Minnesota Vikings to go 3-1 in the quarter.Todd - Kay used to be my favorite WCG columnist, but now I have to question if she really knows the game of football at all, I mean us losing to the Vikes?Carl - Her big (air quoting) "argument", is that Adrian Peterson will run all over the Monsters Of The Midway, and to that I say...Todd - (interrupting) Blasphemy...Carl - ...yeah, Blasphemy.Pat - I see a certain defense, now led by a certain double nickle on the weakside, chasing down Adrian Peterson when ever he attempts to gallop free, and if by some slim chance he's blocked out of the play, then our latest and newest Pro Bowl defender, Henry Melton, will penetrate the backfield and take him down with extreme prejudice. Bears win in a rout, 69-28. Da Bears.All - Da Bears! Pat - The WCG staffer that wrote the second quarter prediction was even more out of his ever loving mind. Sam Householder, if that is even his real name, had our fellas in Navy and Orange losing to the Saints, Redskins, and Packers.Todd - When I finished reading his prediction, I sent him a scathing email questioning his Chicago ties and his football I.Q., and like the coward he is, I never heard a peep back from him, just some response from someone named Mailer Daemon. First off, what a stupid name, Daemon is even sillier than Householder. And second off, where does Sam get off having someone else answer his email? Where does he get off big timing me? Who does he think he is?Pat - Normally this is where I would correct my burly Bears brethren, but I kind of like the idea of Todd getting pissed off every time an email is returned to him by the Mailer Daemon.Carl - And knowing Todd, and his limited computer skill set, that's probably quite a bit.Todd - What if Mailer Daemon and Sam Householder are one in the same?!?!?Pat - Back to the outlandishly wrong predictions by Sam, there's no way we drop a game to the left tackle depleted Saints. We snagged Drew Brees' blindside protector, Jermon Bushrod, so

Steve Rosenbloom: Full marks to the Arizona Cardinals.