LinkBack URL
About LinkBacksI wish the Bears would have traded a fourth round pick for DeMeco Ryans like Philly did.
I wish the Bears would have traded a fourth round pick for DeMeco Ryans like Philly did.
True, but we didn't have the same potential for a solid pass rush as we have this year. The amount of reliance on the LB corp will depend on the ferocity of our pass rush.
Originally Posted by JustAnotherBearsFan99
I wonder who knew what as far as this
The whole situation was avoidable by sitting him in that meaningless game and moving up significantly in the draft
And if it was known it was worse than they said why did we not take a lb high
just wanted to say that Briggs - Roach - Hayes isn't that bad... DeCicco when healthy should get his chance, I think he could be good for us.
I start to worry when he will start missing games.
This is total speculation on my part. Urlacher made some public statements prior to his practices. My honest opinion from reading them is that he genuinely felt good and thought he was ready to go. Only when he started to participate did he either realize that it wasn't healed, or he re-tweaked it.
AT this point though, with it not having healed over the whole summer their choices are limited. Play him and get as much out of him as he is able to give us or just keep him out hoping for a chance for him to contribute in the latter part of the season. There is always the chance it will heal in the next month, but I don't hold out much hope there if the whole summer wasn't enough and it is hurting him again. I agree with 99, in that his "personal time" may have been for him to get the knee looked at and decide on surgery or not.
Urlacher would be a disastrous loss for the Bears if he was to suddenly go down for the year or decide on having surgery and thus missing significant playing time this season. Now, it's entirely possible that he could play on that bum knee, as none other than the great Dick Butkus did so following the 1970 season and played damn well. Urlacher is the heart and soul of this team, the unquestioned leader on defense. As he goes, so, too, could the Bears' defense.
The pass rush is very important. But in Lovie's defense, the LB's are critically important. The better QB's (like Payton last Thursday) get the ball off so quick that NO pass rush is going to stop him from picking us apart with surgical precision if we don't have stellar LB's to help in coverage. With today's great receiving TE's you also have to have the LB's to help. Also, we use smaller quick dline guys who need the LB's to stop the run.
Our defense lives and dies by those LB's. More so than other defenses. That's precisely why Chicago has made a point of having one of the best LB corps if the NFL. Year in. Year out.
Last edited by JustAnotherBearsFan99; 08-12-2012 at 02:54 PM.
Brian Urlacher
Thanks For The Memories
This is bad, the bottom line is they don't know squat about him returning. The knee is swelling now when he practices (the pain may be "managed" but the knee does have to work for him to play linebacker for us).
He "hopes" to return by the regular season, but clearly he doesn't know. And neither do the doctors.
"I have no idea," he said. "It's hard to tell with an injury like I had what causes it and why it's doing this."
There's no telling if the situation is one where he'll have to manage pain throughout the season or it will eventually go away with rest. Also, there's no telling if he can return to play 100 percent healthy.
Urlacher wears a 14-ounce brace on the knee in practice. "The brace doesn't allow me to do a lot of things," he said.
Last edited by JustAnotherBearsFan99; 08-12-2012 at 03:13 PM.
Brian Urlacher
Thanks For The Memories
Yeah. Can't argue with that. But on the other hand, I have seen Brady and Payton be ineffective because of stifling pressure. My point is that the greater the pressure, the less reliance on LB's because the QB's can't get their act together. Don't get me wrong. I am not discounting the importance of our LB's. I am just trying to find a silver lining somewhere. I'm hoping that a fierce pass rush might mitigate the need for an Urlacher level LB at least until he gets better.
Brian Urlacher says knee better
By Michael C. Wright
ESPNChicago.com
BOURBONNAIS, Ill. -- Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher reiterated on Sunday that his recent absences from training camp came as a result of a "personal reason, just like coach (Lovie) Smith said," while adding that he'll be healthy enough to play in the regular-season opener against the Indianapolis Colts.Asked about a timetable for his return to the field, Urlacher said, "September 9, I'll be ready to play for sure."Urlacher missed six consecutive workouts entering the team's preseason-opening loss to the Denver Broncos on Thursday night, which the linebacker didn't attend.Wait-and-See With UrlacherPlenty of questions surround Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher, and soon enough we should have some answers, writes Kevin Seifert. Blog
Four of the absences were attributed to soreness in his left knee, in which he sprained the medial collateral and posterior cruciate ligaments during the Bears' 2011 regular-season finale. The other two absences last Tuesday and Wednesday were excused by the team so Urlacher could deal with a personal matter."(The season opener is) all that matters to me," Urlacher said. "Preseason games and all these practices -- I'd love to be out there -- but I'm not gonna put myself in jeopardy of missing the first game."Urlacher returned to training camp Saturday, but the club held him out of practice. Smith revealed that Urlacher continues to battle soreness in the knee, saying "exactly when he'll be back, I can't tell you that."Surely, the Bears aren't rushing Urlacher back. Urlacher indicated the soreness he's experienced in the knee isn't directly related to his excused absences from practice and Thursday night's exhibition opener.Urlacher said the knee feels better, but is unsure whether it's an issue that will linger throughout the season. The eight-time Pro Bowl linebacker also indicated that he didn't undergo additional testing on the knee during his absence."Our doctors are the best. I trust what they say. I just do what I'm told to do," Urlacher said. "I practiced the first four or five days (of training camp) and felt pretty good. Then it got sore and a little swollen. So I'm taking some time off right now."Urlacher remains unconcerned about how the knee will react upon his return to the practice field because he expects the team to "monitor my reps and try to make sure it doesn't blow up again."So it wouldn't come as a surprise if the club held out Urlacher for the remainder of the preseason in an attempt to reduce the potential setbacks that could occur by exposing the knee to contact.Chicago BearsESPN Chicago analyzes the Bears' offseason moves.
Offseason moves| Bears blog »
Asked whether the knee ever will be 100 percent this season, Urlacher said, "I hope.""I felt great coming into training camp," he said. "The brace doesn't allow me to do a lot of things, but (I) still ran pretty fast and moved around pretty good (early in camp). I've been off for nine or 10 days now. It feels better. I'm not running around on it of course, (so) it's not gonna swell up as bad."Smith acknowledged Saturday the team is "pretty banged up" at the linebacker position, which is why they signed Xavier Adibi and K.C. Asiodu. Jabara Williams has missed time with a hamstring injury and Dom DeCiccois expected to miss an extended period because of a pulled groin."As you look down the football field today, we had five linebackers out of uniform," Smith said Saturday. "It's hard to practice that way."
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
