Thread: Urlacher talking to the Vikes

Originally Posted by a_miljan

it is a sad day when 54 talks.to minny. we can say whatever, money... its just sad

It was probably more like Minny called his agent and as sox theorized it may have just been some return gamesmanship for rumored our interest in Loadholt and that's about all this is right now too.

Originally Posted by motownbear

Im looking at this situation like I did with Kreutz a few years ago. At the right price I would like him back but if he leaves oh well he isnt HOF Lach anymore. Having him back wont make us make a desperate move especially in the draft and he is a player coach out there. But if we moved on its not like we are moving on from a 25 year old Urlacher. Eventually we are going to have to and sometimes waiting too long messes the team up

That's a good point mo and I think it's weighing on Emery's mind. If he was confident Urlacher could play two more years at a high (not necessarily All Pro) level I think they would have committed to him by now. So I'd say the lack of one speaks volumes. It has to be done but the question is when.

Urlacher asks for 5 million a year... he won't get that from any team.

Originally Posted by lklrlolnlilklsox

That would be terrible and he wouldn't even be as good as 40 year old Urlacher. If Urls walks, you HAVE to grab your next MLB early in the draft, no ifs and or buts. You don't replace him with a UDFA ST'er.

And I think that's just about where they are right now and if Roach walks, and I believe he will, then I think you have to draft him now anyway.

I disagree with the thought that Brian is just looking for one last paycheck. That really hasn't been his nature so far and unless he turns into another Brett Favre overnight I don't think he'll string it out if he can't play. He's a warrior and he wants to play but he has an ego too and I think that alone would stop him from playing if all he was was a third rate player and so far he's not or at least he doesn't believe he is.

That said he still admits to having issues with his knee and he told everyone last fall that it would always be an issue from then on but it was not getting any worse. So it's chronic but not deteriorating. He wasn't fully recovered or in game condition last season and he's admitted that too. How much better off he'll be this year with an entire offseason to get back in his best condition we still don't know and that's the issue that Emery and Trestman need to deal with. Do they ride with him one more year or is it just time to pull that plug now and move on.

In don't think there's any doubt that his leadership would be missed. He's never been a fiery outspoken type like Ray Lewis so any comparison to Ray Lewis seems inappropriate. That aside it hasn't kept him from being a great leader on the field and if we're paying him then at least part of what we're paying him for is that. Sox is right. A 40 year old Urlacher is still better than any alternative we have under contract.

That said I do agree that we can't afford to pay him a salary of $5-$5.5 mil this year or probably any year from this point on. We might find a way to get him that much with some incentives based on playing time and production that would go against next years cap IF he earned them but for 2013, as far as I can see, that kind of money isn't in the cards. So it all boils down to what will he take and that's what all the talk is about. I'm not faulting him for asking for that much but I also wonder if he honestly expects it.

I'm just thinking aloud here but I think when it comes down to the devil or the deep blue sea Emery will make him a best and final offer and if Brian wants to finish out his career as a Bear he's the one who will have to decide. There are other players who will soon be in a similar situation and at some point in time Emery has to draw a line and set a precedent. Kruetz doesn't count because that was on JA's watch. This one is on Phil and it's probably one of the tougher plays he's had to make so far because it's not just about the money. There's more to it than that and I think that's why both sides are taking their time with it.

Originally Posted by GermansbombedPH

Urlacher asks for 5 million a year... he won't get that from any team.

Probably not G but I think that's why they let him hit FA to find out. Somebody like Jerry Jones may be crazy enough to do it for PR and just to stick it to the Bears but most teams are releasing players like Brian, not signing them, and most of them get there best deals to stick around at home if they get one at all. Champ Bailey here in Denver would be a good example of that.

To me it's less the $5 mil than it is the structure. The question I have is can they come up with a way for him to earn that much if his play justifies it just not have it all in the form of a guaranteed salary? That may be what they're trying to work out and I could live with that but it's not my decision. It's whether he can live with it that matters.

Originally Posted by a_miljan

to be utterly honest, I believe he will be back this year, but also we'll never get old 54 back, years...

True but half a loaf is better than none if the bakery ain't bakin'. Right now I think they're waiting to see what Roach does as well because he's part of the mix. It would be damn difficult to lose both at the same time with no sure replacements on the team.

Originally Posted by lklrlolnlilklsox

That would be terrible and he wouldn't even be as good as 40 year old Urlacher. If Urls walks, you HAVE to grab your next MLB early in the draft, no ifs and or buts. You don't replace him with a UDFA ST'er.

I want to extend this logic to why we need to draft a qb, vs keeping blanchard /end digression.

Originally Posted by soulman

That's a good point mo and I think it's weighing on Emery's mind. If he was confident Urlacher could play two more years at a high (not necessarily All Pro) level I think they would have committed to him by now. So I'd say the lack of one speaks volumes. It has to be done but the question is when.

I just want to add to that, that Emery alluded to this when speaking of getting more FA's (looking at each potential contract very carefully, so as to not overspend on anyone), and yeah, quickly getting a LT and TE shows Emery wants this offense fixed NOW. As bad as getting rid of Urlacher will be, last year Marinelli ran the defense in a very different way from many years past, and Urlacher wasn't relied upon nearly as much for his athletic ability, and given that our offense has been **** for decades now, with a proverbial gun to his head, Emery had to just fix the offense, because the payoff on fixing the offense at the expense of the defense is worth it. I still think Urlacher will have a better year next year, but he still needs to take less money for this team.