Thread: Can Urlacher Still Help The Bears?...............

When I read the title I actually thought to begin with that this might be an honest evaluation of the pros and cons of it until I read this;

"It's hard to imagine veteran Brian Urlacher being the right guy for the situation the Bears find themselves in at middle linebacker."


So as it turns out it wasn't. It's just one more writer with either and axe to grind of simply the guy who drew the assignment to write another negative article about the Urlacher situation. One more guy without the in depth knowledge of the team or how it all works to even be writing an article like this. This is Bleacher Report level stuff.

At least he begins with some partially valid assumptions and if he'd simply stuck with those then it would have made some sense. Like yeah, it really doesn't make much sense to overpay Urlacher beyond what's affordable thinking that he's the key to winning a SB next February. Not that it's impossible as the Raven's proved but if it happens Urlacher won't be the key, Cutler and the offense will because unless that part of the team improves we won't even sniff an NFC Championship Game let alone the SB.

I like what sox had to say which was that he wished they'd just get this over and done and sign him so all this nonsense would stop. I agree 100% with that. This is just stupid wasted speculation and all it does is offer writers and their editors an opportunity to take pot shots at an iconic future HOF MLB who has done nothing less than play his ass off for this team for 13 years in good and in bad years and in sickness and in health. There is no way anyone can deny that's he's been anything less than a warrior and that he still sees himself that way. So if the guy wants to keep playing AND he can do it, then you let him play......period!

Now let's take emotion out of it and get practical for a minute. When we had Nick Roach still on the team we did have an option. Not a great one, but an option none the less. On his best days he's was about the same as Urlacher on Urlacher's worst but he was experienced and he was dependable. That option just signed with Oakland and if you look at the list of FA ILBs who we might pursue it's not all that much too look at. Dansby is about the only one even close to being able to bring what Urlacher brings to the table and he'll be 32 years old this fall. He was also making the same kind of money Urlacher was so if money is the real issue here are we really thinking we'll get him for any less? I doubt it.

So the idea that Urlacher is merely a "body" playing MLB for the Bears who could be replaced by some other "body" for even less money than we're likely to pay Urlacher isn't one that's been very well researched. We do better than that around here and we don't get paid to do it like a guy like Rozner does. It's junior varsity writing at it's best. Even if we could get a Dansby or another of similar size and ability there's still the issue of learning the defense and leading it and that's something no one else will do better this year than Urlacher can. That adds to his bottom line and needs to be considered.

Yeah we need to draft he replacement. I hope Phil Emery has that high on his list and I truly hope there is a draftee who he feels might be able to fit into those very large shoes but to expect that to happen this year is pretty shortsighted and I don't see that as being a part of Phil's character. He knows what he has in Brian and so do Trestman and Tucker. I think it's almost impossible for them not to see the value of having Brian play this year if for no other reason than to prepare for an orderly transition at MLB. How much sense does it make for the defense to lose it's DC and the HC who was their champion for so many years and then yank their locker room and field leader out of there as well?

If you do that you may as well start rebuilding the whole defense with new guys right now and create even more cap space by letting a few more aging vets go or trade them for some middle round pick, LOL. We're bound to get some real value out of that. (sarcasm provided free of charge). If we're smart we can rebuild it on the fly one or two pieces at a time per year and this year MLB and SLB are up to bat. So one of the first two picks should go toward the best LB we can find to play SLB now with thought of moving him to MLB or even WLB within the next few years. Briggs isn't getting any younger either and the same things that makes Urlacher a great player is there in Briggs too.

We don't have any others who can play at the level these guys still can play at which speaks volumes about Angelo's failed LB picks. This another area that Phil Emery needs time to recover from. It's just as glaring a need but one we've been able to play ostrich about because of other priorities. Jeezus Phil is proving that he's good but he can't magically produce players out of a hat who can do what some of his vets can still do. He had to go get what he didn't have before he could think about replacing who he does have aging or not!

So this is my last essay in response to all of these "we should just dump Urlacher" articles or even stupid ones like this that suggest we dictate in writing what he's got to be willing to do before we'll offer him a deal. Did we do that with BM? No, but he's enough of a class act to realize that working with the younger guys was just one more way he could contribute to the betterment of his team. So why don't we actually give Brian Urlacher that same opportunity before simply saying "oh he'll never do that". He's another damn legend around Chicago and he's already said that he wants to play in Chicago and finish his career in Chicago. I if that's what he wants to do then all parties concerned should find a way to get that done and these 4th rate hack writers just need to stop writing about it and let it run it's course.

There's nothing to be gained from articles with as many inaccuracies and hostile opinions as these anyway. All they're intended to do is stir up negative sentiments with old news and half truths and it's easy enough to see from some of the posts here that some are buying into it. Even Trestman has come out and said that Urlacher is still a productive player. He may have stopped short of publicly endorsing his return because it's not his job to say more when there are touchy contract negotiations going on. He's still learning his way around here to and he's just not gonna be that outspoken about it like Lovie would have been. Trestman has spoken with him and if he really believed Urlacher would turn out to be an uncooperative locker room cancer I doubt he would have spoken as positively about those conversations as he did. He would simply have said nothing.

This article is just one more writers self serving opinions based on his own needs to write articles that will be read which strikes me as being hyper hypocritical when he accuses Urlacher of what he does. If this is all so very true then why aren't we seeing the Bears real beat writers like Biggs, Haugh, Pompei, Jensen and some of the others writing similar opinions? I believe it's because they can see that illogical thinking that goes with this. So let's just hope it gets done soon and that both sides can come to an agreement of how it can work out for both sides. Brian Urlacher shouldn't have to play for less than he's worth and the Bears shouldn't have to pay more than they can afford for him but all these number that get thrown out are just more junk.

As both sides have said, when it gets done we'll all be the first to know it and IMHO it will get done. I can't find another solution that makes any sense right now other than this. It is what it is.

Originally Posted by lklrlolnlilklsox

I absolutely believe he can. One thing that I would really like to see upon his return is for him to slim down to 250. I know he has said the added weight helped him stay healthier as the season went on, but that was he was in his prime and could carry it like no other. Now that he's losing speed, it may be time to talk to Mike Clark about a new, slimmer conditioning program to regain stamina.

It's a great thought and one I've thought about too although I've approached it from a different angle. I think Paea is a good hard nosed NT with some real burst off the ball to his game and he's got great natural strength but he still doesn't take the place of a Wilfork or Raji style NT who could take some of the snaps on running downs and give Brian some of that protection he had playing behind Traylor and Washington early in his career.

There's more than one way to extend your start MLB's career and along with playing 10lbs lighter to take some stress off an aging and injured knee and regain some speed and range putting a wide body NT who has good movement and athleticism but can stack at the line and occupy blockers who typically target Urlacher could help too. Lovie never seemed to see the sense of it but I hope Tucker can. Urlacher has never been all that good at plugging holes so run some schemes with a guy in front of him who is and let him run and pursue or penetrate to defeat those blocking schemes that target him in the second level. I think that's always been the strong points of his game.

Take 10lbs off of Urlacher and add it to McClellin and they'll both have better years in 2013.

I like to rib Urlacher much more than I should, but don't forget...so far in the last 2 years we've only seen an old injured Urlacher. I think an old healthy Urlacher would indeed be good to have - we don't know what that looks like.

IF he could remain healthy is the question.

Of course he can. The problem isnt his ability (or lack thereof), its money.

Originally Posted by bearsinhouston

Urlacher did say there are two people he could care less about. the media and the fans. These guys are not going to do him any favors. That kind of crap has a way of biting you in the ass.

I think what he said was taken out of context and said at a time when emotions were running high relative to Lovie's future. Had a dozen others been asked for their response at that time it may have been much the same so I'm pretty lax to dump that one all at his doorstep.

I don't like certain members or the media or certain types of fans either and Urlacher is no less human than me or anyone else. He's just the one who was quoted is all. Continuing to hold him accountable for things like that or his contract hold out the he's already addressed and made peace with folks over is just piling on and it's worthless as far as any of this goes.

In general most Bears fans want to see him continue playing and playing as much like the Urlacher of old as can be possible any longer. We all have to accept that he's not the same player he once was and never will be again but I still say that 80% of what he was is still better that 100% of what most anyone else would even come close to providing right now.

He does deserves a chance to return hopefully now totally rehabbed from his knee problem and in top "football shape" which he wasn't last year in either case. He believes he can still play at a top level. Maybe not at the best level he's ever been but still good enough to help the Bears win games and I believe both the coaches and Phil Emery believe that as well. Trestman has even admitted to that much.

If we weren't in such a tight cap situation and facing other major contract issues I doubt this would even have been going on this long. If we could have afforded to say yes to his first proposal we may have done it with very little alteration but we can't so something else has to be worked out that both sides can live with and that's taking some time to get done. He's big need but not the only need and I believe he does understand that.

The Bears are letting the market help both sides gain an understanding of his value and that's fine with me. He shouldn't be asked to play for far less than he's worth and on the opposite side of the coin he shouldn't expect to be paid more than that or in a way that the Bears can't work into their cap squeeze.