Call it a Career

+Chicago Bears great, and future Hall of Famer, +Brian Urlacher announced he is retiring from the +NFL  after 13 seasons. There are a lot of superlatives I could use to describe Brian's career, but I will leave it to George McCaskey as he laid out his career best:

“How lucky we were that Brian Urlacher was a Chicago Bear.
"Brian announced his retirement in the same, understated way in which he carried himself at Halas Hall the last 13 years — he simply wanted to be one of the guys and play the game he loves.  But his rare ability, work ethic and passion for football put him among the greats to ever play the game.
"Besides superlative play on the field, he was also the unquestioned leader in the locker room, as well as the sometimes reluctant face of the franchise. Brian is a special person who represented our team and our city with skill and humility while never seeking acclaim or recognition.
"In the pantheon of Bears, Brian has earned his place alongside Halas, Grange, Nagurski, Ditka, Payton — and yes, Bill George, Butkus and Singletary.
“We congratulate Brian on a brilliant career and he will continue to be a welcomed member of the Bears Family in retirement.”

Here are just a couple of his career highlights, that need to be remembered today.

With the 9th pick in the 2000 NFL Draft, the Chicago Bears select Safety Brian Urlacher from the University of New Mexico. The Bears drafted Urlacher to play linebacker in the NFL due to his size and speed, but the move from Safety wasn't his only position change. After starting the season as the Bears starting Strong Side Linebacker, Urlacher was benched for under-performance, as well as personally saying he felt lost as an OLB. After Barry Minter (the Bears Middle Linebacker) went down with an injury, Brian reemerged as the MLB and a phenom was born. Urlacher went on to win the NFL's Defensive Rookie of the Year award, recorded 124 tackles, 8 sacks both of which were Bears rookie records.



2001. In a pregame interview, Michael Vick used action figures to show how he would run all over the young star, Brian Urlacher. Once the game started it was a completely different story. Vick was held to 18 yards rushing, Urlacher sacked Vick, forced a fumble, and returned another Vick fumble 90 yards for a touchdown.



2005. Brian Urlacher earns the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year award. Urlacher was the undeniable leader of the leagues best defense, allowing the least amount of points and producing the most turnovers. This would also mark his second trip to the postseason. Brian recorded 121 tackles, 6 sacks, and a forced fumble. Outside of stats, he was the leader on the field. Directing players to the right spots, calling audibles, and owning the MLB position under the Lovie Smith defensive scheme.

2006. The Bears are who we thought they were.... Not only was this Brian's only appearance in the Super Bowl, Brian had his single best game earlier in the year against the +Arizona Cardinals. Trailing the Cardinals late by 20 points, Urlacher created a key fumble that was returned for a touchdown, recorded 25 tackles, and the Bears completed the comeback. Urlacher and the defense lead the Bears to a 13-3 record, and earned that appearance against the +Indianapolis Colts in +Super Bowl XLI.



Brian's career will be more than the stats and awards. Urlacher was the mainstay, and a future Hall of Famer, playing linebacker for franchise that created the position. He was the leader on and off the field and the face of the Bears franchise over the past 13 seasons.

Check out the interview with Tom Waddle and Marc Silverman on ESPN 1000 in Chicago.

Waddle and Silvy

Where do we go now

Well, well, well, the Bears certainly have put themselves in an interesting position haven't they? The team, which didn't address their number 1 concern in the offseason, started off 7-1 and was ranked in the top 5 in all of the NFL (higher in some polls). But even with this, weren't Bears fans a little concerned? I mean there still was no offensive line, we weren't handing the ball off or taking advantage of Matt Forte in the passing game. Jay Cutler has shown signs of being erratic since arriving in Chicago, and the Bears defense wasn't exactly getting younger.



But alas, the Bears were 7-1 and in control of their destiny. The Packers, although beating the Bears early in the season, were an afterthought and the surprising Vikings were the team which posed the biggest first half threat. Lovie Smith was on pace to receive an extension to stay here for at least 3 more years, Jay Cutler would get the same. Heck! Even Brian Urlacher was possibly in line for a new deal. All things were good, and the Bears had just shalacked the Tennessee Titans 51-20.



Boom! Reality.....

The Bears faced a contender in the Houston Texans, and even though teh Bears defense kept them in the game, Houston eventually rolled on with a 13-6 victory and Jay left the game early with a concussion. We still didn't worry cause in the offseason we brought in Jason Campbell, who legitimized the Chicago back-up QB position.



San Francisco rolled on over us, with a rookie QB under center. Picking apart the Bears defense like Tom Brady himself, Colin Kaepernick (ex Chicago Cubs prospective prospect) was thrust upon the national stage, while the Bears defense looked old and Jason Campbell spent more time on the ground that his balls did in the air. Worry at this point is setting in, although chants of MVP began for Jay Cutler...



After a week of questioning if Cutler would make his return, he did, leading the Bears to their 2nd divisional win and further prompting some MVP chatter. Radio stations began to pick this up, and national guys argued for and against the notion. But, don't you worry cause that all ended abruptly as the Bears faced it's 4th contender and 3rd in the last 4 weeks, Seattle. This was a highly contested game, with the Bears leading at the half, but you felt some air leave Soldier Field when the Bears were unable to convert a 4th and 1 which would have extended a drive in their own red zone. In the 2nd half, it was time for Russell Wilson to perform his very own version of Colin Kaepernick. Running an offense which seemed unstopable, Wilson had 3 options, hand off, run it himself, or pass and all 3 would result in what seemed like 12 yard gains. The Bears showed some life with a long pass to Brandon Marshall, but losing the coin flip in overtime did the Bears in as the defense was slow and tired and has become visably old.



The next 2 weeks have gone exactly the same, looked old, tired, and just unable to compete at a professional level. Jay Cutler is under pressure and the only weapon being used, possibly more than anticipated, is Marshall. With the Bears going 3-6 against teams that currently have winning records (all 6 of their losses have been to playoff caliber or competing teams), they have placed themselves in a position which almost all is lost. Lovie's extension is torn to shreds, Cutler went from MVP candidate to maybe not receiving new money, Urlacher went from the newest member of the Bears Middle Linebacker Mount Rushmore to calling out the fans (twice this season) and possibly on his way out of Chicago. Mike Tice is sure to be replaced (his replacement will certainly be the 4th Offensive Coordinator Cutler will have while with the Bears), and if Lovie Smith is gone, the Cover-2 defense will certainly leave as well.



So I ask the questions... Should the Bears invest in Jay Cutler again? What about Lovie Smith? Should he keep his job? Is Urlacher in jeapordy of leaving Chicago? Should Matt Forte be used more in the passing game? Is it time to completely rebuild this franchise? How far can Jay Cutler take us, even with a healthy and good offensive line?

All I know is, if the Bears win a playoff berth or not. If the rebuild or not. If they fire Lovie or not. Come August the Bears will be the center of the Chicago sports world once again, and us Bears fans will scream about this or that, but proclaim that this team will win a Super Bowl.