Has Urlacher played his last down as a Chicago Bear?

by SenatorSteve on Sep 16, 2009 6:51 PM CDT Comment 39 comments

Let me start this by saying that I am a huge Brian Urlacher. He is my favorite football player of all time, and I would be happy if the Bears paid him $10,000,000 a year until he turned 40.

That being said, he has not been the same player these last couple of years as he once was, and his contract is huge. I worry that this latest injury could be the end of Brian Urlacher's Chicago Bears career. His performance has declined. There are legitimate reasons to believe that he will never be fully healthy again and that he will never again be the elite player that he once was.

If the Bears defense performs well without Urlacher, then the front office may take a hard, long look at whether Urlacher is really worth the elite-player salary he is getting paid. The money owed to Urlacher may be better spent improving other parts of the team (or signing our young players to long-term deals).

Almost inevitably, the day will come when the Bears decide to part ways with this living legend. Do you think this day could be sooner, rather than later?

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I don't think so...

I guess I have become a full-on Bears Kool-Aid drinking Homer, but I am still holding out hope that Urlacher will be back for the playoffs ala Harry Carson (I think ) of the Giants.

In any event, I think I read they are working on his contract. Besides, even if he doesn’t come back this year-that’s just that much less mileage and wear and tear on his body for next season!

Denver is happy with the trade, great, God bless you and Kyle Orton. You told us Jay will suck, great thanks for the heads up. There are many Bears fans who are still happy to have Jay as our QB. Yes even after a 4 INT night with a loss.

by BigAppleBearsFan on Sep 16, 2009 7:17 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Urlacher has been put on IR, hence he is OFFICIALLY out for the entire season

"Cubs will win 79 to 83 games." BLou (7/21/09)

by BLou on Sep 16, 2009 9:44 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

However,

he can come back for the playoffs, if someone else is reduced to IR… learn the game

"I'm sorry Josh, I'm with Chicago now, you need to stop calling me" -JerBear50 as Jay Cutler

by BearNecessities on Sep 17, 2009 2:59 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Learn the game?

Thats not the game… The game is football and the NFL rules of placing/removing people on IR is something totally different. So next time you want to be all high and mighty with your endless NFL knowledge you should be more specific.

by sirus19x on Sep 17, 2009 9:04 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

1, Blou

is typically a douche and talks mad S*it to most people.
it’s mis information anyways you slice it… it’s been discussed on here a couple times. so if you dont know something, why post it like you do?

and it is a facet of the game.
Thanks for the attempt though.

"I'm sorry Josh, I'm with Chicago now, you need to stop calling me" -JerBear50 as Jay Cutler

by BearNecessities on Sep 17, 2009 9:18 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

league rules are part of the game, too

I always turn to the sports section first. The sports page records people's accomplishments; the front page has nothing but man's failures.
~Earl Warren

by lookingdeadred on Sep 17, 2009 1:56 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

There you go!

It is definitely a better argument by calling it a facet of the game. Touché.

… but I still think its a facet of the NFL’s game. Because you don’t worry about that stuff in college and other forms of the game, but six of one, half dozen of the other. We are on an NFL forum and I’d just splitting hairs at that point. lol

Go Bears!

by sirus19x on Sep 18, 2009 8:23 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

that day is coming soon none of use want to see it

urlacher is my favorite player also i hope the bears d is top 5 without him its hard to beleive that adding urlacher to the defense doesnt help them especially with his skill set i think it will come down to money i hope it doesnt happen i want to see him leave a bear and with some rings!

by Bear Lovin 21 on Sep 16, 2009 8:20 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

and I would be happy if the Bears paid him $10,000,000 a year until he turned 40.

I’d be happy if the Bears paid ~~him~~ me $10 Million a year.

Camp ifuwanna, we hold you in our heart...

by ifuwannacrownem on Sep 16, 2009 8:21 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

....until you were 40

"A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject." -Sir Winston Churchill

by propheteer on Sep 16, 2009 11:56 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

my take

Steve, your question is premature on two levels.
First of all, if the Bears make the playoffs without Urlacher, then he becomes expendable.
That is a big if.
Secondly, you cite that his on-field performance has declined, and statistically this is true, however, he played with injuries and was still a player that offensive coordinators had to game plan for, but we must remember that the entire Bears defensive unit had a bad two years as well.
Assuming we can agree that the entire Bears defense had a bad two years, we can look at Bob Babich.
Go Bears!

"Chance favors the prepared mind." - Pasteur

by Maelvampyre on Sep 16, 2009 9:29 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Urlacher may indeed be moved next offseason

He’s on the major downside of his career and makes a lot of money combined with the fact that his surliness and off the field paternity problems have become chronic issue. I won’t be surprised to see Angelo move Urlacher. I also wont’ be surprised to see Urlacher demand to be set free by the Bears.

"Cubs will win 79 to 83 games." BLou (7/21/09)

by BLou on Sep 16, 2009 9:45 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I'm not surprised your making no sense.

His only downside is his age. The guy was finally healthy coming off of his back and neck injuries and surgery, worked his ass of this offseason and was prepared to get back to form. Regardless of who is on our team now, the guy is still the face of our franchise and leads our defense like nobody else can, which is not expendable. This injury was not one based on durability, it was based on a freak accident. His surliness and paternity problems have become chronic issues? His paternity problems have no merit due to his status as a Bear and WTF are you talking about surliness? Where is your evidence that this is such a problem because I watch and read Bears news every day and I haven’t seen anything regarding what you think is such a chronic problem in YEARS. Don’t you understand the gigantic hole we would be putting in our defense losing Urlacher? Do you want Hillenmeyer to be the next Urlacher? Why would you think Urlacher would DEMAND to be set free by the Bears? What have the Bears done where he would need to demand to be released or traded? Did Lovie, Angelo, Phillips, or hell even old maid Virginia personally dislocate his wrist and end his season? Did they give him all of his other injuries? The fact of the matter is the guy is tough as nails, loves being a Bear, runs this Tampa-2 defense with his knowledge and experience of the scheme and has the full support of everyone in this franchise to be our MLB until
he says he cannot do it anymore. Urlacher can be an older MLB and still hold it down, it’s just a shame that this accident happened because he was getting set for a big year.

by PolishSausage.Ditka.Bears. on Sep 16, 2009 10:42 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Here here

I agree, and as long as Lovie’s the coach he’ll be roaming the middle of the field. Less wear and tear is a good thing, and that may extend his career a year or so. It’s not like he lost his speed or athletic ability. Ray Lewis had quite a revival. Why can’t ’Lach?

"A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject." -Sir Winston Churchill

by propheteer on Sep 17, 2009 12:00 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I agree with everything you said and would take it a step further...

If Lovie were to get fired and a new coaching staff were brought in, it might benefit Urlacher even more. It’s no secret he preferred the type of defense that Jauron ran with the two huge DT’s upfront that kept offensive linemen off of him and allowed him to use his speed and range. Either way, he’s not going anywhere next year. With another season to heal from his neck and back issues, he should be in even better shape to have a great season in 2010. Also, as we saw in another post on this subject, it looks like that if the Bears were to get to the postseason he could be eligible if they put another player on the IR list to take his place. Not completely sure that’s accurate, but let’s get there and find out.

by BearFan611 on Sep 17, 2009 12:27 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I thought of that too

He’s a good fit for both a one-gap and two-gap scheme.

Also, as we saw in another post on this subject, it looks like that if the Bears were to get to the postseason he could be eligible if they put another player on the IR list to take his place.

I’m not sure about this year. It might just be a rumor, because I thought once a team puts a player on the IR his year is over….for good.

"A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject." -Sir Winston Churchill

by propheteer on Sep 17, 2009 12:46 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I thought that too, but I found this link on Wikipedia

again, I don’t know that it’s completely accurate but….

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Can_an_NFL_player_return_form_injured_reserve_in_the_Post_season

by BearFan611 on Sep 17, 2009 1:31 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Now I'm really confused...

in today’s Chalk Talk on the Bears’ website, Larry Mayer says that he cannot be activated. I have no idea which is correct at this point.

http://www.chicagobears.com/news/ChalkTalkStory.asp?story_id=6119

by BearFan611 on Sep 18, 2009 1:06 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Why do you even respond to this moron.

Phil: " Whose baby is that?
Alan: "Check his collar or something." - The Hangover

by ANYTIME09 on Sep 17, 2009 10:30 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

It's kind of like feeding a troll

you’re told not to, but it’s hard to resist.

You can't believe everything you read on the internet, that's how World War One got started.

by Ditkavsworld on Sep 17, 2009 12:12 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

good question

I always turn to the sports section first. The sports page records people's accomplishments; the front page has nothing but man's failures.
~Earl Warren

by lookingdeadred on Sep 17, 2009 1:57 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I don't see anything wrong with

making him look stupid over and over again.

by PolishSausage.Ditka.Bears. on Sep 17, 2009 4:41 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

You're a huge Brian Urlacher?

Hmm.. interesting. Maybe you should go play in his place then! ;) Couldn’t resist…

"A lot of fans were drawn to me because they knew that whatever the score was, I was going to run as hard as I could on every play. You don't have that now, you have guys waiting for next week or even next year." - Walter Payton

by HoneyBear on Sep 16, 2009 10:07 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I Will!

by Gesiakob on Sep 16, 2009 11:20 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

He'll be back

no question… unless he retires that is

by wiltfongjr on Sep 16, 2009 10:36 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

As Difficult As This Is To Say...............

I didn’t want to post this because I have conflicting emotions regarding Urlacher. I loved the guy since we drafted him as a rookie. He was like the new hybrid linebacker coming out of college. The same player he used to be? No, not even close. His has been so prone to injury the last 3 years we can’t even keep him on the field. While Urlacher was spending time on the injury list with a sore neck he cried bloody murder for a long term contract. The Bears caved in to his whims and he got his big payday. So now we sit here paying him boat loads of money and guess what? He’s injured again. So here we are today. Emotion vs Business philosophy 101. The business side says this is a no brainer. It’s time to let Urlacher go. If we can get something out of a trade for him that would be great. Otherwise I believe it’s time to shread his salery. He asked for more money and did not deliver the goods. And yes, I feel bad for him he got hurt, AGAIN.

by Gesiakob on Sep 16, 2009 11:28 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

over reaction

Gesia, your post is quite an over reaction. Football is a business and the business decision was made to keep Urlacher and give him a raise. The Bears could have opted to work a deal to get rid of him if they wanted to but evidently they didn’t. No one held a gun to Angelo’s head. The reason they kept Urlacher is because of his value. It would probably be better for Urlacher if he WERE traded, but I am selfish and I want to keep him for the Bears for another year or two.

"Chance favors the prepared mind." - Pasteur

by Maelvampyre on Sep 17, 2009 8:01 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

and how many games did he miss the last 4 years?

Zero.

His has been so prone to injury the last 3 years we can’t even keep him on the field.

What field would he be missing from?

Before this wrist injury he hadn’t missed a game since 2004, he’s played in 65 straight games, and all 16 games in every season except 2004 and now 2009.

by wiltfongjr on Sep 17, 2009 8:58 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Thanks, I thought I was just imagining seeing a #54 in all those games the last 3 years....

As usual, glad you put some actual facts into a discussion.

by BearFan611 on Sep 17, 2009 9:50 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Gesia's world is a fact free zone

I always turn to the sports section first. The sports page records people's accomplishments; the front page has nothing but man's failures.
~Earl Warren

by lookingdeadred on Sep 17, 2009 1:58 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

+1

"I'm sorry Josh, I'm with Chicago now, you need to stop calling me" -JerBear50 as Jay Cutler

by BearNecessities on Sep 17, 2009 3:01 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I Digress

It is true Urlacher started all those games since 2004. My point is he did not play 100% healthy. Last year he had a significant drop off in production due to his neck injury. Or was it his back?

by Gesiakob on Sep 17, 2009 5:47 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Learn to say what you mean

I always turn to the sports section first. The sports page records people's accomplishments; the front page has nothing but man's failures.
~Earl Warren

by lookingdeadred on Sep 18, 2009 3:03 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Love the picture

Great commercial, with Brian’s “surliness” on display for all.

"A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject." -Sir Winston Churchill

by propheteer on Sep 17, 2009 12:02 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I think he's got 3 years left in him.

He’ll be a Bear for a few years.

by SoulEater7 on Sep 17, 2009 12:26 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I don't see this as part of the injury problems that he's had

over the last few years. A dislocated wrist is more of a freak occurence. It’s not like a back/neck injury or knee injury where it’s liable to keep happening or to slow your your game down.

"The time has come to get deeply into Football. It is the only thing we have left that ain't fixed." - HST

by JerBear50 on Sep 17, 2009 4:00 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

guys this is the first time urlacher has missed the whole year!

and some of you are ready to kick him to the curb? lol
he has done alot for the team yes his stats are down but those are numbers when you watch chicago youll see his speed athleticism is still thereand his knowledge of the defense will not be forgotten.
if the bears make it to the playoffs(which we all want) then why is he expendable? lets say were one in done or lose the championship game you would be telling me having urlacher on the field wouldnt help? i like the ray lewis point ray is in his mid 30’s and is still running around making plays why cant Brian?

by Bear Lovin 21 on Sep 17, 2009 1:15 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Does anyone know if Urlacher's salary is being picked up by insurance?

I mention this because the NFL trade deadline is in late October and players like Boldin and Marshall may be available. If he’s insured then I would assume it would include the prorated bonus and the Bidwells love money so maybe a 2nd rounder and Urlacher’s cash might be of interest.

by Duck99 on Sep 17, 2009 4:49 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs