After the curb-stomping the Defense and Special Teams gave the Lions last weekend, I needed to reconsider some comparisons on this list, especially when it came to giving the secondary their due. It also made me take the term "battlefield" a bit more literally on the Bears' end. You'll find some of the bigger names in both the Transformers canon and the Bears here, since we've always had a "Defense first" mentality. (Links pop)

Brian Urlacher as Optimus Prime

via tfarchive.com

This comparison isn't based so much on personality, more what each mean to their respective teams. They're unquestioned leaders of both the Bears and the Autobots and back it up with unfathomable athletic and combat prowess. More than that, Urlacher is the one Bear I could see living up to Prime's one-man assault in Transformers: the Movie. Here's the vid, one of the best fight scenes of all time:

Transformers The Movie 1986: Optimus Prime vs Megatron HD (via bernard9782)

For those who thought Cutler would be a good choice for Hot Rod, this scene is a big part of why I chose Ironhide instead.

Lance Briggs as Ultra Magnus

via tfwiki.net

This is the closest image I could find to match Briggs' interception/sack dance. Like Urlacher, Briggs is a little harsher than his Autobot counterpart. However, their impact on their teams is the same, with Magnus being first in line to take the Matrix of Leadership in the event of Prime's death. I imagine Briggs will express a similar reticence to take up Urlacher's mantle when he retires, but he'll still be capable of picking up the slack.

Nick Roach as Gears

via idigitalcitizen.files.wordpress.com

Who? Exactly. These guys don't do a whole lot, but also aren't asked to either.

Israel Idonije as Sludge

via tfwiki.net

Gotta love the big lug. Idonije has been all over the defensive line during his tenure with the Bears, but finally settled in at DE these past couple years. Since he's Canadian he's likely polite enough to apologize for stomping all over the Eagles OL to get into the backfield. Much the same as Sludge was saying "Oops!" and "Excuse me!" while wrecking a military convoy in the above image.

Henry Melton as Slag

via tfwiki.net

One mean son of a gun on the inside. However, consistency has been an issue with these two. On Melton's end he'll sometimes perform below the expectations of the coaching staff and get publicly called out for it. For Slag, he's a sociopath that will at times ignore Prime's orders out of spite and need to be corrected, sometimes physically, by Grimlock.

Anthony Adams as Snarl

via tfarchive.com

It's a shame the Autobots didn't have someone that turned into a panda, otherwise this would be easy. However, I'm sticking to my Defensive Line as Dinobots theme which means the stoutest member of their ranks will go to AA, our stout run-stuffer.

Amobi Okoye as Swoop

via tfwiki.net

It does feel a little weird putting an aerial Autobot in the defensive line grouping. Though I like what I've seen out of Okoye this season as a pass-rusher on the inside. They may not use him every down, but he can swoop in and a pick up a sack once in a while (apologies for the pun).

Julius Peppers as Grimlock

via tfwiki.net

Y'all must have seen this one coming. The king of the Dinobots is the perfect choice for the king of defensive lineman. He also took a serious bite out of Megatron last week, setting the tone for a takeaway circus by forcing a fumble on the Lions' first possession. Grimlock also has some of the best lines out of the Dinobots, ones that I could imagine Peppers saying after leveling a QB. For example:

"Me, Grimlock, not 'nice dino.' Me mash brains!"
"Me Grimlock not kisser! Me Grimlock king!"

Tim Jennings as Air Raid

via tfwiki.net

Air Raid is the most vicious close-combat fighter out of the Aerialbots, much like Tim Jennings is one of the surest tacklers in the secondary. This aggressiveness can at times lead to a few mistakes, but they have the habit of making up for that with a big INT or FF. In Air Raid's case that's more like shooting a Stunticon in the face.

Major Wright as Fireflight

via tfwiki.net

Fireflight is billed as a daydreamer and innocent wanderer of the skies. This fits Wright awfully well because I've been mighty curious about what was going through his head on some of his whiffed tackles. He can still make a few plays/help out in a fight, but I wouldn't invite him to any dance competitions.

D.J. Moore as Slingshot

via tfwiki.net

Both D.J. and Slingshot have by far the biggest mouths of their respective units. They also aren't going to take any shenanigans from Decepticons or a frustrated Matthew Stafford. Brash, but they back it up by delivering some crippling laser blasts/takeaways. Also that gold grill is probably gonna cost as much as D.J's fine for retaliation.

Chris Conte as Skydive

via tfwiki.net

When drafted, most people had no idea who Conte was, so there's some sense in matching him with the most unassuming of the Aerialbots. However, their respective intellects are high. Conte is a natural free safety, which is something of a rarity for the Bears to draft. Skydive is an effortless flyer who can duplicate the flight patterns of anything in sight.

Charles Tillman as Silverbolt

via tfwiki.net

This wouldn't be complete without the leader of the Aerialbots, Silverbolt, being Charles Tillman's complement. A funny fact about Silverbolt is, he was as afraid of heights as the Bears used to be about letting Tillman play man coverage. When pressed into action their true colors showed, with Silverbolt being among the finest Autobot flyers and Tillman being able to shut down Megatron. They also throw some mean punches.

While the Aerialbots/Secondary may not seem like the most imposing unit on an individual level, combined they turn into the indomitable force known as Superion:

via upload.wikimedia.org

Hope you enjoyed the defensive installment of Chicago Bears as Transformers. Please vote on the poll for which article you want to see next.