Brian Urlacher Still Absent; Bears Still Expect Him Back Soon

Brian Urlacher didn't play in Thursday's season-ending destruction preseason exhibition opener against the Broncos. Actually, he hasn't practiced at all since the end of July. And all the while, Lovie Smith and the Bears continue to say that he's fine, he's just away for a personal matter and they expect him back on the field soon.

Now whether he's away for a truly personal reason or whether it's more related towards his knee injury suffered last season (and him needing more rest) is another thing. But in situations like this where you can't necessarily trust what the team itself is saying, you can look at what the team is doing - or not - to more closely infer what they're thinking.

And in this case, it's probably what the team isn't doing. Brad Biggs brought up a very good point on Twitter earlier today that if the team were truly more concerned about Urlacher's knee, they'd've signed someone off the street for depth. You're not really going to find much in the way of a starter off the street, but at least another body who's able to provide time at the Mike, or the Sam when Nick Roach is playing the middle. To be fair though, Geno Hayes looked like a guy that wants to play some strong-side linebacker, but based off overreacting to Thursday's game, the team could probably use an upgrade over Dom DiCicco or Patrick Trahan.

And as far as missing preseason time, the only time that we should really be concerned about Urlacher missing is a few snaps here or there to get himself re-acclimated to hitting and game speed. There's nothing more he really needs to learn about the defense.

Are you concerned at all about Urlacher's continued absence?