Urlacher's Playing Days Numbered?

[OS PA]

Bears LB Urlacher playing with arthritis in back
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Associated Press

CHICAGO -- Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher all but confirmed an Internet report that he has an arthritic back after a subpar performance in Sunday's 16-7 loss to the Detroit Lions.

Urlacher was credited with just four tackles on Sunday, another poor performance in an inconsistent season for him.

The six-time Pro Bowl selection told foxsports.com that his back has been bothering him since training camp and that he recently had a specialist in Pittsburgh examine it.

"He confirmed what the team told me, that they think it's an arthritis type of thing," Urlacher was quoted as saying in a story posted Sunday afternoon. "The thing that's so frustrating is there is no clear-cut solution to give me relief. I just have to deal with the pain."

Asked if that report was accurate, Urlacher said "probably," but had little else to say after the game other than he will answer fans' questions on foxsports.com. It was not clear when he will do that.

The Bears would not confirm the report.

Urlacher, who has been inconsistent this season, has said little to reporters in recent weeks, often limiting his responses to one or two words. He had 15 tackles in the season opener at San Diego and 13 last week at Philadelphia. But he had just five against Minnesota on Oct. 14 and three against Dallas in Week 3, although he contributed two sacks in that game.

"As far as what I know about Brian, he played today, he's not on the injury list," coach Lovie Smith said. "As far as his back, there's nothing wrong with his back that would cause him not to be able to play."



As far as I know, Arthritis gets worse and worse the more you aggravate the area in which it resides. If Urlacher does have arthritis in his back, it would appear that he only has a few years left until the pain gets to him. If you haven't noticed, he is playing at an incredibly subpar level this season.

Any thoughts?

[MadtownPacker]

I wonder how many times urlacher has looked at Favre and wondered to himself "what if #4 was the bears QB?".

Lately he looks like he is always pissed off when the show him during games. Probably mad his career has been wasted holding opposing offenses down only to watch his own offense do nothing. It would almost be kinda sad if he wasnt a bear. :cry:

:D

[RashanGary]

Doesn't suprise me. I've been watching teh Bears more closely now than ever in the past and grlacker has been a very average player. Maybe he was good (before the back) and now is average. That would explain the grlacker hype, but he's not a top notch player now or even a probowl player except for reputation. Honestly, I think Barnett is outplaying grlacker; not just in stats, but with his on field impact.

[The Leaper]

Urlacher is one of the most overrated players in the NFL. Most of the times I've seen him this year, he's been an average player at best.

[RashanGary]

He was about even with Barnett last year. Below Barnett this year.

Maybe 3/4 years ago he was great. I don't know, I didn't follow the Bears closely enough to say. I can say that the last two years he has not been a special player at all. Very underwhelming.

I was beginning to think the Urlacher hype was just a big market exaggeration, but maybe he really was good a couple years ago and just stinks now. I don't know? ? He did have a good game a gainst Arizona last year on Monday night. I suppose that is enough in a big market to give him hype for 2 more years.

[Cheesehead Craig]

In his prime, he was a beast. Let's give credit where it's due. But the last 2 years there has been a noticeable drop in his playing.

[Scott Campbell]

I feel bad for the guy. If true, this could make his life after football full of pain.

[GrnBay007]

I feel bad for the guy. If true, this could make his life after football full of pain.

Yep! And it's not even something a surgery can fix.

[RashanGary]

His numbers haven't really dropped. He still got 6 sacks last year, which his above his season average

He plays that zone pretty well. He's still putting up normal numbers for his career. I just don't think he's a high impact player. Barnett seems more disruptive to me. Maybe Urlacher was a beast a couple years back, but his numbers were no better, so I question that.

[The Leaper]

In his prime, he was a beast.

How so? His main strength is coverage, not stopping the run. His speed allows him to pressure the passer well, because he has above average size for a modern LB.

However, he always has been a LB you can run at...which IMO makes it difficult to qualify him as a beast. Ray Lewis is a beast...getting 150 tackles a year consistently along with compareable production in terms of sacks and turnovers to Urlacher. Urlacher has only gone over 125 tackles twice in the last 7 years.

Is he a very good player? Yes. Beast? No. In terms of production, he really hasn't done much more than Barnett has except notch some additional sacks. Barnett...very good player? Yes. Beast? No.

[Cheesehead Craig]

In his prime, he was a beast.

How so? His main strength is coverage, not stopping the run. His speed allows him to pressure the passer well, because he has above average size for a modern LB.

However, he always has been a LB you can run at...which IMO makes it difficult to qualify him as a beast. Ray Lewis is a beast...getting 150 tackles a year consistently along with compareable production in terms of sacks and turnovers to Urlacher. Urlacher has only gone over 125 tackles twice in the last 7 years.

Is he a very good player? Yes. Beast? No. In terms of production, he really hasn't done much more than Barnett has except notch some additional sacks. Barnett...very good player? Yes. Beast? No.
He was far better vs the run several years ago than he is now. I'll agree that now he's not as good as he was. He used to attack the line of scrimmage far better and with more aggression. I think he's gotten more worried about getting injured than about stopping a runner.

Granted, he's had a very good DL to play behind in the past and that may have inflated how good he was. But back in 00-04, he made a lot of plays.

[Carolina_Packer]

It pisses me off that we lost to them, given how bad they are. Obviously we beat ourselves, but they took advantage, but that's a game you'd like back and they are buried, which they may be anyway. If we win tonight against Denver to hold off the Lions and can manage a win against KC, the Vikes and Carolina at home, it could set up really well for Thanksgiving @ Detroit. It's good for the division to have a rivalry in any given year.

[mraynrand]

Urlacher is great sideline to sideline and in coverage. Very good, but not tremendous hitter/tackler. He struggles to fight off blocks, and he's just so-so filling a hole - unless you count Paris Hilton. He's a terrific athlete - the kind of LB you might expect from a converted safety. The arthritis thing sounds rough - there's a lot of people out there who have to deal with rheumatoid arthritis every day, and that probably hurts a hell of a lot more than what he's got. Still, if he's smart, he'll retire sooner than later.

[HarveyWallbangers]

IMHO, Urlacher has been one of the best LBs in the league, but not one of the all-time greats. He's an athletic freak. He can cover. He can blitz. He can go sideline-to-sideline with the best of them. Like most LBs, he has struggled when you get people on him.

[gbgary]

aren't all player's playing days numbered? hell, i'm listed as day-to-day.

[MJZiggy]

Someone put me on the PUP list so I can go back to bed?

[Jimx29]

Urlacher is one of the most overrated players in the NFL. Most of the times I've seen him this year, he's been an average player at best.Now that vick is out of the scene, yep

[Deputy Nutz]

I used to be the guy that called Brian Urlacher overrated and then I watched him cover wide receivers down the field like he was a defensive back. his drops are unbelievable. You can't get it down the middle of the field in the Bears Cover 2 because Urlacher can cover anyone, especially tight ends from the line of scrimmage to the endzone. True he has had his problems when teams load up and run right at him, but tell that Barnett hasn't? Barnett gets his ass handed to him by guards and fullbacks that get free releases on him.

Please don't sit here and look at tackling stats on the internet and tell me Urlacher and Barnett are comparable players.

Someone mentioned a few sacks, sacks are kind of important.

[Partial]

I used to be the guy that called Brian Urlacher overrated and then I watched him cover wide receivers down the field like he was a defensive back. his drops are unbelievable. You can't get it down the middle of the field in the Bears Cover 2 because Urlacher can cover anyone, especially tight ends from the line of scrimmage to the endzone. True he has had his problems when teams load up and run right at him, but tell that Barnett hasn't? Barnett gets his ass handed to him by guards and fullbacks that get free releases on him.

Please don't sit here and look at tackling stats on the internet and tell me Urlacher and Barnett are comparable players.

Someone mentioned a few sacks, sacks are kind of important.

Finally, a voice of reason.

[HarveyWallbangers]

Please don't sit here and look at tackling stats on the internet and tell me Urlacher and Barnett are comparable players.

Urlacher has been a great player, and Barnett hasn't been comparable in years past. However, Barnett has been playing well enough this year to give Urlacher a run for a Pro Bowl berth.

[The Leaper]

Please don't sit here and look at tackling stats on the internet and tell me Urlacher and Barnett are comparable players.

I'm not. I'm looking at the guys on the field right now, and Barnett is a BETTER player at this point. He's making plays all over the field. Urlacher is not.

So, if a guy is a beast, he shouldn't be inferior to Barnett while still in the supposed "prime" of his career. I'm not saying Urlacher isn't a good player...just arguing that he is or ever was a "beast".

Butkus was a beast. Urlacher is a glorified strong safety.

[KYPack]

IMHO, Urlacher has been one of the best LBs in the league, but not one of the all-time greats. He's an athletic freak. He can cover. He can blitz. He can go sideline-to-sideline with the best of them. Like most LBs, he has struggled when you get people on him.

HW has broken the code. BU is one of the best cover linebackers ever, but nowhere near the elite class of mikes that can shed a blocker and must be double teamed to run on. He also had a stellar cast of characters in front of him to shield him & help him make plays. He was one of the top guys in the league, but nowhere near HOF quality like Ray Lewis.

If he fades as fast as it looks this season, he won't be rememberd long. The guy could play and he was in the right place at the right time, but he'll be pretty much over soon.

I'm not gloating, he deserved his accolades, but he needed the help he had to play at the level he did.