Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher was on the radio recently and made it clear: He wants to play in 2013, and he would prefer to end his career as a Chicago Bear.
So at the end of the day, it will come down to money. What will Urlacher want and—to put a fine point on it—can they get him cheaply?
As the team and Urlacher haven't had any contact about a new contract (according to the linked interview), one can surmise that Urlacher isn't tremendously high on their priority list.
He becomes a free agent after the Super Bowl, so unless we hear something significant before then, the team appears content to let him test the waters in free agency as they figure out their end.
Aside from monetary considerations, does it make sense to bring Urlacher back? Considering the injury issues which plagued him this season, Urlacher actually had a fairly productive year. It's clear he has at least a little left in the tank and could contribute to both production on the field as well as grooming a successor.
At the end of the day, we know Urlacher is just about done, and while you might be able to reproduce his statistical numbers, you can't easily do so with the intangibles he brings to the field.
Having him around a year to teach what he does to the next man up—be it a free agent, someone on the team now or a draft prospect—would be invaluable.
Urlacher is far more than a body tackling ball-carriers and sacking quarterbacks. On the field, he is the player who adjusts the defense based on what he sees the offense doing. He's the guy who helps disguise the intentions of the defense in the first place. Urlacher is a master at reading and reacting pre-snap.
The defense has—at the moment—been left alone, but we've already had coaching changes. We could see wholesale changes in scheme and strategy, but I think it more likely that as Trestman tries to get the offense firing on all cylinders, he leaves the defense (mostly) alone.
There are other important leaders on the defense—Julius Peppers, Charles Tillman and Lance Briggs spring to mind—but Urlacher is a Bear through and through. Keeping him in house will help the defense stay focused and stable as changes happen elsewhere.
Brian Urlacher doesn't have much more time in his career, and there are compelling arguments for letting him move on.
If he's willing to be reasonable in his contract demands and able to contribute to the transition to a younger defense, the team should do everything it can to allow him to ride off into the sunset in a Bears uniform.
Check out the B/R NFC North Facebook page. Like us and keep up with everything NFC North on Bleacher Report! Follow me on Twitter at @andrew_garda
No comments:
Post a Comment