Urlacher Kicks The Bears While They're Down
Injured Chicago linebacker Brian Urlacher, long considered the leader of this Bears team, watched Sunday's embarrassing loss to the Minnesota Vikings with Yahoo! Sports reporter Michael Silver. Of struggling quarterback Jay Cutler, Urlacher said:
"Look, I love Jay, and I
understand he's a great player who can take us a long way, and I still
have faith in him. But I hate the way our identity has changed. We used
to establish the run and wear teams down and try not to make mistakes,
and we'd rely on our defense to keep us in the game and make big plays
to put us in position to win. Kyle Orton might not be the flashiest
quarterback, but the guy is a winner, and that formula worked for us. I
hate to say it, but that's the truth."
Today, Urlacher was quick to clarify his controversial comments. From the Chicago Tribune:
"I'm
not taking a shot at Jay. I'm not one bit taking a shot at Jay. He throws it better, right? And we haven't tried to run
the ball as much. That's true. But Kyle has won games. His formula works. So I'm not taking a shot at Jay or Kyle.''
He may not want to admit it, but no matter how you look at it, Urlacher is labeling Orton a winner and Cutler as a talented player who just can't win. And, truth be told, this Bears team (one that allowed the Vikings
to amass 537 total yards Sunday) isn't strong enough defensively to
fall back on their old formula of good defense, conservative offense. By making those comments, all Urlacher does is stir up controversy and kick his teammates while they're down.
Before the 2009 season began, Vikings receiver Bobby Wade told a radio station
that Urlacher had referred to the new Bears QB as a "pussy." Whether
or not that story had any validity, Urlacher's most recent comments are
sure to bring back talk of a rift between the two most recognizable
faces of this franchise. And yet Urlacher didn't seem too worried about possible fallout from his comments.
"I
do like Jay. He's a cool dude. But the way things are going
right now, anything you say that appears to be derogatory, they're
going to run with it. That's for damn sure. People are going to
think I'm taking shots at my teammates, but I'm not. The guys that have
been around here and have played with me would know my tone of voice
when I'm saying that (stuff). I don't feel like I said anything bad
about Jay.''
Urlacher's teammates may get him, but I certainly don't. The notoriously media shy LB
finally
decides to stir things up in the press NOW? When he's on the sideline
and can't do a thing to effect wins and losses. On the night his team
suffers one of their most embarrassing losses in years. When talk of
his beloved head coach losing his job heats up more than ever. Sounds like a bunch of sour grapes, to me.
Later in his conversation with Silver, after a screen pass to Matt
Forte got stuffed, Urlacher mocked the second-year back's ability to
beat defenders:
"You know why that doesn't work? We don't make anyone [expletive]
miss. I guess I just don't realize what great tacklers these
[opposing defenders] are. They're amazing.''
His sarcastic tone doesn't mask his potshot.
It's nice to know that Urlacher is just as angry as fans about what's become of
this season, but his comments were too personal to be
considered constructive. It's understandable that he's frustrated. What's not okay, is for him to use a public forum to air his
grievances.
One of the qualities that most determines an athlete's success is
competitiveness. Urlacher has always been lauded for his passion and
desire, for how hard he plays. It's clear that he's having trouble
sitting out this season while his team falls apart.
He expressed that frustration to Silver in no uncertain terms:
"Being injured [expletive] sucks, man. It's the worst. In '04 I
missed seven games [with a hamstring injury], but I knew I was coming
back. It was different. This is brutal. I want to be a part of the
solution, but the reality is, I'm just a guy."
For years, fans have wanted to hear more from Urlacher, the player.
Now, comments from Urlacher, "the guy," do nothing but pull the cord on
a season that was dead anyway.
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4 Comments
AndCounting said:
On the Cutler thing, I agree with 54. I don't think it's a slight against Jay to call Orton a winner and the new identity detestable. I don't know what they do when they get of the bus, but it's not running the football anymore. I know Forte has struggled, but you can't call 8 rushes for 27 yards a bad rushing day--it's an incomplete. The Bears aren't even giving the running game a chance to fail. Yes, they were behind most of the game, but the 2008 Bears would have racked up 8 rushes in the first quarter (and during the Vikings game, that was when the score was tied). I don't blame Urlacher for saying a pass-only offense is not Chicago Bear football.
On the Forte can't make people miss issue, though, that's crap. No one can expect Forte to miss 3-4 guys at a time, and that's the minimum number of opposing players who swarm Forte on the average touch. Urlacher just needs to understand that not everyone has the God-given athleticism to be as elusive as Tom Brady.
Balboa said:
Any guy wearing a cast on the sidelines should keep is stupid mouth shut, just like when that MMA fighter called him out for opening his mouth.....Urlacher, could we get a 2nd round pick for him?
Jay is the QB.....the Bears have way more pressing issues than the QB..No line on either side of the ball, no special players anywhere....Coaches who have lost the team, coaches who are constantly out coached...Smith and Turner need to go....
Newskoolbulls said:
Great quotes by BU. All the time people fall in love with the talented player who hasnt won a thing but forget the player who is not as talented but works twice as hard and has a better resume.
Big Bob in SC said:
When else can he kick them? They're always down but not quite out. Someone needss to kick these bozos. Unlovie, the enabler, never does.
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