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.