| Michael J. Jones. 25th September, 2009 - 11:05 am
 After linebacker Brian Urlacher suffered a season-ending injury in Week 1, many thought the Bears would have a huge hole in their defense.
Many wrote and felt that Chicago's defense would not be the same without him. ESPN reported that in the seven games Urlacher missed due to injury in 2004, the Bears were 0-7. However, what wasn't reported was that in 2004 the Bears had quarterback and running back issues and struggled mightily to score points. They also had linebacker Lance Briggs in just his second season as a pro and tackle Tommie Harris and cornerback Nathan Vasher as rookies.
Things have certainly changed now. They no longer have issues at quarterback or running back and the defense is a much more experienced and talented than it was in 2004.
If you need further proof that the Bears can survive without Urlacher, look no further than at the first two weeks of the season. The Bears played their arch rivals, the Green Bay Packers, in Week 1 and performed well even though Urlacher was lost in the first half. The Bears lost that game not because of Urlacher's absence, but because of poor play in the secondary and Jay Cutler's rough outing.
In that game the Bears held Ryan Grant to a total of 61 yards. They allowed Green Bay just 226 total yards and Aaron Rogers didn't pass for a touchdown until the final two minutes of the game. Adewale Ogunleye looked like his Pro-Bowl self after dominating those who tried to block him all game as he picked up two sacks. In Week 2, the Bears defense continued to perform well by holding last year's Super Bowl champions, the Pittsburgh Steelers, to 14 points. This time defensive end Alex Brown picked up two sacks and the team held the Steelers to a total of 105 yards rushing while also forcing two turnovers.
Another fact that gets lost in the discussion is Chicago's other supremely talented defenders. Briggs will now be able to step in and become the main leader and is believed to be capable of that task. He led the team in tackles last season, accumulating 17 more than Urlacher. The defensive line also looks to be solid this season as Ogunleye already has two sacks after he tallied five in all of 2008. Brown stepped up in Week 2 as well.
Still, there are doubts as Hunter Hillenmeyer must step in replace Urlacher at middle linebacker. When Hillenmeyer was asked if he could live up to the task after Week 1, he stated: "My job is not to go try to be Brian Urlacher. My job is to go play the best that I can ... It's not my burden. It's the whole defense's burden when you lose a guy like him."
One player does not make up a defense; instead it is eleven guys who have to play well and as a unit for a defense to be successful. No one is denying the fact that Urlacher is the leader on-and-off the field, but he is only one guy. It is going to take a team effort to replace the impact that Urlacher has and they already have shown that it can be done.
If the Bears want to look at another option, there are two veteran linebackers out there that can strengthen their attack: Zach Thomas and Derrick Brooks.
Thomas is a Pro-Bowl caliber linebacker that had one more tackle than Urlacher last season as a member of the Dallas Cowboys. Brooks is another option as head coach Lovie Smith is very familiar with him from their time together in Tampa Bay.
However, it seems as though the Bears might be satisfied with the team they have for the time being. If their defense continues to play like they have to begin the season, and Hillenmeyer does a serviceable job in the middle, than they may not even need to look at signing a guy like Brooks or Thomas.
The bottom line is that the Bears' defense will be fine without Urlacher.
They will take on the Seattle Seahawks, who will probably be playing without Matt Hasselback, this Sunday, which means that they won't face a challenging offensive team until Week 6 when they travel to Atlanta. After that, only seven of their next eleven games will be against offensive teams.
Without Urlacher, the Bears are still a playoff contender and will compete for the division title. |
