Brian Urlacher retired on Wednesday, ending his 13-year career as one of the best middle linebackers of the Super Bowl era. He did so playing his entire career with the Chicago Bears, refusing to take a chance with another team and staying a Bear for life. Urlacher continued the long legacy of outstanding middle linebackers in Chicago. 

His legacy is an interesting question. There is zero doubt that Urlacher will make it to Canton and get into the Hall of Fame. What is in doubt is how quickly he gets into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Urlacher is a notch below Ray Lewis, who also retired this year and will be eligible in 2018. Lewis was more widely publicized and lionized for a longer period, and he has two Super Bowl rings. Urlacher made one Super Bowl, a loss to the Colts, and has fewer Pro Bowls and All-Pro list appearances than Lewis. It’s almost inconceivable that the Hall will induct two players from the same position in the same year, certainly not first ballot players. The Hall strives, consciously or not, to avoid enshrining players from the same position in the same year to avoid direct comparison between the players. Middle linebacker isn’t the easiest position at which to get inducted, either. Harry Carson is the last Super Bowl era inside backer to achieve enshrinement, back in 2006, and only Carson and Nick Buoniconti have been elected to Canton from the position since 2000.

Also, there are many who feel that Urlacher was overrated for much of his later career. I lean perilously close to that camp myself. Part of that issue stems from being outshined by his own Bears teammate, Lance Briggs. It’s almost inarguable that Briggs has been the better player since approximately 2007. Urlacher rose up in 2010 with a superior season, but Briggs has been the more reliable, more consistent player for most of the last six years.

Voices of the media and players back this up; Urlacher has made just two Pro Bowls in that time, while Briggs has not missed a trip to Hawaii over the same era. Patrick Willis blew past Urlacher on the NFC inside backer pantheon, and London Fletcher remained far more productive for far longer as well. The knee and neck injuries took their toll on Urlacher’s effectiveness, and his loss of range robbed him of his greatest asset. 

That doesn’t mean that #54 shouldn’t be remembered as an all-time great. He was the perfect middle linebacker for the Cover-2 defense. Nobody in the modern era had Urlacher’s ability to cover the deep middle of the field from the middle linebacker spot. He never lost the coverage instincts or acumen that reflected his background as a safety in his college years in New Mexico. This ability enabled the Bears to play their corners more aggressively and allowed the safeties to focus on outside assignments rather than a more vanilla deep middle look. In a way, Urlacher was a little ahead of his time. Teams desperately covet linebackers who can cover the flexed out tight ends and not get beat down the seam, or handle the multiple TE-as-receiver looks that are becoming increasingly en vogue. Urlacher did that better than anyone.

Urlacher was more than just a cover backer, however. He was an excellent pass rusher, particularly early in his career. Few linebackers were better at stuffing the A and B gaps against the run, even as his body continued to decline. While he was never great at shedding blocks, Urlacher had legit sideline-to-sideline range against the run and underneath passes. Urlacher was beloved by the fans for his workmanlike attitude and humility off the field. Defensive teammates loved this as well; he never threw his superior ability into their faces and handled all the oft-heavy criticism from the merciless, vicious Chicago media when their collective shortcomings hindered his greatness. The Bears defenders loved his unveiled enmity of Jay Cutler, who couldn’t be a more divergent personality as a football player and teammate. Urlacher was someone the regular fan genuinely believed could sit and join them for an Old Style at the corner bar to watch a Blackhawks game and inappropriately ogle the hot bartender. That’s perfect for Chicago.

I’m very pleased he chose to retire now, rather than try to eke out another substandard season in another uniform. The proverbial writing was on every wall. Lovie Smith is no longer the coach, and the Bears summarily told him his services were no longer needed. The free agent market was largely cool to Urlacher as well; nobody offered him the kind of money he expected, and few teams even gave him a sniff. The body just isn’t what it used to be, and it impacted his ability. It’s hard to go out like that, unwanted and on the down note of two seasons in a row of epic team collapses, but this is the right time for Urlacher to call it a career. There is definitely something noble and endearing about playing a great career all in one uniform, and Brian Urlacher did that just as Dick Butkus and Mike Singletary before him. Congratulations on a great career!