Goodbye, Adewale Ogunleye, Possessor Of Better Name Than “Aaron Kampman”
He was such a force in the NFC championship three years ago. With exception to the Cutler-for-rights-to-participate-in-the-NFL-Draft swap, he was the recompense in the Bears’ biggest trade of the last 10 years. And I so proudly learned to say his name correctly. For these reasons, I’m going to miss Adewale Ogunleye.
Remember, he was the Bears’ best defensive end before Alex Brown broke out these last couple of years. And while he never duplicated his 15-sack season with Miami, he was a critical cog to the Bears’ defensive prominence in 2005 and 2006.
Is there any moment in the Saints-Bears NFC Championship game that stands out more to you than O-Gun professing the Bears’ safety of Drew Brees with hands pushed together overhead? You could argue Berrian’s remarkable, falling down touchdown grab or Reggie Bush’s idiotic, look-back-and-point at Urlacher before front-flipping into irrelevance plays do, but for me, Ogunleye signaling the safety was the iconic moment of that game.
It’s going to be hard to replace his 42 sacks over seven seasons in Chicago. It’ll be harder to replace his poise. Real poise, not Mark Sanchez poise. In a world where most athletes come across as having a 10th-grade reading level, Ogunleye was articulate, mature and thoughtful. Hell, he’s even lobbying for his replacement!
Any team out there looking for a solid defensive end, one heck of a teammate, and a name so much more bad-ass than Aaron Kampman, look no further, Adewale Ogunleye is your man.
Enjoy this fan-eye video of the Bears’ safety during the NFC Championship.
