Continuing our list of…well…read the title, buddy.
# 4. Brian Urlacher
Carrying on the tradition of the great Bears middle linebacker, Brian Urlacher has, unquestionably, been the most recent in a long line of franchise faces for the organization.
Urlacher’s abilities to run sideline to sideline, make jaw-jarring hits, and drop back in coverage have made him the ideal weapon in Chicago’s Cover 2 defense.
A contract dispute earlier this month thought to create a rift between Urlacher and the Bears organization, but general manager Jerry Angelo stepped up and made a deal. And now that the six-time Pro Bowler is happy and seemingly, feeling no ill effects from offseason neck surgery, he can get back to business.
Urlacher or Yerlicker – regardless of how you want to pronounce his name — is the big name, at the glamorous position, in the best football city in the world. Before Devin Hester, you couldn’t find a Bears jersey in the West Coast aside from Urlacher’s and Walter Payton’s.
Urlacher is a symbol of the Bears brand of tough defense, and even if he’s fallen off a little bit, just his presence alone should be enough to carry the team and turn fans into believers.