Day: January 7, 2011

Brian Urlacher Doesn’t Get It

Vaughn McClure at the Chicago Tribune writes about Brian Urlacher‘s objection to Julius Pepper‘s roughing the passer penalty last Sunday.  Urlacher makes the following two contradictory statements literally in the same breath:

“The ref said to Pep, ‘You didn’t have to hit him.’ Well, [Green Bay quarterback Aaron] Rodgers didn’t have to sprint out, either.  He didn’t have to take the snap.

“Pep didn’t hit him in the head. It was a good hit. It wasn’t late. I don’t understand the rules, but they’re going to do what they want to do. But the penalty could have cost us.”

Urlacher simply can’t wrap his head around the fact that the NFL is changing and he has to change with it.  The statement “You didn’t have to hit him” when you are talking about a quarterback in today’s NFL means the hit was late.

There’s nothing to “not understand” about this rule.  I personally didn’t agree with the call because I don’t think Peppers could have pulled up.  But the referee did and that’s the point.

Defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli has stressed the need to adjust to the new way that the game is being officiated on defense:

“We had to adjust, because those are the rules.  The team that adjusts the quickest and fastest will continue to play hard and fast.”

Anyone with any common sense must agree.  And yet here is Brian Urlacher’s statement:

“Heck no, I’m not going to change [the way I play].  I miss enough tackles without second-guessing. It’s a physical game. I’m not going to not take a shot because I’m afraid of getting fined.”

Then the Bears are doomed.  It is, in fact, amazing that they haven’t been fined more by the NFL already, a fact which McClure points out.

Let’s put it this way.  If Bears center Olin Kreutz were to make the following statement, how would Urlacher, indeed the rest of the league, react:  “Heck no, I’m not going to change.  I miss enough blocks without second-guessing. It’s a physical game. I’m not going to not block a guy in the back.”

Urlacher has to realize his statement is no less ridiculous.  Tackling on defense from now, particularly tackling quarterbacks, isn’t any different than blocking on offense.  If Urlacher wants to call it “second guessing” so be it.   He’s going to have to play with his head as well as his body.  He’s going to have to exert control over his emotions or the game will pass him by and the Bears with him.

    “Vince Lombardi” Motivates the Teams for Wild Card Weekend and Other News

    Bears

    “I don’t even know why that is even important to anybody,” Angelo said. “I’ve heard it. … It’s no big deal. … I am very fortunate to be here, and as long as I am blessed with health, I continue to do what I love to do, and that’s being a part of football.”

    I haven’t seen a transcript of the press conference so I don’t know what else was said.  But that’s not a denial.

    “Maybe [Angelo] was referring to his litany of personnel mistakes when he admired the team for overcoming ‘all it has been through.’

    “What?

    Angelo would be correct if what he meant was that not fielding a professional offensive line can be an obstacle. It also is problematic that he plopped an eternally mortal cast of receivers in Jay Cutler‘s lap.

    “Did you ever dream you’d be thinking “Man, we gotta get Earl Bennett back” as you were after the Bears’ 10-3 loss in Green Bay on Sunday?”

    To be fair, the column should be balanced against Dan Pompei‘s more positive article yesterday.

    “A No. 2 seed is usually a solid team, a team people feel is a favorite to win everything,” said John Avello, director of race and sports book operations at the Wynn. “But that’s not the case with the Bears.

    “Eleven-to-1 to win the Super Bowl for a second seed is the biggest number I can remember putting up. But once you get to this point, we’ve seen the Giants run the table, and the Steelers too.”

    For what its worth, the Bears seem to have beaten the odds all season.

    Elsewhere

    “In any event, the Panthers had better choose wisely [in the draft]: They have the first pick for a reason, and that reason is that they were the worst team in the league this season. Oh, and they don’t have a second-round pick because they traded what turned out to be the 33rd pick in this year’s draft to the Patriots to acquire the 89th pick in last year’s draft. They used that pick to draft Armanti Edwards, a wide receiver who played in three games and didn’t catch a single pass as a rookie.”

    • Florio says that Miami GM Jeff Ireland was breaking the unwritten rule that says that you don’t interview people for head coaching jobs that are currently occupied, in this case by Tony Sparano. In fairness, Jay Galzer at FOX sports said last night on the Tony Bruno Show that Ireland has been pushing owner Stephen Ross to retain Sparano. Its more than likely that Ross, who is less likely to understand or care about such niceties, is the one who wanted to interview Stanford head coach Jim Harbaugh without firing Sparano first.
    • Former Bear Adam Archuletta is reportedly engaged to this:

    • “Vince Lombardi” opens Wild Card weekend with words of encouragement for the teams involved in Saturday’s playoff games. (I wish I could have embedded this video into the page. It’s absolutely beautiful.)
    • The Vikings are reportedly interviewing Josh McDaniels for offensive coordinator and Mike Singletary for linebackers coach (via Seifert). McDaniels is likely a candidate in Kansas City as well, where he’d be a better fit. But it might depend upon whether he wants to work with head coach Todd Haley.
    • Mark Schlereth at ESPN thinks the Packers will beat the Eagles this weekend by blitzing Michael Vick:

    One Final Thought

    Isreal Idonije on Brian Urlacher (via McClure):

    “He hasn’t changed. He’s the same guy. He worked tirelessly to get back to the player he was after last year’s (wrist) injury. Adversity never got him to the point where it changed his attitude. Through everything, he just has been an incredible leader.”