Brian Urlacher

It's time for a Bears edition of "would you rather?" starring Brian Urlacher. The question: Would you rather have Lance Louis' knee injury or Devin Hester's head injury? Let's compare. Louis tore his ACL during Sunday's win over Minnesota when he was upended on a vicious block during an interception return. Louis will miss the rest of the season. Hester sustained a concussion in the first half and was pulled for the rest of the game. Based on the Bears' handling of concussions this season, it is reasonable to assume Hester will miss Sunday's game against Seattle and, assuming he is cleared to...

I only interviewed Brian Urlacher once last season, but it was a good one. It was Nov. 9, a Friday, two days before the Texans game. The Bears were 7-1 and winners of six straight. They'd just mollywomped the Titans in Nashville 51-20, a game in which Urlacher returned an interception 46 yards for a touchdown. And this was a Friday post-practice locker room, always the loosest and rowdiest time. I was interviewing defensive linemen for a feature on the d-line “ Rush Men ”  unit and was between interviews when Matt Forte snuck into the locker room carrying a giant cardboard box over his head,...

The core of the Bears defense - Lance Briggs, Brian Urlacher, Charles Tillman and others - has been described widely as an aging unit. But these decorated veterans have performed like young and restless defenders most of this season. Briggs demonstrated his speed and agility Monday when he ran the width of the field to chase down Eagles quarterback Michael Vick. "I always take a lot of pride in that. And I think we should change [old] age to 'vintage.' I tried to do that earlier in the year," Briggs said Thursday.

It appears we have a job opening in Chicago. With Brian Urlacher's retirement official, I am afraid that we need to officially post "the guy who owns Chicago" job on Craigslist. This is a tough one, because we can't just pass it out to anyone. Past holders of this position have included: Michael Jordan, Walter Payton, Mike Ditka, Ryne Sandberg and Urlacher. Take a look around, I'm seeing zero candidates. It's a complex screening process. But Urlacher had it. Tough, loyal, played a position adored by Chicagoans.

All the pieces are in place, Brian Urlacher is back practicing, and Indy comes to town to kick off the 2012 season. Everybody happy. Big-time receivers in the house, Matt Forte and Jay Cutler happy … new offensive coaches who aren't offensive, everybody happy. Great special teams as always, offensive line is OK, everybody happy. Except I'm not happy. You're telling me a GM comes in from out of nowhere and in a matter of months addresses every major need, almost overnight seems to modernize the franchise?

When dealing with athletes' pride, concussions become an even thornier issue. Brian Urlacher says he would lie about having one. Jonathan Toews struggled with admitting he had one. Here's what Bears and Blackhawks said about their own head injuries. "Back then, it was just tape an aspirin to your helmet and you go back in. I've worked with some neurosurgeons and it's a very serious thing, man. My memory's pretty much gone. There are a lot of times when I walk into a room and forget why I walked in there.

In case you missed it, Bears minicamp wrapped up Thursday. And although the season's still a few months away, there were a few things to take from the three-day warm-up before the team reports to training camp in Bourbonnais on July 24. Tribune contributed   Not everyone's 100 percent … yet Some players are still licking their wounds. Wide receiver Alshon Jeffery, the team's second-round draft pick, missed the first day of minicamp with a lower leg injury, returned to the field Wednesday and sat out again Thursday.

Time for a nice fat reality check Friday. Bears at Giants. Yes, we return to the site where Jay Cutler was sacked nine times and got a concussion. Yes, it's still the preseason. However, it's the nastiest pass rush around. Someone needs to step up, so naturally, I predict Chris Williams and J'Marcus Webb will step back. No way the Bears are as good as they look. Injuries are bugging me. Adam Podlesh, the punter, has hurt his leg. No worries, though, it's just his kicking leg. So, that's weird.

Dear Santa, Merry friggin' Christmas. I got my friggin' list and you'd better check it twice. I've been naughty and nice, and by virtue of me living in Chicago and putting up with this constant stream of mediocrity, you're going to give me what I want this year. I'm not asking you. I'm telling you as a courtesy. You'd better start by giving me a new head coach for the Bears. Oh, there's a storm coming. And we're going nuclear. I want it blown up, torn apart and rebuilt like a modern NFL franchise.

When I'm wrong, I'm wrong and I try and tell as few people as possible. I was wrong on Lovie Smith. He's gone. I'm so used to mediocrity I was expecting another year of blank stares and putrid offenses. But something changed, and it changed on Jan. 1, 2013. Mark that date down, maybe. I saw (I should have DVR'd it) Bears general manager Phil Emery give logical, detailed answers as to what his plans were, and what his criteria are. For once, it wasn't some zombie up there deflecting questions and dodging answers.

After playing his entire 13-year NFL career with the Bears, Brian Urlacher announced his retirement Wednesday. Boiling his career down to his five most memorable games is tricky, but here's what made our list.   Sept. 17, 2000: N.Y. Giants 14, Bears 7 URLACHER: 13 tackles, first career sack A safety-turned-linebacker in college, Urlacher's Bears career began with him as a backup outside linebacker. That didn't last long. When starting middle linebacker Barry Minter got hurt in Week 2, Urlacher slid over to the middle in Week 3 and never relinquished the job. QUOTABLE: "I...

Somewhere in Chicago, the city's newest Bears fan was born today, and that child never got to see Brian Urlacher play as a Bear. In fact, I was 6 years old when Walter Payton retired, and I only hazily remember his highlights. Family members, NFL Films, YouTube, books and stat checking have filled in much of the picture, but there's nothing like watching a player week after week, season after season, to truly get a sense of his talent. So if you are the parent of a Bears fan age 6 or younger, please make sure the following information is relayed: 1. He...

When dealing with athletes' pride, concussions become an even thornier issue. Brian Urlacher says he would lie about having one. Jonathan Toews struggled with admitting he had one. Here's what Bears and Blackhawks said about their own head injuries. "Back then, it was just tape an aspirin to your helmet and you go back in. I've worked with some neurosurgeons and it's a very serious thing, man. My memory's pretty much gone. There are a lot of times when I walk into a room and forget why I walked in there.

When I'm wrong, I'm wrong and I try and tell as few people as possible. I was wrong on Lovie Smith. He's gone. I'm so used to mediocrity I was expecting another year of blank stares and putrid offenses. But something changed, and it changed on Jan. 1, 2013. Mark that date down, maybe. I saw (I should have DVR'd it) Bears general manager Phil Emery give logical, detailed answers as to what his plans were, and what his criteria are. For once, it wasn't some zombie up there deflecting questions and dodging answers.

This preseason, while asking Bears to name the special teams teammate they were most excited to watch, Eric Weems' name kept coming up. And while he is a joy to watch on the field, Weems also never bottles up his personality, which is a quality reporters love. In honor of Weems, here are 14 facts about No. 14. 1. He's 5-foot-8. Raise your hand if you are 5-8 or shorter. OK, now leave it up if you are a pro football player. Your hand just went down? Mine too! I know he's listed at 5-9, but trust me, I've stood eye to eye with this man, and I am definitely not 5-9. ...

Lots of Bears fans can rattle off Brian Urlacher's career highlights: Rookie of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, eight-time Pro Bowler, future Hall of Famer. But there is one achievement that won't show up in an on-air caption during an interview: Most career box-ups. Wait - what? "I don't talk about boxing people up," the tight-lipped Urlacher said. "I just do it. " Though Urlacher claims he's "not going to comment on the box game with the media," who better to explain the Box Game than the career leader in box-ups?

Somewhere in Chicago, the city's newest Bears fan was born today, and that child never got to see Brian Urlacher play as a Bear. In fact, I was 6 years old when Walter Payton retired, and I only hazily remember his highlights. Family members, NFL Films, YouTube, books and stat checking have filled in much of the picture, but there's nothing like watching a player week after week, season after season, to truly get a sense of his talent. So if you are the parent of a Bears fan age 6 or younger, please make sure the following information is relayed: 1. He was FAST.

It appears we have a job opening in Chicago. With Brian Urlacher's retirement official, I am afraid that we need to officially post "the guy who owns Chicago" job on Craigslist. This is a tough one, because we can't just pass it out to anyone. Past holders of this position have included: Michael Jordan, Walter Payton, Mike Ditka, Ryne Sandberg and Urlacher. Take a look around, I'm seeing zero candidates. It's a complex screening process. But Urlacher had it. Tough, loyal, played a position adored by Chicagoans.

Dear Santa, Merry friggin' Christmas. I got my friggin' list and you'd better check it twice. I've been naughty and nice, and by virtue of me living in Chicago and putting up with this constant stream of mediocrity, you're going to give me what I want this year. I'm not asking you. I'm telling you as a courtesy. You'd better start by giving me a new head coach for the Bears. Oh, there's a storm coming. And we're going nuclear. I want it blown up, torn apart and rebuilt like a modern NFL franchise.

It's time for a Bears edition of "would you rather?" starring Brian Urlacher. The question: Would you rather have Lance Louis' knee injury or Devin Hester's head injury? Let's compare. Louis tore his ACL during Sunday's win over Minnesota when he was upended on a vicious block during an interception return. Louis will miss the rest of the season. Hester sustained a concussion in the first half and was pulled for the rest of the game. Based on the Bears' handling of concussions this season, it is reasonable to assume Hester will miss Sunday's game against Seattle and,...