Brian Urlacher downplays calf injury
Normally, a small calf injury wouldn’t be such a big deal, but Bears fans held their breath as linebacker Brian Urlacher was injured in Chicago’s preseason game against the Oakland Raiders. Urlacher missed 15 games of last season after he dislocated his wrist in the season opener.
The Bears are just not the same without Urlacher, and last season proved it as the Bears struggled to a 7-9 record and missed the playoffs for a third straight year. The defence clearly was missing the glue that has held them together in recent years. Urlacher’s best days may be behind him but he is still the leader of this team and that void is the hardest to replace.
Urlacher strained his left calf on the opening series against Oakland and did not return to the game. Urlacher assured reporters that the injury was not serious and he shouldn’t miss too much action.
“On like the third play, I was running and I felt like a cramp," Urlacher told reporters. "Then, on the next play, I couldn't put pressure on it. Then I was out. ... I had a similar-type injury (in 2007) on a Tuesday, and I ended up playing that Thursday (at Washington). I'm not going to speculate on how long, but I'll be fine.”
Urlacher has been to six Pro Bowls in his career and has been the anchor of the Bears defence the whole way. The energy of the unit feeds off of him and his return to action this year should provide the Bears with a spark that was missing last year.
The Bears may have made some efforts to improve their offence, but what’s more important for them this season is to restore their once dominant defence. They’ll have to earn back their nicknames ‘Monsters of the Midway,’ and Urlacher will have to be the biggest monster of them all if the Bears are to go far this season.
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