Urlacher's departure from the game was a noble one. (Credits: Allen Eyestone/Palm Beach Post) |
Over the years we've seen so many great NFL players prolong their careers for all the wrong reasons. Emmitt Smith left the confines of Dallas in order to break Walter Payton; he just looked awkward in red. The oft-troubled Terrell Owens wasted away in Buffalo as nobody wanted him with his selfish attitude; he should have retired once the Cowboys cut him, but obviously we found out Owens was tirelessly broke and needed the money. Most famously we had Brett Favre who just simply could not retire, there was no way he could leave the spotlight until his body dragged him out of it (he's probably off somewhere plotting another return). The latest of greats to retire, Ray Lewis and most recently Brian Urlacher, did it in the way they should.
Urlacher had a spectacular 13-year career, basically becoming the backbone of the Bears defense instantly. Though his stats will never blow you away (he never led the league in any category) he was the quarterback of some of the better defenses we saw in the NFL. The era he played in was an offensive one and yet his defenses, year in and year out, were elite. The guy wasn't a box score guy, he was an eye test guy. There was this ease to his game in which he read almost every situation down to its core. Made plays with such precision and fluidity. He's a bonafide first-team hall-of-famer and a class act. The Lombardi trophy never called his name and he only appeared in the playoffs four times in 13 years, but he was a legitimate leader who simply wasn't ever gifted with a high quality offense. His '07 squad was the best one he played on and he led that defense to a third-best ranking. But he was out-dueled by the high-flying Colts offense, something he only could do so much to stop.
But what's even more impressive is that Urlacher recognized his game was on the decline and that the future wasn't going to hold much more for his legacy. After his wrist surgery in the 2009 season, Urlacher was never the same. 2010 he returned with gusto, but you could see he was a step slower; again he wasn't the same. So now with his contract up, Urlacher wanted to come back to Chicago. The organization did what it had to do and let their team leader go, especially with Urlacher ousting himself with the people of Chicago last year. There obviously had to be some tension with the Bears and Urlacher, but he eventually let it go.
You couldn't have blamed him for signing with the Vikings if he did. If your services are still desired like they reportedly were then you surely can pursue those options. But Urlacher recognized that his skills were on the downslope. Once he realized it himself, he made the right decision. There's no reason to go to Minnesota, no reason to spurn the only organization to go to its rival just to make a buck. The recognition of playing past your true prime is a hard to thing to grasp and it seems that Urlacher has got it. Putting aside your ego, whether it is self-produced or a product of your success, is something very few athletes can do. You have to salute the future hall of famer for taking higher road, for cementing his legacy in the appropriate way.
The greats of my childhood continue to fall, at least he fell the right way.
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