Brian Urlacher, Hall of Famer?

i guess i'm in the 'he's overrated' class, but concede he'll be an hof'er. not first ballot, necessarily, but eventually, sure. maybe he's hurt in my eyes playing in the same era as ray lewis, but i've just never considered him the unstoppable force plugging the middle. but not being as good as ray lewis isn't what should be what keeps someone out of the hof...

but i just don't think the hof looks kindly upon linebackers who don't sack the qb much in this era. however, i certainly see brian as a guy who will be eligible in the voting long enough to slide in when the year is right. remember, much of the football hof is about timing, with a minumum required annually.

 

Helped by the market he plays in. If he had been drafted by the Browns or Chargers, he would have been invisible.

There are plenty of great linebackers not in the Hall of Fame.

 

He's not that kind of middle linebacker. He's good but not great at plugging up the middle and blitzing.

At his best, he can simultaneously act as a third safety in the intermediate middle and make running the sweep almost impossible. The entire defensive design hinges on his ability to do those two things.

 

I don't think that's what he meant.

I know... The guy misses most of one season with (IIRC) a torn pectoral muscle and people start talking like he's brittle.

My bad... It was a wrist injury... I fucking knew that...

 

Yeah, I guess he's in.

But he's no Ray Lewis.

 

I think people think Urlacher is overrated because he's not a middle linebacker in the same mold of other great middle linebackers. He doesn't hit like Butkus or plug holes like, run through blocks like Singleterry or blow guys up like Lewis. I think he is, however, one of the best linebacker/safety hybrids the game has seen. When the Bears Cover 2 was at it's best, it was because he could cover so much ground and run down anything to the outside.

Lance Briggs is going to have to be content with getting in the Arizona Wildcat HOF, because he's going to need to buy a ticket to Canton.

 

I think with defensive players, it can be tough to gauge.

Obviously, he's not Ray Lewis and he's not Lawrence Taylor or Butkus or even Singletary, and I don't think he was in the NFL's top 100 (not that that means a lot...) but he's been the cornerstone of a pretty good defense that hasn't won a title, but has done pretty well.

 

Double Down hits it on the head. Urlacher plays in a Cover 2 defense, and he's perfectly suited for it. He doesn't "plug the middle" because he's too busy covering running backs and tight ends and slot receivers. All of which, of course, takes place out of camera view but is essential for the scheme to thrive.

 

Agree about Briggs. Not quite there...

 

He's better than Singletary.

 

couldn't disagree more.

 

I think this is pretty much accepted as common knowledge in Chicago.