The Chicago Bears Should've Traded Brian Urlacher When they Had the Chance

(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

The Urlacher jersey hanging in my living room reminds me of the good ol' days. Remember? The days when Brian Urlacher was the best defensive player in the league; the days when he was an iron man; the days when he looked like he could play into his 40s?

Those days are long gone.

Another season has been cut short for Urlacher, this time due to a wrist injury. I'm actually going to say it:

The Chicago Bears should've traded Brian Urlacher when they had the chance. They should've seen this dramatic decline coming. Unfortunately, the Bears' front office, much like Bears' fans, clung to their fanhood. It seems impossible to blaspheme and say our once-favorite player, a former wrecking ball and defensive player of the year, is way past his prime.

It's hard. It's unfathomable. It makes me throw up a little in my mouth. Say it with me:

The Bears should've traded Brian Urlacher when they had the chance.

When his back and neck problems became serious issues, they should've traded him. Half the teams in the league would've looked past his injuries in the hopes that he would rebound to the surefire hall-of-famer he once resembled. The Bears could've gotten a first round pick, surely at least a second and fourth, MAYBE even a first and third, the asking price for most star players these days.

But they didnt, and here we are with an over-the-hill, injury prone, over-paid shell of the star linebacker we once had.

Urlacher would still be able to excel as an inside linebacker in the 3-4, where he would be asked to cover less ground and could escape the cover-two system he so hates.

We could've (and should've) shipped him to Denver as part of the Cutler trade. We could've held on to our picks and done a straight-up trade: Orton and Urlacher for Cutler.

It sounds insane, I know. But we as Bears fans have to face facts, he's done.

He can't possibly miss a full season at his age, after two slump seasons, and come back and be a playmaker, maybe not even a solid contributor.

Now, Lance Briggs will have to be shifted to the middle and the Bears will be forced to pursue 36-year-old former Buccaneer Derrick Brooks. I'm not saying that won't be a decent short-term fix, but it's not nearly as good as if the Bears had traded Urlacher and spent a high-pick on a qualified, true middle linebacker.

But here we are, burned again by Urlacher's inability to stay healthy and general inability to perform when healthy. The glory days are over, it's time to draft a replacement.

Unfortunately, it's three years too late for a blockbuster trade.

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