Chicago Bears: 7 Most Probable Future Hall of Famers Currently on the Roster

One of the many bragging rights owned by the Chicago Bears is the shear number of members enshrined in the Hall of Fame that belong to the Windy City.

Twenty-seven members are associated primarily with the Bears, and three others—Bobby Layne, Alan Page and Walt Kiesling—spent time on the Second City's roster.

There are several more players who deserve consideration from Chicago's past but have been snubbed for one reason or another.  Whether the prejudice is based on too many players from the same franchise, too many players from the same team, an overshadowing by another Hall of Famer(s) or the position that the player dominated, there is a healthy list of Bears that belong in Canton.

Before we start discussing current members of the team that could end up bronzed, let's pay respects to a certain group of guys from a certain town that begins with a "C," ends with an "O" and has "hicag" in the middle...

Rick Casares: His franchise rushing records weren't busted until Walter Payton came along.  A great rusher who was overshadowed by the legendary Jim Brown in his era.

"Mongo" Steve McMichael: Dan Hampton and Richard Dent overshadowed this warrior who registered 95 sacks in his career from the defensive tackle spot.

Ed O'Bradovich: Ed was a monstrous DE whose reign of terror was overshadowed by arguably the greatest football player ever: Dick Butkus.

Doug Boffone: Another monster of the midway who terrorized opponents but was overshadowed by Butkus early and by the teams overall ineptitude later in his career.

Jay Hilgenberg: Arguably one of the best centers ever, Hilgenberg—and several other fantastic centers league wide—has been held out due to a prejudice against offensive linemen in general and centers specifically.  Only two centers (and 14 total offensive linemen) that were drafted after the NFL/AFL merger have made the Hall of Fame—ridiculous.  Additionally, Hilgenberg played for the '85 Bears, who already have four members in the Hall.

Jimbo Covert:  See the comments on Hilgenberg. 

Gary Fencik:  Fencik was the heart and soul of the 4-6 defense, and it was Fencik who was the captain.  He retired the Bears all-time interceptions leader and is among the most underrated players of the '80s.

Joe Fortunato: Part of one of the greatest linebacking corps in history, Fortunato is a victim of being overshadowed by Bill George and Dick Butkus, both of whom he played with.

Now that we've paid homage to some of the unheralded greats, let's take a look at the current roster members that have the most probability of seeing themselves enshrined in Canton. 

Honorable Mention: Robbie Gould

Robbie Gould is flirting with being the most accurate kicker of all time, while kicking half the time in the swirling, windy hell that is Soldier Field.  Even if he hits that mark, he may not see himself bronzed, which is why he gets an honorable mention.

We discussed prejudice against positions in the opening, and no positions are more frowned upon in Canton than the kicking group.  Only one full-time placekicker has ever been enshrined, and no full-time punter has been elected to the Hall of Fame.

Considering that guys like Tom Dempsey, Gary Anderson and Mark Moseley (who was named NFL MVP in 1982) haven't even sniffed the Hall, Robbie's chances aren't exactly good.  Being one of the most accurate ever at a position that places accuracy above all else gets you a mention here.

Olin Kreutz

I'll be honest, here.  Olin is one of my personal favorites Bears ever.  

No. 57 has been the glue than has held the offense together since he took over as the starting center in 1999.

Olin has seen six Pro Bowls and been voted an All-Pro once.

Now, Olin has been said to be in decline over the past few years.  To me, that makes Olin all the more Hall of Fame worthy.  

I'm sure after reading that last sentence your response probably was something to this effect: "What?"

Let me explain.  While it is near universally accepted that Kreutz has been in decline for a few years, Pro Football Focus recently posted their Three-Year Pass Blocking Efficiency Study, which listed the effectiveness of linemen at each position over the past three seasons.

Who ranked first in the league?  Olin Kreutz.

So, here's where the reasoning in question enters play. An aging Olin Kreutz, who has been in noticeable decline in recent years, has still been the best pass blocking center in the league over the past three seasons.

If a player in decline is still the best at his job, what does that say about him in his prime?

Sadly, Olin will be hampered by the same prejudice that has plagued Jay Hilgenberg.  Only two centers drafted after the NFL merger have been elected to the Hall of Fame.  Could Olin be the third? 

Matt Forte

Forte has been in the league all of three years, so how can I place him on this list?  

Forte has superstar capabilities.  He is as much a threat receiving as he is rushing—maybe more so—and is a fantastic blocker out of the backfield.

But there are a lot of running backs, past and present, who can boast about having similar strengths, right?

While this is very true, only one has had Mike Martz: Marshall Faulk.  

Now, I'm not saying that Matt Forte is Marshall Faulk's equal.  Faulk is arguably the best back of his kind in history (with really only Roger Craig being in the conversation).  Forte has similar abilities, and Martz knows how to use them.  

As the Bears offense gets better (and it will behind an improved line), Forte will become more and more dangerous.

It's not like he hasn't produced big numbers already.  In the past three seasons, he has produced 4731 yards and 25 touchdowns rushing and receiving.

The Hall is kind to running backs, especially productive ones.  Forte stands a very good chance, should he continue down this path, of being elected to the Hall of Fame. 

Lance Briggs

Many will immediately point out that Lance has but 10.5 sacks in his eight-year career.

Very true.  Then, pass rushing is not generally Lance's job.  His job in a 4-3 Tampa-2 defense is run stoppage and coverage.  

Now, consider the rest of his career stat line: 862 tackles, 12 interceptions, nine forced fumbles, seven fumble recoveries, four defensive touchdowns and 60 passes defended.

Briggs has been elected to six Pro Bowls and to an All-Pro team.

In an era where the league is having a fling with the 3-4 defense, 4-3 linebackers are often overlooked by the fans based almost solely on sack numbers. The players and coaches know that Lance Briggs is one of the best in the league at his position, and maybe one of the best ever. 

Jay Cutler

For Jay Cutler, it will all come down to stability.

If Cutler can finally get a system in place for more than a year or two, he has the skills to be one of the best quarterbacks in league history.

Therein lies the problem.  Cutler had one offensive coordinator (Rick Dennison) for his first three seasons in the league.  He responded by making the Pro Bowl in his third season.  Then all hell broke loose, and Mike Shanahan was fired in Denver.  

We all know the story of Jay's departure, but since then, he's learned two more systems: Ron Turner's in 2009 and Mike Martz's in 2010.  

Only one quarterback in the Hall of Fame saw three offensive systems in his first five years: Dan Fouts.  What were Dans stats like in those years?

585-for-1,044 for 7,658 yards, 34 TD, 57 INT and a 67.4 quarterback rating.  

He didn't have a single season with more touchdowns than interceptions.

In other words, even for a Hall of Fame quarterback, instability in offensive systems can be destructive.

Cutler may have more problems ahead, as success in Chicago could land Mike Martz another head coaching gig.

Cutler has proven that even with revolving coordinators, he can put up very good numbers.  If he can keep a coordinator, he has Hall of Fame talent and the Bears could see a quarterback enshrined for the first time since Sid Luckman. 

Julius Peppers

Peppers body of work speaks for itself.

In nine years, he's put up 89 sacks, 33 forced fumbles, eight interceptions, two defensive touchdowns and 55 passes defended. 

Peppers is a beast.

The biggest concern I have about Peppers going into the Hall of Fame is that unless he wins a Super Bowl in the Windy City and spends at least five years on the Bears defensive line, I see him entering the Hall as a Carolina Panther.

Grr...

Devin Hester

Hester will not go in the Hall of Fame as a receiver.  

I am confident that Devin Hester will be the first person elected to the Hall of Fame based on his special teams contributions.

Devin is the return touchdown record holder, and that isn't even including his insane field goal return or being the only person to return the opening kickoff of a Super Bowl for a touchdown.

Hester has forced teams to change their approach to special teams.  What other kick returner has forced teams to put kickoffs out of bounds just to keep the ball out of his hands?

Hall of Fame players are guys who changed the way the game is played, achieved higher than their contemporaries and/or become the standard that coaches and scouts use to measure other players by.

Since Hester was taken in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft, teams have become more apt to try and duplicate the success the Bears had with Hester and have placed a higher premium on kick returners.

Hester is the definition of a Hall of Famer and will see his bust in Canton.

Brian Urlacher

No. 54 is a shoo-in to be bronzed.

Recently, he's seen a lot of hate about his chances, but if Urlacher isn't exactly what defines a Hall of Fame player, I don't know what is.

Since he was drafted in 2000, he has been the unchallenged leader of the Bears defense, which is consistently one of the best in the league and arguably (with the Ravens) the best of the last decade.

His individual accomplishments are nothing to sneeze at.  He's a seven-time Pro-Bowler, a four-time first-team All-Pro and was voted a second-team All-Pro last year after returning from a possible career-ending wrist injury that kept him out for all but one game of 2009.

In his career, he has amassed 41.5 sacks, 18 interceptions, nine forced fumbles, 11 fumble recoveries, two defensive touchdowns, 1192 tackles and 72 passes defended.

Since his drafting, he's the only linebacker in the league to accumulate 40 sacks and 15 interceptions.

Maybe more important than his statistical accomplishments is the way he plays the game. Urlacher has become the prototype for the middle linebacker in the modern passing era.  Many forget that he came into the league from New Mexico as a safety.

In the Tampa-2 defense, Urlacher's job is run defense and covering the deep middle zone—and nobody does those things better.  He has sideline to sideline speed and can cover receivers rather than just the typical TE assignments that most linebackers get.

When teams look to draft a middle linebacker, they look for a guy like Urlacher in this pass-happy age.

When a player is the definition of his position, that alone makes him Hall-worthy.  Add his statistical accomplishments, and Urlacher is a "Lach" for the Hall.

The only thing that may keep him out is the lack of a championship, but the Bears and No. 54 have time left to add that to his HOF resume.  

Let us know below what you think about the list and who doesn't belong, or who we mistakenly left off.  Sound off ladies and gentlemen, and let your voices be heard!