Chicago Bears: Why Brian Urlacher Isn't the Best MLB of Past 25 Years

The middle linebacker position evokes historic images of hard hitting, brutal play, and in Chicago, the position has certainly been well covered over the years, with Dick Butkus perhaps being the best of all time.

Meanwhile, as current Bears MLB Brian Urlacher starts to grow older, it's fair to start thinking about where he ranks among the elites of all time at his position.

As a Bears fan, this pains me to write, but as great as Urlacher has been, he is simply not the best to have played the position over the past quarter century.

That distinction belongs to the Baltimore Ravens' Ray Lewis.

Look, this isn't so much about Urlacher's play as it is how great Lewis has been and continues to be. No, he's no longer the best linebacker in the NFL. That distinction probably belongs to Patrick Willis.

But to still be mentioned among the best after playing in the NFL for 15 seasons is a strong testament to how great the man truly is.

Urlacher goes back on coverage as well as any linebacker has, and yes, the defensive scheme the Bears have employed has done him no favors. But Lewis is a killer. On the field, that is.

His rap sheet aside, Lewis has simply been the single most feared tackler and hitter in the NFL for 15 years. In comparison, Urlacher doesn't strike the same fear and seems to have peaked after just 11 years, including one season where he did not play.

Of course, we've all heard the criticism that Urlacher does not shed blockers well. But is that a fair assessment?

I think it was earlier in his career and even Urlacher has admitted to a tendency in the past to overuse his shoulders in taking on blocks, which at times, contributed to difficulty in getting off them.

As Michael C. Wright of ESPNChicago.com quotes, "There were times where I would just throw my [shoulder into a blocker]. I'm still learning how to play linebacker. [I've] been [playing] a while, but I'm still [learning] to use my hands," Urlacher explained. "That's an ongoing process for me. I think [it's that way with] all linebackers; using your hands and getting off blocks, and shedding guys. That's just always a battle."

I do think Urlacher eventually makes the Hall of Fame, although a Super Bowl ring would certainly help his cause. Did I mention that Lewis has one?

Plus, he is not considered ferocious. Like it or not, but MLBs are expected to be feared. Sure, Urlacher makes all the plays, but he does not strike fear in the opponents.

That is something that Urlacher has to fight, especially in a town that boasts some of the all-time greats at the position.

Lewis does not have to be concerned about any of that. The Ravens have only existed since 1996, and there has been no doubt that he is the alpha dog of that team.

So what makes a great middle linebacker?

As Nate Davis of USAToday writes, "It's a position where you have to a sure tackler and a strong leader. But it's also quite cerebral. Middle linebackers are often charged with making calls in the huddle and pre-snap adjustments—vital duties less glorious than those of pass-rushing 3-4 outside linebackers."

Comparing MLBs to defensive ends, he continues. "They're the guys that get all the sack numbers," says the Jets' David Harris, who embraces his job's lack of cachet. "Guys in the middle make all the calls but don't get all the recognition."

As Davis continues to quote from Harris, "He's (Lewis) been doing this a long time at a very high level," he says. "It's unusual in this day in sports. He's been the leader of a great defense for over a decade. (And) his leadership skills? There's no one like him."

"If Lewis—a 12-time Pro Bowler and seven-time first-team all-pro who's thrived in 4-3 and 3-4 defenses—isn't the ideal prototype for an inside linebacker, what would constitute such a paradigm?"

To which former Bears great Mike Singletary responds in the USAToday article, "He'd look like Ray Lewis—a combination of Ray and Patrick Willis, hands down," Singletary says, citing his former pupils. "That would be kind of scary."

Davis writes that Singletary believes Lewis is as good as they come at the position. And, as a Hall of Fame MLB himself, Singletary ought to know a thing or two.

"With someone like Ray, you have a coach on the field, just like a great quarterback. He echoes everything that's about to happen...He brings everybody together, the glue," he continues. "That's a very important person to have on the field. If the 11 guys on the field aren't connected, they won't have a clue what's happening."

Still, Urlacher is no slouch himself. To be considered a slightly lesser player than Lewis is nothing to hang your head about.

For Urlacher has successfully assumed the mantle from greats Butkus and Singletary in Chicago for more than a decade. 

Meanwhile, guys like Singletary, Urlacher and Lewis could be among the last of a dying breed in the NFL as teams pull their MLBs in third down situations, making the position seem less relevant than it used to be.

Due to the evolution of the passing game, NFL defenses spend more than half their plays outside of their base alignments and, as Davis notes, are "forced to more frequently deploy their nickel (five defensive backs) or dime (six) packages.

No example was more telling than when the Green Bay Packers dissected the vaunted Pittsburgh Steelers defense in their 31-25 triumph in Super Bowl XLV."

Singletary goes on to point to the potential end of the road for the dominant MLB.

"I think the thing that I see is, it's not so much that the guys are extinct (as) that the true fundamental technique of middle linebacker is not being taught anymore," he says. "I think today, you kind of look at it is if he's going to play half the downs. Maybe you don't spend as much time teaching him.

"It all comes down to the philosophy of the head coaches and coordinators in that division (you compete in). Will you see two-back offenses or the one-back offense that passes the ball more?"

Yet regardless of how the position continues to evolve, there is little debate that Ray Lewis is the standard by which future MLBs will be judged. And that is OK.