NFL
Brian Urlacher’s Top 3 Bears Linebackers of All-Time
Brian Urlacher ranked the top 3 greatest Linebackers in Chicago Bears history from Dick Butkus to Mike Singletary. Create your own rankings!
Sports Mockery
8x Pro Bowl & 2005 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Brian Urlacher recently went on Bussin’ With the Boys and shared his top Bears Linebackers of all time with him highlighting the list but surprisingly not at No.1.
Fans can follow Urlacher on Twitter or Instagram as he’s still very active with collaborations and as a guest on podcasts like Uncut with Jay Cutler.
The Chicago Bears are one of the most storied franchises of all time and there is no position in their history that has produced more HOF’s than Linebacker. Every decade since 1960, Chicago has had a Hall of Fame MIKE anchoring the defense. From Dick Butkus during the 1960s and 1970s to Mike Singletary in the 1980s and 1990s to Brian Urlacher running the show in the 2000s and 2010s.
It’s hard to argue any franchise has had a better top three at the LB position over their history than the team that plays in the Windy City. If all 32 NFL teams fielded an all-time team with 3 Linebackers on the field (assuming a 4-3 defense), that second level for Chicago would be as devastating as any.
Known for their running game on offense and hard-hitting nature on defense, “Da Bears” have always fielded a stout Linebacker corps that can fly sideline-to-sideline. The NFL has become much more of a passing league recently but when these icons played, their #1 job was to stop the run and they consistently bulldozed blockers, found the right angle, and brought the runner to the ground with ease.
If this was expanded to be a top-5 list like most of PSO’s rankings, it’s likely that Bill George and Lance Briggs would be the other highly-qualified ‘Backers to crack the ranking considering their career accomplishments and accolades.
Here are the top 3 greatest Chicago Bears Linebackers of all time. Create your own rankings below!
– 8x Pro Bowl; 5x All-Pro 1st Team, 3x 2nd; 2x NFL DPOY
– 1960s & 70s NFL All-Decade; 1974 George Halas Award
– NFL 75th & 100th Anniversary Teams; #51 retired by Bears
While Dick Butkus only played nine seasons, he made each and every one of them count with a Pro Bowl appearance beside his final year in 1973. Butkus was the first truly transcendent defensive player in Chicago and is still recognized among the greats.
Dick Butkus' HOF resume:
– 8x Pro Bowl
– 5x All-Pro 1st Team, 3x 2nd Team
– 2x NFL DPOY
– 1974 George Halas Award
– 1960s & 1970s NFL All-Decade
– NFL 75th & 100th Anniversary Teams
– #51 retired by #Bears
pic.twitter.com/wKb4XYQAT1— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports) August 29, 2022
– 8x Pro Bowl; 4x All-Pro 1st Team, 2010 All-Pro 2nd Team
– 2005 NFL DPOY & 2000 DROY; 2000s NFL All-Decade
– Bears Career TKL (1,779), SOLO (1,046), & TFL (138) leader
Brian Urlacher was an absolute beast as the leader of the Bears’ defense for over a decade. Very few players dominated the way he did from a physical standpoint and slim to none were capable of seeing the things he did mentally, gaining the respect of peers and fans alike.
Brian Urlacher's HOF resume:
– 8x Pro Bowl
– 4x All-Pro 1st Team, 2010 2nd Team
– 2005 NFL DPOY
– 2000 NFL DROY
– 2002 NFL SOLO TKL (117) leader
– 2001 NFL FR-YDS (101) & TD (1) leader
– 2000s NFL All-Decade
– Only player with 130+ TFL/40+ SK/20+ INT everpic.twitter.com/R6T17oIGsL— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports) August 29, 2022
– 10x Pro Bowl (Bears record); 1986 Super Bowl Champ
– 2x NFL DPOY; 7x All-Pro 1st Team, 1990 2nd Team
– 1980s NFL All-Decade; 1981 PFWA All-Rookie Team
Solidified as one of the most accomplished Linebackers in NFL history with a whopping 10 Pro Bowls and seven All-Pro 1st Team selections, nobody dominated the 1980s from the LB position like Mike Singletary. He was also the anchor of arguably the greatest defense in NFL history (1985 Chicago Bears).
Mike Singletary's HOF resume:
– 10x Pro Bowl (#Bears record)
– 7x All-Pro 1st Team, 1990 2nd Team
– 2x NFL DPOY
– 1986 Super Bowl Champ
– 1988 top-4 NFL MVP
– 1981 PFWA All-Rookie
– 1980s NFL All-Decadepic.twitter.com/c8ypBWAInO— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports) August 29, 2022
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