Here's Your Chance, Lance

Finally, a football post.  I've made you wait this long.  I might as well prolong it a little more.  After the jump, of course.

Lance Briggs seems to have everything.  For starters, he's got a nice car and a lot of money.  But few would have even known about his fortune, fame and four straight Pro Bowl appearances because he has lived in the shadow of Brian Urlacher since the dawn of time.

Urlacher is out for the season with a dislocated wrist that will need plenty of time to be relocated.  Before Briggs got his big-money deal, it was a hassle between he, his agent and the Bears front office.  Briggs wanted to be paid like "the man."  Jerry Angelo upheld his end of the bargain and signed the check.  Now it's up to Briggs to play like the man.

He'll don the captain's "C" in Sunday's home opener for the Bears.  A great game against the Steelers could propel him to his goal of being NFL Defensive Player of the Year.  Especially now that Urlacher is gone.

Guys like Warrick Holdman and Roosvelt Colvin shined as sidekicks for Urlacher.  Talented in their own ways, Holdman and Colvin's level of play was elevated thanks to No. 54 in the middle.  Each of them found greener pastures, yet Urlacher never missed a beat.  Holdman never developed into the star he thought he was going to be -- probably because he never played next to a guy as good as Urlacher.  Colvin did OK for himself after leaving the Bears, but a lot of that success can be credited to the defensive wizard that is Bill Belichick.

It is now up to Briggs to make sure he doesn't end up as an Urlacher afterthought.

In the season opening loss to Green Bay, Briggs made only three tackles.  That's as many as Urlacher, who missed half of the game.  That's not going to fly, and it's not going to get any easier, either.  Hunter Hillenmeyer will fill the middle for Urlacher and the only things they have in common are that they are both white, both play linebacker and both play for the Bears.  After that, Hillenmeyer and Urlacher are on opposite ends of the talent spectrum.

That means offensive blocking schemes will turn their focus to stopping Briggs.  For years, teams have tried to do that to Urlacher.  And all he has done is shed blockers en route to pummeling quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers ... or any one else that decided they wanted to come across his area holding the pigskin. 

A lot of times, these situations cause analysts to say things like, "He doesn't need to be Brian Urlacher."  Contrary to that statement, he kind of does.  Briggs begged the Bears to pay him Urlacher-like money, and now it is time for him to put up some Urlacher-like statistics now that The Man can no longer hold him down.

Brian Urlacher's Wrist Is In Pain. Lots Of Pain.

Not that this is breaking news to me, but the Chicago Bears have more pressing issues than Jay Cutler's impersonation of Rex Grossman on Sunday night.

Cue the limp wrist jokes star middle linebacker Brian Urlacher looks like he will be out for the season.  That alone spells doom for a defense that has been inconsistent since being ridden to Super Bowl XLI.  The six-time Pro Bowler was a beacon of light for the defense and was reportedly as healthy as he's ever been.  Add the loss of linebacker Piso Tinoisamoa, it looks like Lance Briggs is the last man standing in the linebacker corps.

So, where do the Bears go from here?  The Sun-Times suggests former Tampa Bay linebacker Derrick Brooks, who was cut before the season started.  The former face of the Bucs 'Tampa 2' defense flourished under Lovie Smith and could be a quick fix.  The CST article also suggests Zach Thomas.

Quite an opening week for Chicago, huh?

And to think, I was ready to write a blog in hopes of freeing Plaxico Burress or finding Marvin Harrison.  But I guess the Bears have bigger fish to fry now.

Jacobs 1 Urlacher 0

Long before this web log existed, I suggested that the Bears should select Brandon Jacobs to help assist a running game that was sorely lacking.  The SIU product (by way of Auburn and Coffeyville Community College) ran past, around and through opposing defenses at the Division I-AA level (now known as the FCS) en route to a 1,000 yard season.

The Bears did take care of their running back problem ... by drafting Cedric Benson in the first round of that draft.  And before the Giants swooped in and took Jacobs, the Bears selected Kyle Orton.

Gag.

I'm still convinced that was the best Saluki football team I've ever seen ... and still hold to this day that had then-head coach Jerry Kill let Jacobs control the ball rather than splitting the duties evenly, I would have witnessed a national championship during my time in Carbondale.

Jacobs, nor the Salukis, got that football championship.  But the mountain of a running back did win a Super Bowl ring with the Giants.  I guess that is somewhat of a consolation prize.

On Saturday night, Jacobs conquered another challenge.  Brian Urlacher.

I'll take that pat on the back now.  Thanks.

Urlacher for Anquan and other trades for Madden 2010 for your PlayStation III

David Haugh of the Chicago Tribune is a very respected Chicago Bears beat writer.

That's why I decided to click open the link to a headline that suggested the Bears should trade its one prize middle linebacker for one of the league's best wide receivers who is currently a west-coast malcontent.

The trade makes sense, in principle.

Arizona needs defense. That's a fact. There is no denying a player such as Brian Urlacher could have helped prevent the Cardinals' defensive collapse in the last two-and-a-half minutes of the Super Bowl.

Chicago needs offense. Specifically at the wide receiver position. The Bears have been bombarded with mediocre pass catchers since the days when Ron Turner orchestrated a feasible offensive game plan with Erik Kramer, Curtis Conway and Jeff Engram.

Urlacher wants out and so does Boldin. Sounds like a match made in GM heaven. And by GM heaven I mean Madden NFL 2010.

I'm sure the Atlanta Falcons are trying to get an advance copy to see what team would be willing to take Mike Vick's baggage (and contract).

Daily Dosage: Warning Track Power

Tony Romo, you're a f*cking ballhog! You're currently dating Jessica Simpson and that's fine and dandy because her daddy's a nutcase and I just don't feel like dealing with nutcases from Texas because that's not my style. But, the fact that you also dated the wonderfully delicious Carrie Underwood just sickens my stomach. Does anybody besides me notice that Romo has dated two of the hottest women in America today, yet he still has two less playoff victories than Rex Grossman? Hey Tony, put in a good word for me with Carrie and we'll forget that this rant ever happened.

On with the Dosage.

WTP. WTF? As a Cubs fan, you're trained to watch the kind of baseball that makes you want to rip your hair out on a daily basis. Monday night's game was no exception. The Cubs and D'Bags combined to collect four hits in nine innings of baseball. Luckily for the Bags, their two hits scored the two runs that gave the North Siders their third loss in four games since the All-Star break.

And while Rich Harden has proved to be a great investment in his two starts as a Cub (12.1 IP 20 K 0.90 WHIP), Randy Johnson still owns the Cubs as he moved his record to 13-0 in 14 career starts against them.

The Great Hambino Strikes Again. This just in: Josh Hamilton just went deep again. This time it counted...seriously. Hamilton's 3-run shot off Javier Vazquez helped the Rangers hand the White Sox their third straight loss.

Fellow AL All-Star outfielder Carlos Quentin of the Sox also homered, but it wasn't enough as the Sox fell, 6-1.

Paid In The Shade. Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher got the raise that he wanted. The team agreed to terms that included a $1 million yearly raise for the next four years with the former defensive player of the year on Monday.

And while the pay hike will look good to Urlacher now, just wait 'til his babys mommas get ahold of the news that daddy's got some more attainable income.


Quality Linkage:

• The Washington Redskins now have an official blogger (D.C. Sports Blog) So when can I sign up for the Bears gig?
• It looks like the Luol Deng era is coming to an end. (Chicago Bull) See, that's what happens when Jerry Reinsdorf takes over negotiations!
• The Cubs still might be interested in A.J. Burnett. (My Hogtown)
• Iowa football has got problems. (The Big Lead)