The Brian Urlacher era is over in Chicago and Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers thinks the Bears will be sorry for parting ways with the veteran linebacker.
Him and no one else.
Specifically, Rodgers feels the Bears will miss Urlacher’s leadership.
“It’s kind of like us with losing (Charles) Woodson,” Rodgers said. “It’s tough to lose a guy of that leadership ability. Playmaking aside, I think both guys can still play at a high level. They are guys who bring more than just their on-the-field ability. They bring so much more to a locker room and a defense. That veteran presence, that leadership, that track record they have, the experience. When they get up in a meeting and talk, everybody is quiet. They’re definitely going to miss his presence and his ability and his leadership.”
Huh?
If you couldn’t quite read between the lines there, Rodgers basically says both Urlacher and former Packers safety Charles Woodson have lost their on-field playmaking ability. And then he goes on to name reasons other than actually making plays as to why these guys should still be employed.
Look, we understand the importance of intangibles, but you have to be able to get it done on the field to some extent. Urlacher, as Jermichael Finley so eloquently pointed out, doesn’t really fall into that latter category anymore.
If you haven’t noticed, the number of team’s banging down Urlacher’s door to sign him to a free agent deal are exactly zero. We probably wouldn’t quite throw Woodson into the same category, but he’s only had one free agent visit — to San Francisco. They decided to sign some joke who played for the Rams last season instead.
So hey, intangibles are great, but we haven’t noticed anyone handing out checks for “leadership” this offseason. In fact, we’re going to bet both Urlacher and Woodson wish they had a little less leadership and a little more skill right now.