Chicago Bears 2014 Outlook: Five Key Players On Defense
Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports
Lance Briggs is the senior member of the linebacker corps. He is the leader of the defense. After the departure of Brian Urlacher, Briggs has taken his mantle. He calls out the signals and the assignments. He is the undisputed man on the defense.
Last year, he experienced injuries. He missed half the season, and the defense suffered badly because of that. Briggs’ leadership on the field was sorely missing. There were young and inexperienced linebackers on the field who needed guidance. Briggs could say all he could on the sidelines or during practice, but once the game started, he couldn’t say or do anything on the field to help them.
This season, Briggs is healthy once again. He will be leading the new-look defense once again. This time it is different. There is much more to this defense- more depth, more experience, more athleticism.
Things are also different with Briggs. He knows this may be his last chance at getting back to the Super Bowl. He is in the last year of his contract and there is probably not going to be any discussions on an extension. Lance Briggs will probably not be manning the Bears defense next season, so he must go all out to finish out his career, or to show other teams that he still has something left.