Chicago Sports: Creating a modern-day Mount Rushmore

1. Brian Urlacher, Chicago Bears (7 votes)

Just like Toews, Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher was included on all but one of the ballots by our voters. The Bears have been extremely up-and-down since the cutoff year of 2000, but Urlacher was a consistent force in the middle of their defense for many years.

The Bears drafted Urlacher with the ninth overall pick in the 2000 NFL Draft. He spent 12 seasons in the NFL, all of them played in the Windy City. So, Urlacher’s entire career was taken under consideration for this practice.

Urlacher played a hybrid safety role in college when he was an absolute star at the University of New Mexico. The Bears brought him in as a middle linebacker and he starred in the middle of their Cover 2 defense for many years.

Urlacher was an extremely tough and physical linebacker, but his speed and athleticism at the position were truly special. This Chicago Bears legend would roam from sideline-to-sideline against the run and was an incredible asset in pass coverage. Urlacher’s ability to defend the deep middle of the field from the middle linebacker spot was absolutely remarkable.

Next: All-Time Chicago Sports Mount Rushmore

Make no mistake about it, Brian Urlacher was one of the best defensive players in the history of the Chicago Bears, and as you know, that is saying something. The Bears did not have a ton of success during Urlacher’s era, but he was literally the last person to blame for that. He led some incredible defenses in Chicago and undoubtedly deserves to be on the modern Mount Rushmore.