Chicago Bears: Hall of Fame gets it right with Brian Urlacher

After months of speculation, the Hall of Fame eventually made the right decision and gave Chicago Bears legend Brian Urlacher a bust in Canton.

To me, the idea that the Pro Football Hall of Fame could justify keeping Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher from earning Hall of Fame honors on the first ballot simply didn’t make sense.

Who cares if Ray Lewis, undoubtedly deserving in his own right, would be a first-ballot Hall of Famer at the same position? Why should that matter?

The Hall of Fame shouldn’t be about having a “well-rounded” class and letting in linemen just because (though seeing Kevin Mawae and Alan Faneca get in eventually would be nice).

Why not just keep it simple and go from there?

Urlacher was one, without a doubt, one of the best players in this class. There’s no debate about it. If Canton hadn’t called for him, it would’ve been ridiculous.

To that point, the Hall made all the right calls this year, including Terrell Owens, who should never have had to wait for his third year of eligibility. And Urlacher getting in his first season was one of them.

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You can say whatever you want about his play style and him not taking on tackles or whatever you want. But arguing against his brilliance and accomplishments is an exercise in futility that people really ought to stop.

The man made eight Pro Bowls, earned four First-Team All-Pro honors, won Defensive Rookie of the Year (2000) and Defensive Player of the Year (2005).

Then, you look at the way he played the position in Lovie Smith’s Tampa 2 defense. His unique skills and athleticism changed what people thought linebackers could do.

How many guys can you think of that could make Michael Vick look ordinary?

How many linebackers, especially back then, had the range, coverage ability and ball skills of this man?

And, though Devin Hester gets a lot of deserved love for that Arizona Cardinals comeback, let’s not forget the way Urlacher essentially donned a cape and flew around the field that night devouring people.

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Just watching Urlacher dominate for the Chicago Bears should have been enough, aside from his accolades, to know that he was a special player. And special players of that magnitude deserve to get into the Hall of Fame right away.

Lewis’ candidacy didn’t need to have anything to do with his. Trying to strip down and nitpick his game wasn’t necessary.

Long story short, Urlacher earned those first-ballot Hall of Fame honors. And Chicago Bears fans must be relieved that he got them.