REBUILD: WHERE TO START (PT 4: LB)
Welcome back to the fourth installment of our position by position rebuilding a franchise discussion. As always, we will look into what positions should be focused on; the why's and why not's. I've been trying to stay neutral and focus on the Bears' history, but this one is going to be hard for me! My love for the Bears is deeply rooted in their history of linebackers. I will do my best!
PART FOUR:Linebackers#50, 51, 52, 54, 55, 58, 59
Linebackers are the quarterbacks of the defense. They call the plays, fill holes in the run game, and cover a man and zones in the passing game. They are some of the most versatile players on the field. The Bears are known for decades of great linebackers. As soon as you looked at the numbers listed at the top of this article, you already had a player associated with each one of them. We have always had Monsters of the Midway!
How important are the linebackers? I mean, let's be honest, defense is what got us to both Super Bowls, it wasn't Rex Grossman or Jim McMahon. That's why you always hear "defense wins championships." As long as our defense can keep the other team from scoring and we can at least get a field goal we win. Defense revolves around linebackers.
Buddy Ryan said that Mike Singletary is the smartest football player he'd ever met. He could read an offense easier than a quarterback trying to read his defense. Samurai Mike was a football guru with intense concentration. Butkus was a surprisingly quick ball of relentless rage. Crack-a-Lacher was a converted college safety who could read an offense and run sideline to sideline. Three different styles but all Hall of Fame-caliber linebackers.
Hypothetically, let's imagine we had Zach Thomas and Channing Crowder instead of Urlacher and Briggs. Do we make the '06 Super Bowl? Both duos were spectacular at their jobs. But Thomas never made a Super Bowl, even when he had Dan Marino at quarterback. We had a similar occurrence with Dick Butkus, who never even made the playoffs in his eight years as a Bear. What made our guys great? Was it a scheme fit, pure athleticism, high football IQ, a combination of all three? Do we need to have a duo of studs or can one get it done? Or can we rely on the secondary to force coverage sacks from a good d-line and not have to worry about stud linebackers?
Currently, the linebacker room has the most depth of all positions with 12 players. We have returning starters Roquan Smith and Robert Quinn as well as multiple returning depth players. Sadly, we won't have Khalil Mack. But there are stories out there of Ryan Poles' extreme professionalism in how he communicated with Mack. He didn't just come in, says he's the new boss, and ship Mack to the highest bidder. They talked, discussed where he would like to go, and made a deal that worked for both parties.
So far in the offseason, Ryan Poles has signed Matt Adams and Nick Morrow. There are not many huge names still left in free agency. We could look at bringing back Ogletree, Trevathan, or Kwiatkoski on team-friendly deals. But they have been playing in 3-4 schemes, so it also depends on how comfortable are they in switching schemes at this stage in their careers. In the draft, with most realistically our third or fourth-round pick, we could look at a guy like Nebraska's JoJo Domann. Domann is a hybrid backer, a walk-up safety kind of guy. He can hit and cover, never allowing a touchdown in coverage this last year. A pipe dream would be that he follows in Urlacher's footsteps by converting and becoming a stud.
For those still wondering, the numbers represented: Mike Singletary, Dick Butkus, Khalil Mack, Brian Urlacher, Lance Briggs/Otis Wilson, Roquan Smith, and Ron Rivera/Danny Trevathan.
Just a few memories for everyone:
