McClure: Urlacher eager to prove skeptics wrong

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Urlacher eager to prove skeptics wrong
Bears middle linebacker excited about team's prospect for resurgence on defense and offense


By Vaughn McClure, Tribune reporter
9:44 p.m. CDT, July 27, 2010


Brian Urlacher is hunched in front of his home desktop computer trying to download the latest hit from R&B artist Usher. After accomplishing his goal, Urlacher flips on the Samsung flat screen hanging above his dining room table then plops down to devour some Portillo's as "Tin Cup'' plays in the background.

"Even in times like this, when I'm at home relaxing … I don't think I can ever just completely stop thinking about football,'' he says. "Yeah, it's nice to get a break, get a month away before the seventh-month grind. But I'm just excited to start football again. You just don't know.''

With the Bears set for their first camp practice Friday in Bourbonnais, an eager Urlacher is confident neither his surgically repaired right wrist nor the defense he leads will be an issue this season.

He understands the concerns, knows how skeptics seem to have little faith in coach Lovie Smith's defensive scheme. Urlacher has grown tired of the complaints, like how the Bears play too far off the receivers on the corners.

"The people who are not on our defense don't understand what we're trying to do,'' Urlacher says warming up to the jargon. "If it's Cover 3 and they catch a 5-yard hitch, that's a good play because the corner has to stay over the top. If he gets beat in Cover 3, that should never happen.

"In Cover 2, if we don't sack them and they get a check down for four to seven yards, that's the defense. There are certain holes in every defense. That's just the way it is.''

But Urlacher firmly believes those holes will be less-noticeable this season for numerous reasons, not just because of his much-anticipated return after missing 15 1/2 games last season.

His eyes get wide as he mentions Julius Peppers, the prize catch of the free agent class and a guy Urlacher marvels over because of the defensive end's talent and work ethic. He cites the additions of Peppers as a primary reason the Bears can revert to the same dominating defense they were during the Super Bowl run.

"I mean the year before the Super Bowl and the year of the Super Bowl, we were good,'' he says. "We ran so much Cover 2, and it worked, man. We had pressure on the quarterback. We had a lot of picks.

"Yes, we have the talent and the ability to play more man coverage. But here's the thing: Cover 2 works. When we do it right and when we have pressure with our front four and we're breaking on the ball like we've been doing all this spring, it works. There is no doubt in my mind that we will have pressure on the quarterback this season.''

With Peppers, a healthier Tommie Harris and Mark Anderson leading the pressure, Urlacher anticipates a less blitz-happy defense as well.

"I would hope we blitz less,'' he says. "Hopefully we won't need to. Pressure on the quarterback from the front is huge. You're dropping seven and that's more eyes on the quarterback, more people breaking on the football. It's just better for everyone.''

Urlacher pauses to confirm a surprise appearance at a Bears event then brings up another key component, new defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli.

"He doesn't put up with mediocrity,'' he says. "Coach Marinelli thinks that if we can't play our entire defense right, we will run one defense the entire season. The one that we can do right is one we're going to play, and we're going to play that defense good and win with it.''

Urlacher refuses to give himself too much credit but at the same time, understands how crucial he could be to the defense's resurgence after the unit had just 28 takeaways last season.

He prefers to offer praise to five-time Pro Bowl linebacker Lance Briggs for making plays even out of his gap, to Zack Bowman for being a ball hawk and to nose tackle Anthony Adams for being the most gap-disciplined player on the defense.

Not to mention what Urlacher anticipates from the offense and quarterback Jay Cutler in 2010.

"I get sick and tired of people asking me about what happened to Jay. Nothing happened to Jay,'' Urlacher says, raising his tone a notch. "Jay threw for 27 touchdowns last season. What the hell? How many quarterbacks did that?

"Nothing's wrong with him. Just wait. And Mike Martz's offense scores points. That's all there is to it. If the defense is on the field more because our offense is scoring quickly, sign me up. That's fine with me. It's a lot more fun playing with a lead than from behind.''

vxmcclure@tribune.com
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