Don't Drink the Hater-ade

So the Bears are 7-0 now, thanks to a 41-10 decimation of the 49ers at Soldier Field.

But that's not what we're here to talk about.

See, despite laughing our way through what appeared to be a Bears scrimmage against an overmatched high school team, we've had something on our minds all weekend. Something that's been bugging us.

For the second time in three years a major publication has polled NFL players asking who they believe is the most overrated player in the league.

Two years ago in a poll published by The Sporting News, players picked Brian Urlacher.

This year, players polled by Sports Illustrated picked Terrell Owens. But who's in second?

Brian Urlacher.

Maybe we misunderstand the concept of being overrated. Looking in the dictionary to doublecheck, we read:

Okay, we still don't understand how Brian Urlacher fits that description.

Did anyone see the Bears game against the Cardinals a few weeks ago on Monday Night Football? You know, the game where the Bears trailed 23-3 late, and then #54 literally took over and led the Bears to a 24-23 win?

I do believe Urlacher had 25 tackles in that game.

That's right, 25 tackles.

How about yesterday?

Did you see the play where he blitzed Alex Smith, batted Smith's pass up into the air and then, as he was being pushed to the ground, managed to make a one-armed interception?

Kinda like that one-armed interception he made against the Panthers in the playoffs last season.

So exactly how in the hell can anybody say this guy is overrated?

"Bunch of haters, in my opinion,"
-Bears Defensive Coordinator Ron Rivera

He's right.

Could the simple fact be that the majority of players being polled are just, dare we say, jealous?

It's not hard to imagine. I mean, who in the NFL wouldn't want to be 6 feet 4 inches, 258 pounds, and run a 4.5 40 yard dash?

Urlacher has skills that are out of this world. When you look at his game, it's pretty hard to find a weakness.

He can blitz the quarterback.

He can stuff the run.

He can drop into pass coverage and cover any position on the field, whether receiver, running back or tight end.

The one slight against Urlacher that actually had merit was his inability sometimes to get off of blockers. Watch any Bears game now and you'll see that isn't a problem anymore.

He has no weakness.

We have to wonder what the results would be if the coaches, not players, were being polled. Try finding a defensive coordinator in the NFL who wouldn't want Brian Urlacher playing middle linebacker for them.

What does Urlacher think of all this you ask?

"I don't care. Watch the film. I don't know what people are saying. All I can do is go out there and play hard and try to help my team win."

It's not just Urlacher who players seem to think is overrated. There is also some talk that the Bears' defense as a whole is overrated, an accusation that actually does seem to bother Brian.

"No one expects us to do what we do. No one wants to give us any credit. Everyone wants to say [opponents] didn't play well. There's a reason [opponents] didn't play well."

That reason is Brian Urlacher and the rest of his teammates.

Maybe it's the polls that are overrated.