He's The Randy Moss Of Defense

The linebacker gained instant fame with his ferocious hits and spirited all-around play

WHEN CHICAGO BEARS ROOKIE linebacker Brian Urlacher was demoted out of the starting lineup prior to the team's preseason finale last August, he wasn't quite sure how to react. The versatile New Mexico product had never lost a job on or off the football field in his 22 years on the planet

"That was the first time that happened to me," says Urlacher, the ninth pick overall in the 2000 draft. "I wasn't real sure what to do. I mean, it had to be done. I was terrible. What could I do except come back and work hard?"

Rather than blame anyone but himself, the 6'3", 244-pounder swallowed the lesson in humility with a gulp and focused on improving his shortcomings. He never complained, never pouted, never questioned his coaches. And that caught the attention of his teammates, who respected the fact that he responded to his adversity like a professional.

"No one likes a baby," Urlacher says. "If I go crying to everybody saying this is a bunch of you-know-what, no one's going to like that. So I just kept my mouth shut and tried to work hard every day."

That blue-collar attitude helped Urlacher eventually emerge as an impact player and become FOOTBALL DIGEST'S Defensive Rookie of the Year. His freakish combination of size, speed, and strength enabled him to make a lasting impression, both figuratively and literally.

"We had him [ranked] as one of the very best players in the draft," Green Bay Packers coach Mike Sherman said in December. "It doesn't surprise me that he's playing as well as he is. He has a tremendous intensity level that can't be coached, and he has a nose for the ball."

Urlacher, a safety in his final two seasons in college, Originally was penciled in as the starter at strongside linebacker when Chicago drafted him. The Bears figured he'd eventually be moved to the middle, but they thought the strongside spot would give him the best chance to be effective immediately.

Things didn't quite work out as expected, though. When middle linebacker Barry Minter was injured in Week 2, Urlacher replaced him and became a force at the position faster than you can say "Wally Pipp." In his first five games as a starter, Urlacher had 57 tackles, six sacks, one interception, and one fumble recovery. He was named the NFL Rookie Defensive Player of the Month for October after averaging 11 tackles and one sack in four games.

"He's the most impressive rookie I've seen this year," says Packers guard Marco Rivera. Adds Packers center Frank Winters, "He's probably the Randy Moss of defense."

All Urlacher did this season was lead the rookie class with 124 tackles and post a team-high eight sacks. The last Bears rookie to lead the club in sacks was Jim Osborne, way back in 1972.

The highlight of Urlacher's season came in an improbable 13-10 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Soldier Field on November 19, when he sealed the deal with a late interception and earlier wiped out 339-pound tackle Jerry Wunsch with a devastating blindside block on Tony Parrish's 38-yard interception return for a touchdown. The block drew "oohs" and "aahs" from fans and teammates alike when it was replayed on the scoreboard.

Earlier that week, Urlacher mania had spread beyond Chicago when he was one of five pass-rushing rookies featured on the cover of a national sports magazine. Urlacher was the only one of those who played on a losing team.

"From my point of view, he's advancing faster than I anticipated he would," Bears head coach Dick Jauron said in mid-November. "He's very gifted and a very hard worker, and he loves to play. That's the great thing that shows up on the field, and it is contagious."

The same could be said of Urlacher's popularity in Chicago, a hard-nosed town that embraces middle linebackers. The legacy at Urlacher's position includes Hall-of-Famers Bill George, Dick Butkus, and Mike Singletary. The soft-spoken rookie was a bright light in another dreary season for the Bears, providing hope for the future for fans who wore his No. 54 jersey and cheered him wildly while booing most of his teammates at Soldier Field.

"That means a lot to me just to know that they're behind me," Urlacher says. "I wish they'd cheer everybody the same, but it feels good."

It felt good from the day Chicago drafted him. More than 98% of Bears fans responding to an online poll approved of his selection with the club's first-round pick; on the day after the draft, 922 of 939 voters gave him a vote of confidence. Late in the season, two fans who created a Web site urging the Bears to dump Cade McNown suggested the money saved on the quarter-back's contract could be spent to "clone Brian Urlacher."

Urlacher arrived in Chicago with great promise. After two seasons at inside linebacker, he started at free safety his final two years at New Mexico, finishing with 442 career tackles, the second-most in school history. As a senior, he also caught six touchdown passes as a red-zone specialist and even returned kicks.

At New Mexico, Urlacher learned to be a perfectionist. "I want to be good--that's what it comes down to," he says. "My coaches in college ... I think that's why I'm like that now. They always said no matter how good you played--even if you had 25 tackles and didn't miss any--you can always do something better. That's how I am now."

The first time he eyed a scouting report on Urlacher, Bears defensive coordinator Greg Blache felt like someone had given him a single grainy photo to try to convince him the Loch Ness Monster existed. Blache later popped in a videotape of Urlacher and discovered that at least one freak of nature is more than just a legend.

"When they first told me about him; I thought they were joking," Blache said last April. "Sometimes scouts get a little carried away with what they see. But watching the guy on film, he's very impressive. As big a man as he is, he can really run. He's got exceptional speed for a linebacker."

Urlacher ran a 4.59 40-yard dash at the NFL scouting combine (linebackers average 4.8) and has a 34-inch vertical leap. His draft stock skyrocketed after he was named MVP of the Senior Bowl while playing linebacker. Draft experts projected him as a high first-round pick, but most fans were unfamiliar with him when he arrived in Chicago.

"I think the biggest reason I'm unknown is because we don't get a lot of publicity out in New Mexico," Urlacher said after being drafted by the Bears. "The reason I'm here is because of my work ethic. I've always had it instilled in me that you have to work hard if you want to get something."

Urlacher was born in Washington but grew up in the southeastern New Mexico oil town of Lovington (population 9,000). As a high school senior, he led his team to a 14-0 record and a state championship. Although Urlacher didn't experience that type of team success in 2000 with the woeful Bears, his breakout rookie season at least gives Chicago a strong foundation on which to build.

Despite his emergence, Urlacher failed to make the Pro Bowl. (He was named the first alternate at inside line-backer after being edged out by the Detroit Lions' Stephen Boyd and the Philadelphia Eagles' Jeremiah Trotter.) The Bears have not had a position player voted to the Pro Bowl in seven years.

"It's an honor [to be the first alternate], but it's also a disappointment," Urlacher says. "Everyone shoots for the Pro Bowl and then everyone started talking about it--me having a chance to go--and I think I bought into that a little bit. It didn't turn out the way I wanted it to, but first alternate is good my first year, I guess, and I'm excited about that."

Because he was a reserve at the beginning of the season, Urlacher wasn't listed on the fan ballot, which accounted for one-third of the vote. "My friends told me they were writing me in, but I didn't think I had a chance because of that right there," he says.

Urlacher, who had better stats than the two linebackers selected ahead of him, hopes similar production next year will result in a Pro Bowl trip. "I hope it doesn't take a few years," Urlacher says. "Hopefully, I can make it next year. That will definitely be a goal of mine coming in. Hopefully, down the line I can keep going back if I get a chance to go next year."

Urlacher was too busy changing diapers and warming bottles to dwell on the Pro Bowl snub, though. His wife Laurie gave birth to their first child on December 13, less than 24 hours before the all-star squads were announced. "Hopefully, she looks like me so I don't have to worry about boys," Urlacher jokes about his daughter "If she does, we'll be set."

The Bears should be set at middle linebacker for at least the next 10 years. Then again, that's something Urlacher was confident of when he made his first NFL start on September 17 against the New York Giants.

"From the beginning, I knew I could play," he says matter-of-factly. "It's just a matter of doing it. When I got out there and started making some plays, that's when I realized that I did belong, and I felt like I was only going to get better and better."

FOOTBALL DIGEST'S Defensive Rookies of the Year

Year   Player, position                                      Team

2000   Brian Urlacher, linebacker                   Chicago Bears
1999   Jevon Kearse, defensive end               Tennessee Titans
1998   Charles Woodson, cornerback                Oakland Raiders
1997   Peter Boulware, linebacker                Baltimore Ravens
1996   Zach Thomas, linebacker                     Miami Dolphins
1995   Hugh Douglas, defensive end                  New York Jets
1994   Antonio Langham, cornerback               Cleveland Browns
1993   Dana Stubblefield, defensive tackle    San Francisco 49ers
1992   Santana Dotson, defensive tackle      Tampa Bay Buccaneers
1991   Mike Croel, linebacker                      Denver Broncos
1990   Mark Carrier, safety                         Chicago Bears
1989   Steve Atwater, safety                       Denver Broncos
1988   Erik McMillan, safety                        New York Jets
1987   Shane Conlan, linebacker                     Buffalo Bills
1986   Leslie O'Neal, defensive end            San Diego Chargers
1985   Reggie White, defensive end            Philadelphia Eagles
1984   Ricky Bryan, defensive tackle              Atlanta Falcons
1983   Vernon Maxwell, linebacker                 Baltimore Colts
1982   Vernon Dean, defensive back            Washington Redskins
1981   Lawrence Taylor, linebacker                New York Giants
1980   Buddy Curry, linebacker                    Atlanta Falcons
1979   Jim Haslett, linebacker                      Buffalo Bills
1978   Al "Bubba" Baker, defensive end              Detroit Lions
1977   A.J. Duhe, linebacker                       Miami Dolphins
       Bob Bauhmower, defensive tackle             Miami Dolphins
1976   Mike Haynes, cornerback               New England Patriots
1975   Robert Brazile, linebacker                  Houston Oilers
1974   Jack Lambert, linebacker               Pittsburgh Steelers
1973   Wally Chambers, defensive end                Chicago Bears
1972   Tommy Casanova, defensive back          Cincinnati Bengals
1971   Isiah Robertson, linebacker               Los Angeles Rams

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COPYRIGHT 2001 Gale Group