Sayers vs Urlacher
Bears legend Gale Sayers is never one to shy away when asked his opinion. And neither is the current face of the franchise, Brian Urlacher. Put those two elements together with a disappointing 2009 season hangover and you’ve got the makings of a old-fashioned showdown at the OK Corral. Let’s recap, shall we?
Back on May 4th, Sayers was quite open regarding his feelings about the 2010 Bears:
"“Cutler hasn’t done the job,” Sayers said. “(Brian) Urlacher, I don’t know how good he’s going to be coming back. He’s 33 years old. They need a couple wide receivers, a couple defensive backs. They haven’t done a good job.“If Lovie doesn’t do it this year, I think he’s gone. He had a good team the Super Bowl year. Nothing came together for him the last couple years.”"
Seems to sum up what a lot of Bears fans are thinking. OK, maybe just this one.
Yesterday, with minicamp right around the corner, Brian Urlacher spoke to the media and touched on a number of topics, including his thoughts on Sayers’ comments. Buckle up your chip strap and check out these comments from #54:
"“Let me ask you a question: ‘How many championships did Gale Sayers win?”’ Urlacher told the Tribune. “How many playoff games did he win when he played? None. None. None.“Does it bother me? There are enough people throwing daggers at us right now, why does one of our ex-players have to jump in? There are enough experts talking (crap) about us, so why does a Bear, an all-time great, have to jump in? I just don’t like that.”Although Urlacher acknowledges Sayers’ individual accomplishments, he has little respect for those opinions.“… Does (Sayers) know how to win football games? Does he? No. How are you going to criticize someone else when you haven’t done it yourself? He’s one of our own, so that’s why it’s so frustrating.”"
Ball is in your court Comet:
"When I am asked a question, I have to answer it,” Sayers said during a break from a business trip in Atlanta. “I don’t want anybody to think I am afraid to talk about the Bears. … Right now, the Bears are hurting. …”And Urlacher, how old is he anyway (32 Tuesday)? He should know that himself, that he is on the downside of his career. ….”“If somebody asks me, ‘How do you think the Bears are going to do this year?’ If I say, ‘Oh, they are going to win 14 ballgames,’ they know the Bears can’t win 14 ballgames,” Sayers said. “Why should I lie to the people? … Football people understand that. …”"
So who ya got? Is Sayers justified in his criticism or should he just clam up? Does Urlacher need to get some thicker skin? Should former legends criticize today’s team? Let me hear ya in the Comments.