Brian Urlacher is no longer a Chicago Bear…The 5 Stages of Grief

Nov 4, 2012; Nashville, TN, USA; Chicago Bears fans celebrate their team scoring a touchdown against the Tennessee Titans during the second half at LP Field. Chicago defeated Tennessee 51-20. Mandatory Credit: Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports

Chicago Bears fans are experiencing a range of emotions seeing Brian Urlacher’s departure.  Bear Goggles On’s Public Service Announcement for those who have started grieving.  Here are the 5 stages of the grieving process.  Figure out which stage you’re in and try to move through as quickly as possible.

Denial

‘Lach won’t be back? What? Who is reporting this? There is no way that the Chicago Bears would every cut ties with the face of their franchise. They make so much money off of jersey sales. He is a leader. The quarterback of the defense. There is nobody to replace #54 on the roster. I don’t believe it. It is just not possible.

Okay, so everyone is reporting it, including Brian Urlacher himself. It is true. The Urlacher era with the Bears has ended.

Anger

What the heck! Why didn’t Urlacher sign with the Bears. He had an offer. They were willing to take him back. He is a greedy, good for nothing football player who doesn’t like the fans.

You know what? It wasn’t his fault. He is just trying to make a living.

It’s the Bears’ fault. They should have offered him more money. Urlacher said this morning that he was willing to play for 3.5 million. Maybe even 3 million. The Bears are cheap. They never intended to sign him. They wanted to insult Urlacher so he would walk. The face of the franchise for the last 13 years. This is a slap to the face of the fans. We wanted Urlacher back and the Bears just cast him aside and we are supposed to accept it? The Bears are so disrespecting Brian Urlacher.

Bargaining

Okay, okay… I need to calm down. Maybe there is a solution here. I know the Bears have already gone on record with a press release, but maybe there is something that can still be done. Maybe Urlacher can still agree to the 2 million that they were offering. How about meeting somewhere in between? It’s not a lot of money when you think about it in football money. Why does it have to be so matter of fact? Can’t both sides just get along?

Depression

I don’t know what I am going to do. What are Sundays going to be like without #54 on the field? I don’t think I can watch football anymore. This is just too depressing. The Bears are just going to be awful to watch from here on out.

Acceptance

You know what, the NFL is a business, for both the players and the teams. Players can’t play forever, and teams can’t hold on to players just because they are popular with the fans. Decisions need to be made on both sides. Obviously Urlacher didn’t want to play for 2 million dollars next year, and the Bears were unwilling to pay him more. It really is that simple. I can accept that.

Now that I made it through the grieving process, the NFL Draft is only 34 days away. Go Bears!