Former Chicago Bears quarterback Jim Harbaugh appeared on the Waddle and Silvy Show today to touch on various topics and in particular his time under head coach Mike Ditka, whose jersey number 89 will finally be retired by the Bears.  When Coach Harbaugh heard the news, he called the idea of retiring Da Coach’s jersey “perfect!”  I wonder if he would have said that when Ditka was chewing his ass out for that audible against the Vikings.  (more…)

Mike Ditka the player (Photo via Sports Illustrated)

The Chicago Bears are making preparations to honor legendary coach and player Mike Ditka by retiring his number 89 at a halftime ceremony during their Monday Night Football game with the Dallas Cowboys on December 9th.  As Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune report, two sources have confirmed plans for the Bears to retire a jersey since they retired the jerseys of Dick Butkus and Gale Sayers on a rainy Halloween MNF game back in 1994.  (more…)

Things didn’t get off on the right foot when Jay Cutler first joined the Chicago Bears and he had a lot to prove to the face of the franchise, Brian Urlacher.  While Cutler still has plenty of detractors, don’t count the retiring Bears legend among them.  Even though Urlacher called Cutler a p**sy when he first joined the team, he leaves with quite a different impression.   (more…)

Congratulations to Brian Urlacher on his retirement.  The interwebs were abuzz since just after 10AM on Wednesday morning with news that the Chicago Bears legend announcing his retirement with this simple tweet

It was an honor to play my entire career for the @chicagobears say.ly/GOh5Sxs

— Brian Urlacher (@BUrlacher54) May 22, 2013

So naturally we have TONS of links to some fantastic stuff.  (more…)

Nov 4, 2012; Nashville, TN, USA; Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher (54) pursues a Tennessee Titans ball carrier during the second half at LP Field. The Bears beat the Titans 51-20. Mandatory credit: Don McPeak-US Presswire

Brian Urlacher announced his retirement from professional football via Twitter earlier today.  It ends speculation about where the Chicago Bears legend will play in 2013 and closes the books on a Hall of Fame career.  Urlacher appeared on the Dan Patrick Show shortly after the news broke and it sounded to me like a guy at peace with his decision.   (more…)

Let’s spend some time reminiscing about Brian Urlacher’s time with the Bears.  Here’s a general highlight reel of #54 in action (click refresh on your browser if you don’t see the video boxes below):

(more…)

Dec 11, 2011; Denver, CO, USA; Chicago Bears middle linebacker Brian Urlacher (54) gets around a block by Denver Broncos tight end Daniel Fells (86) during the game at Sports Authority Field. The Broncos defeated the Bears 13-10. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

It is official, Brian Urlacher has announced his retirement from the NFL.

From Brian Urlacher’s whosay.com account, here is what he had to say:

After spending a lot of time this spring thinking about my NFL future, I have made a decision to retire. Although I could continue playing, I’m not sure I would bring a level of performance or passion that’s up to my standards. When considering this, along with the fact that I could retire after a 13 year career wearing only one jersey for such a storied franchise, my decision became pretty clear. I want to thank all of the people in my life that have helped me along the way. I will miss my teammates, my coaches, and the great Bears fans. I’m proud to say that I gave all of you everything I had every time I took the field. I will miss this great game, but I leave it with no regrets.

(more…)

Whenever I get a little bit behind on posts, I try to sum up the news of the day on Bear Dawn.  Here we go:

Gabe Carimi is Betting Big on Himself

We’ve all been ragging on Carimi for staying away from Halas Hall but someone out there thinks he’s doing the right thing and betting big on himself.

“Now, where it gets a little sketchy, you can’t go back and be OK. You can’t go back and be good. You’ve got to go back and be damn good. That’s where the pressure falls back onto the player and, to be quite frank, that is where it belongs. Let these guys stand up and man up for themselves. These are their careers. If Gabe Carimi is going to be labeled as a bust, let this man do it on his own terms.”

Preach on!  If he’s going to be a bust, better he stay away from Halas Hall so as to not spread around whatever he’s got in case it’s contagious.

 Robbie Expects to Return as Good as Gould

Robbie Gould expects to be cleared to return by the Dallas surgeon who worked on his injured calf on Tuesday and the Bears to clear him by Wednesday so he can re-join his teammates in workouts by Thursday.

“I’ll be just as good. I have busted my butt to get healthy and I can’t wait to get out there and show everyone.”

Can’t wait to see Robbie back in action.

Draft Move

The NFL draft could be on the move in 2014. Thanks to a Rockettes show scheduled for Radio City Music Hall, the draft is getting pushed back, likely to May 15th on a 1-year trial basis.   No other changes are confirmed at this time, but there’s been some talk about moving free agency and the start of the league year up to the end of February and the scouting combine to mid-March.

And all the NFL bloggers out there let out a big cheer!

Bears Player Tweet of the Day

Yesterday’s tweet of the day, from Kyle Long:

It’s amazing what we are able to do thanks to technology

— Kyle Long (@Ky1eLong) May 21, 2013

So long…

Defensive tackle Andre Fluellen.  We hardly knew ye.

Hello…

Undrafted rookie cornerback Maurice Jones out of Temple.

And Finally…

If you’d like to help the folks in Oklahoma, donate to the Red Cross or other reputable charities, watch out for scams and for God’s sake, go hug your kids and loved ones.