Chicago Bears Countdown to Kickoff: 53 Days with Nick Roach

The Chicago Bears Countdown to Kickoff continues today with just 53 days until the start of the NFL season where the team will play host to the Green Bay Packers, meaning that we will be looking at the life and career of the most prolific player in franchise history to don the number 53, linebacker Nick Roach.

Nick Roach's 100 mile journey to the Chicago Bears

As a professional football player, Roach spent the majority of his career in Chicago, but his football journey started with much humbler beginnings just 100 miles north in his home city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. As a teen, Roach enrolled in Milwaukee Lutheran High School, where he played on the school's football, basketball, and track teams. On the gridiron, Roach was an integral part of his team, playing as a running back and receiver on offense while splitting time on the defensive side as a linebacker.

Roach, who also helped set a then-school record for the 4 x 400 relay, earned recognition as a top linebacker prospect, and was even nominated to the First-Team All-State squad on the defensive side of the ball. Despite finishing his high school career at the top of his state's class, Roach did not garner a lot of interest from Division I collegiate programs but ultimately chose to attend the relatively nearby Northwestern University over the likes of other Big 10 programs such as Wisconsin.

As a Wildcat, Roach started in 32 games, going back to his time as a full-time starter during his sophomore season, where he was named the team's Newcomer of the Year. Roach had a great career at Northwestern and eventually became the "heart and soul" of the team's defensive unit, and for good reason. Throughout his collegiate career, Roach recorded over 240 total tackles, 16 of which were for a loss. After starting in all 12 games as a sophomore and junior, Roach was on pace to have perhaps his best season as a senior, but the star linebacker, unfortunately, sustained a season-ending injury during the team's eighth game of the 2006 campaign.

Despite finishing his senior season on the sidelines, Roach was named a team Co-MVP following the end of the season, alongside sophomore running back Tyrell Sutton. (Fun side note: The same year that Roach was awarded a Co-MVP nod, freshmen Corey Wootton and Sherrick McManis were named Newcomers of the Year. Both players would end up being Roach's teammates with the Bears).

Nonetheless, by the end of Roach's collegiate career, he was considered one of the best linebackers of the nation, but his prior injury hurt his draft stock significantly, and the former Wildcat would end up going undrafted in the 2007 draft. However, Roach was quickly picked up by the San Diego Chargers, eventually starting the season on the team's practice squad.

Nick Roach goes from undrafted to starter for Chicago Bears

With growing skepticism around the league that the Chargers may be getting away with "stashing" a great player like Roach on their practice squad, the Chicago Bears signed the player to the active roster halfway through the season. As a rookie, Roach played the final three games of the year with the Bears but managed only three total tackles in a reserve role. For an undrafted rookie linebacker, this contribution should not come as a surprise, especially because the team made the Super Bowl the season prior, due in large part to the team's star-studded defense.

With generationally great linebackers like Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs on the roster, it makes it hard to imagine a scenario where an undrafted player could earn extended playing time, but Roach accomplished just that as early as his early season. Roach entered the 2008 campaign as the team's primary backup at linebacker, serving as a reserve for all three linebacker spots, but throughout the season, Roach proved himself a dependable player, and he ended up starting the team's final nine games at the strong side linebacker position.

By just his third season, the former undrafted player became a starter on the Bears' defense, and lined up alongside Briggs and Urlacher, forming one of the strongest linebacking trios in the league. Roach finished his first season as a starter with 75 total tackles and two sacks, but he returned to more of a reserve role the following season, in large part due to the signing of Pisa Tinoisamoa, who previously played for head coach Lovie Smith.

Despite being primarily a backup during the 2010 season, Roach made six starts due to injuries within the position group. The team made the postseason, where Roach failed to record a start, but his play down the stretch helped the team clinch a playoff birth and finish the season as a top-5 defensive unit in yards allowed.

In 2011, Roach returned to being a full-time starter, but was still the third linebacker in terms of substitution packages, so his numbers were naturally lower than that of a three-down linebacker. He finished the season with 38 tackles. The 2012 season would end up being Roach's final with the Bears, but he still started in 14 of the team's games to the tune of over 60 tackles and 1.5 sacks. Following the season, Roach was awarded the Brian Piccolo Award by the team, but in the ensuing summer, the linebacker signed a new deal to join the Oakland Raiders.

In his first year with the Raiders, Roach enjoyed perhaps the best season of his career, going from the third fiddle in Chicago to one of the main defensive players and leaders in Oakland. Roach finished the season with over 100 total tackles and 5.5 sacks while playing every defensive snap throughout the season.

Nick Roach's retirement and Chicago Bears legacy

Unfortunately, Roach sustained a season-ending concussion during the 2012 preseason and subsequently retired following the year due to long-lasting effects such as problems with stability and vision. Roach stepped away from the NFL after a seven-year NFL career that saw six seasons spent in Chicago. As a Bear, Roach finished with 237 total tackles, 22 tackles for loss, and 3.5 sacks. In the team's unofficial statistical history, Roach is currently ranked 45th in all-time solo tackles.

Since retiring from the NFL, Roach has stayed fairly close to the game of football, most notably by being inducted into the Milwaukee Lutheran Sports Hall of Fame in 2016. In recent years, Roach has been a member of the NFL Players Choir, a musical group built of current and former NFL players, including former Bears players in Prince Amukamara and Tommie Harris. As a member of the group, Roach and the rest of the group competed in the most recent season of America's Got Talent. Unfortunately, the group did not advance too far, but they did get past the audition phase.

All in all, it is hard to quantify the impact that Roach was able to have in his specified role. With future Hall of Famers in Urlacher and Briggs ahead of him in the depth chart, Roach worked up from an undrafted player into the third amigo of a great linebacking core. Outside of being able to play alongside these players, Roach's versatility allowed him to be the football equivalent of a sixth man in basketball, coming onto the field to perform whatever role was demanded of him at a high level. A solid leader in the locker room, it makes sense why a team like the Raiders would look to a player of Roach's stature to help set a new defensive culture, something that he learned and developed all across Lake Michigan, from Milwaukee Lutheran to Northwestern to the Chicago Bears.