He was one of my favorite football players of all-time. The first true superstar I can remember watching as a legitimate Chicago Bears fan. He was my hero. A guy who loved the game and played it at the highest of levels. It was heartbreaking not getting to see him with a Super Bowl for the team, and even worse watching his career end the way it did. Yet nobody knows about the epic Brian Urlacher Pro Bowl snub.
Time eventually healed most of those wounds over. However, there is one thing regarding his career that I’m still furious about. Something that remains a travesty of justice to this day. See, Urlacher is an eight-time Pro Bowler. Not many defensive players ever get to say that. The problem is he should be a nine-time Pro Bowler. That may sound like nitpicking but it’s the truth.
Most will remember the 2007 season as the Super Bowl hangover year for the Bears, going 7-9 after coming up short the year before. That made it easy for people to overlook just how jobbed Urlacher got by the NFL over what should’ve been his third-straight Pro Bowl nod at the time.
The lost Brian Urlacher Pro Bowl
Though 2007 was a tough one for the Bears, it was one of the best statistically of Urlacher’s brilliant career. He started all 16 games and was all over the field making plays. Yet he wasn’t chose to go to Hawaii that year. Who was? None other than rookie San Francisco 49ers standout Patrick Willis.
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Now this isn’t meant to take away from what Willis accomplished as a player. He was a superstar in his own right, but that Pro Bowl belonged to Urlacher. Every conceivable stat proves that much.
Willis 2007 stats
- 174 tackles
- 4 sacks
- 2 forced fumbles
Urlacher 2007 stats
- 123 tackles
- 5 sacks
- 5 interceptions
- 1 defensive touchdown
On what planet did people think Willis had a better year than Urlacher with those stat lines. Aside from tackles Urlacher had considerably more impact as a playmaker. It just gets worse from there. The Bears defense ranked 16th in points allowed that season. San Francisco ranked 20th. Chicago finished the year 7-9. The 49ers dropped to 5-11. It’s just beyond difficult to understand what possessed people to think Urlacher didn’t belong in the Pro Bowl.
To say nothing of the fact that Demeco Ryans was the AFC representative that same year. DEMECO RYANS! No sir. This will not stand. Everybody knows how fickle the Hall of Fame voters can be. The difference between getting into Canton and not can sometimes be one extra Pro Bowl appearance. Particularly for a player that failed to win a championship.
Most others have long since let this go. Well at least one person won’t. You screwed him big time on that one, NFL. I hope you’re happy.
