Brian Urlacher has become the 28th member of the Chicago Bears to reach the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He’s also the eighth to get in on his first opportunity. It’s an achievement the former linebacker richly deserves. At the same time, while he enjoys the fruits of his labor, it’s natural for football fans to always look ahead. This begs the question.
Who is the next Bears player most likely to receive his gold jacket?
The following is a list of the top names who are most likely to receive consideration. Each of them had the distinction of being one of the best at their positions for an extended period of time. Before moving forward it should be noted for who just missed the cut. Former Bears left tackle Jimbo Covert, a member of the 1980s All-Decade team came up short. The same goes for running back Matt Forte who has over 14,000 all-purpose yards in his career. Such good players but unlikely to get ample consideration.
#5: Charles Tillman
Believe it or not, for a franchise steeped in great defense the Bears are surprisingly light on top-notch cornerbacks. They’ve had some good ones over the years but they never reached the same standing as the linemen and linebackers of this organization have. That makes it easy to forget how amazing Charles Tillman was.
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“Peanut” was the kind of great that snuck up on people. Considering he only made two Pro Bowls one would think he was decent but far from great. One look at his stats though changes it: 38 interceptions, 44 forced fumbles, eight defensive touchdowns and over 900 tackles. People had never seen a corner like him before, particularly in his scientific way of forcing turnovers. Many defensive backs today still use those same methods.
#4: Olin Kreutz
Look back through history and the best eras of Bears football always seemed to involve a great center on the offensive line. Olin Kreutz was the most recent of that group. During his peak era in the early-to-mid 2000s, there wasn’t a defensive lineman in the NFL who enjoyed going against him. Not only was Kreutz athletic and powerful, he was also mean.
Like really mean. Kreutz was a true throwback. He would’ve been right at home in the rowdy days of the 1960s. He wasn’t above throwing a late shot at anybody he felt was getting a little too chippy with one of his teammates. That wasn’t the reason he was a six-time Pro Bowler though. Kreutz was just a consistently dominant football player.
#3: Lance Briggs
People say the man lived in the shadow of Urlacher his entire career. That’s true to some extent, but one should wonder would Urlacher have achieved all he did without having Lance Briggs flanking him for most of his career? The fact is they were both great. Perhaps the best linebacker tandem of their era.
Briggs reached seven Pro Bowls (should’ve been eight), snagged 16 interceptions, scored five defensive touchdowns, forced 16 fumbles and had 15 sacks. He was responsible for a host of big plays that won them a lot of games. Sadly the Urlacher shadow and no ring will make it difficult for him to win voters.
#2: Jay Hilgenberg
As great as Kreutz was during his run, Jay Hilgenberg was greater. He was the unsung hero of the Bears offense in the 1980s, the mastermind of that loaded offensive line who paved the way for four-straight years as the #1 rushing offense in the NFL. He also was no slouch in pass protection either, hence why he went to seven Pro Bowls during his career.
The fact he was an undrafted free agent makes the story even better. How he’s been so overlooked to this point can be attributed to playing on a 1985 Bears team that was overflowing with memorable personalities. He kind of gets lost in the shuffle, and that’s not right. The man is long overdue for his gold jacket.
#1: Devin Hester
It seems odd that a special teams player would rank tops on this list, but that just goes to show how special Devin Hester was. The mark of a true Hall of Fame player can be summed up in two simple questions. Did they change the game and do enough people remember who they are?
Kickoff rules were forever altered after Hester made his run and there isn’t a football fan today who doesn’t know his name. He holds the all-time record for kick and punt return TDs with 19, six more than the next closest on the list. It took him five seasons to break it. If kickers and punters can get in now, then so can he.
