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Sig may have had him at #4, I put him at #15 late last week in my dynasty update.Urlacher isn't what he used to be, primarily because the quarter step he's probably lost is costing him most in the big play columns. The Bears have faced the third fewest rush attempts against on average in the league and a league worst 46.3% run-pass percentage.To me, he's had two poor games (CAR and ATL) as you can throw the DET game out since no one (incl Barnett, Willis, Ryans) has been productive against the Lions. He's also had four games with six or more solos, including last week's seven solo output. Since he's had two consecutive seasons of just 92 and 93 solos (and he had a top five tackle opportunity number last season), his current projection of 85 solos isn't too far behind expectations.I had Urlacher as my 9th overall LB in the final redraft ranking, primarily based on an expectation that Lance Briggs would play like the 2007 version rather than the 2006 version. Briggs hasn't been great, though he's probably been hurt some by the tackle opportunity too, but Urlacher is still struggling. From what I've seen, it's not that he's slowed down much or that there's been a change in philosophy. I think he's having more trouble shedding blocks than he's had. That'll likely keep him inconsistent even if his opportunity improves -- maybe 8-10 solo upside and 4-5 solo downside instead of the 6-8 and 2-4 we're currently seeing.I Am Rick James said:
Will be sitting Urlacher in favor of either Durant or D.Bullocks until further notice.
I like Brian too and I admit some of what is going on is the scheme the Bear's employ. However, you can't tell me you haven't noticed the missed tackles and the inability to get off a single block. Brian has always had these shortcomings to a certain degree but was able to mask them with his superior athleticism. Now that he is 30 and has wear and tear on his body he needs to rely less on his diminished speed and get better in the run game. There have been weeks where he has 4 tackles but he could have easily gotten 8-10 if he would have gotten off a block or not wiffed on the tackle. The play before the fumble on the goal line last week vs the Titans for example: White ran right up the middle and Brian led with a shoulder and totally missed the ball carrier as he lunged. It seemed as if he just closed his eyes and lead with his head down. It should have been a tackle for loss. Bottom line: Briggs is the guy to have in IDP on that Defense.
Occasionally that will happen. But I am very happy I started Greenway and dropped Urlacher.
I've noticed this too and I'm not sure where I stand on this. They were playing the Rams which could have contributed to his statistics. I did watch some of the game and noticed his ineffectiveness in the run game but if your league gives big points for PD and INT then it might be worth a shot.
Define great? I think he's been outstanding all season. And frankly, I've been scratching my head these last few years when I consistently see Urlacher ranked ahead of him. If my memory serves me right, last season was the only time in the past five years that Urlacher has outscored Briggs in FBG standard scoring.I might be in the minority, but I've felt for at least three years now that Briggs is the best LB in Chicago.
At the time of this post a month ago, Briggs was averaging less than five solos a game (projecting to 78 over a full season). My "great" comment was related more to his box score production than his on-field play. I would argue that you may be underrating Urlacher's play from prior to 2007 and underestimating the effect the Tampa-2 had on Briggs' stat lines and role, but I don't disagree that Briggs has been a very good linebacker and every bit the player Urlacher has been for most of the past four seasons.I do think his play dropped off a bit in 2007 with all the offseason distractions (car accident, contract issues, etc) and wasn't convinced that he'd rebound this season. He has, and I'd agree that he's the more dynamic player right now, though not by a significant margin. I'd like to see Urlacher backed off the line more often, rather than stuffed up over an A gap, or allowed to play a little less in deep coverage, but neither seems likely to happen.
Apologies, I didn't see the date of your post. Briggs has certainly stepped it up as far as solos go over the past four weeks. I'll admit I don't watch every Chicago game, but I've watched a fair amount over the past three of four seasons, and I just get the feeling that Briggs is the better player - as you said, he is simply more dynamic. I've always felt he was vastly underrated, which seemed to mesh with the fact that it took Chicago so long to pay the man. Even now, I think he's still living in Urlacher's shadow and most NFL fans aren't aware of how much he brings to that defense.
