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| Thursday, June 6 Updated: June 7, 1:57 PM ET Bears have clear edge in NFC North at middle linebacker By Len Pasquarelli ESPN.com |
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There are nine middle linebackers currently enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and, not surprisingly, five of them earned that singular honor while performing in the old NFC Central division. The division, which will become known as the NFC North this year in the realigned NFL, has been a test of manhood for throwback defenders more bloodied than bowed. And the roster of great middle linebackers - Dick Butkus, Ray Nitschke, Joe Schmidt, Ed George, Mike Singletary - makes for an impressive roll call at the position.
But just as the name of the division has changed in '02, so has the long and notable tradition of superb middle linebackers. Less than two months before the beginning of training camps just one middle linebacker in the division, Brian Urlacher of Chicago, is a Pro Bowl-caliber player. Truth be told, he's the lone middle linebacker in the division whose name is written in ink on the preseason depth chart. In general, a middle linebacker spot once as powerful as an exclamation point, has now been reduced to a series of question marks. Forget the "Who's Who" lineage of middle linebackers here. In 2002, it's more a matter of "Who's starting?" for the three other NFC North franchises. "Once you get beyond (Urlacher), it really is a hodge-podge, and everything kind of looks like a quick fix for the other teams," said the pro personnel director for another NFC club. "This isn't exactly the halcyon days for middle linebackers in that division. On a whole, it's not a position of strength for the division." Consider:
None of this is meant to suggest the three teams that don't have Urlacher won't get solid play at the middle linebacker position, but rather to point out the uncertainty that exists at this late juncture of the offseason, and to note the Bears' wide advantage at the position. Clearly, the middle linebacker position isn't the glamour spot it once was, and in most of the defensive schemes now deployed, it has been devalued. Few middle linebackers are on the field for three downs anymore, Urlacher being one of the few exceptions because of his tremendous coverage skills, and ability to get downfield in "cover two" situations. But just as in baseball, the successful defensive teams are the ones that are "strong up the middle," and Chicago certainly can make that claim with mammoth tackles Keith Traylor and Ted Washington keeping blockers away from Urlacher's body. "You can't have people just out-muscling you in the middle and I think we showed last season we won't allow that," said colorful Bears defensive coordinator Greg Blache. "We aren't going to let people push us around." Chicago veterans have taken exception this offseason to the notion the '01 championship, the franchise's first division title since 1990, was an aberration. Indeed, the Packers might have better talent, and they defeated the Bears twice in 2001. But over the past 10 years, the division champion eight times has ranked in the top half of NFL defensive statistics in stopping the run, and the Bears were the lone franchise to own that distinction last season. The Bears rated No. 2 leaguewide in running defense. Green Bay was 16th, Detroit No. 23 and Minnesota 30th. "I don't know what went on here last year, and it doesn't matter, because we're starting all over again," said Crockett. "But one thing that never changes is that, to win, you have to stop the run before you do anything else. I've always prided myself in doing all of the 'grunt' stuff you have to do against the run and I want to set an example in that regard." Because half of the division's teams play home games in domed stadiums now, the old saw about running the ball in December and having to stop the run, doesn't ring with as much resonance as it once did. Crockett is right, though, about the general need to defend the run well to become a contender. And to achieve that goal, three of the four NFC North teams must first identify a starter at middle linebacker, and then hope that player is productive. Len Pasquarelli is a senior writer for ESPN.com. |
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