Josh, Valparaiso, INSubj: Brian Urlacher
Why is it, year after year, Brian Urlacher is considered an over rated player? The guy is obviously a team leader, and is always on top of the ball. I just don't get it.
Neither does his coach, Brian. According to Lovie Smith, "He's one of the best players in the National Football League. I thought that before I got here; I'm totally convinced of it now that I am here. I'll challenge anybody who says anything different." Although I don’t want to get in a bout of fisticuffs with Poppa Bear, Urlacher’s problem could have to do with overexposure. Despite the fact that he’s a five-time Pro Bowler, this “Monster of the Midway” has built up an impossibly big profile due to his endorsements for McDonald’s, Sega, Domino’s Pizza and Campbell’s Chunky Soup. Nike hardly helped matters when they mythologized him in a series of over-the-top ads. Quite frankly, how can anyone live up to that kind of hype? Urlacher’s distracters also criticize him for struggling to elude bigger blockers and sometimes disappearing on the field. Of course, how any one 6’4” and 258 lbs. can disappear is beyond me.
