More sour grapes from Url...

[madlithuanian]

http://sports.yahoo.com/video/brian-urlach...-110000890.html

[Mongo3451]

I liked his honesty. Here's what I heard...

 

Brian's camp was taken offguard with Emery's tactics.

Brian got butt hurt over the offer.

Brian decided he was worth more elsewhere.

Brian found out he wasn't.

Brian decides to retire.

Brian now feels stupid for HIS decision.

Brian is now telling the story in a way that he hopes doesn't make him seem stupid.

Brian IS stupid.

 

Still love the guy though...

[Ed Hochuli 3:16]

For a fact, I know Urlacher and Cutler were never the best of friends. I believe Urlacher turned away from the Bears upon Cutler's arrival, knowing that he was no longer the face of the franchise and that the organization was trying to become an offensive team. It didn't help that Emery drafted a LB and signed a LB, both who had better 2012's than Urlacher and both who are currently better than Urlacher was last year. It happens. Teams move on from players all the time. BTW, Urlacher did tweet the other day that he was impressed with Kyle Long and even tagged him in the tweet.

 

Brian, we all love you. Just move on to your new role in peace.

 

[ChileBear]

I liked his honesty. Here's what I heard...

 

Brian's camp was taken offguard with Emery's tactics.

Brian got butt hurt over the offer.

Brian decided he was worth more elsewhere.

Brian found out he wasn't.

Brian decides to retire.

Brian now feels stupid for HIS decision.

Brian is now telling the story in a way that he hopes doesn't make him seem stupid.

Brian IS stupid.

 

Still love the guy though...

Agreed.

[madlithuanian]

as well...

 

Agreed.

 

[CrackerDog]

Honestly, I see nothing wrong with Urlacher telling this story. I don't see him as being butt hurt or whatever. This sounds like the honest way it went down.

 

The Bears steered this to remove him, which is kind of asshole-ish but whatever, they wanted to move on. I think they need to learn from this, that you DON'T treat your stars this way at the end of their careers. They should've went to Brian the way he suggested in this interview and put it out there for him to consider.

 

I realize he's probably glossing over the fact that his agent probably wasn't negotiating as nicely as Brian is suggesting so the Bears probably had few options. At the end of the day, a few offers went back and forth before they said you have our final offer. He chose not to take it and the Bears moved on. The whole 30 seconds thing I don't believe. It was probably quick but not that fast. I do know that professional organizations want to control the message so they didn't want to wait and have Brian's agent out there spinning. They, without question, had the press release ready to go and hit send when the time came. End of story.

[Uncle Buck]

Let me start by saying Brian was one of my favorite Bears...

 

I don't think there are many players who go out on their own terms. That is okay because I think it is in the professional athlete's DNA to rate themselves as the best, to continually feel they are the man; they need to be able to build self confidence in order to perform at that level. All that being said, this video shows Brian as a whiner and someone who is willing to bite the hand that feeds them. When Brian held his breath, pouted and made public his desire to renegotiate his existing contract a few years ago should Jerry Angelo have held a Snicker's sponsored video interview popping off about Brian's lack of loyalty and professionalism?

 

At the end of the day Brian joins the list of former Bears that exit with a bad taste in their mouth. He, like many of them, will return to the fold some day, once he realizes the realities of what went down in his situation. I think the Bears do a good job of helping those who have played for them; Brian may need it some day and when that day comes, they will extend their hand to him as well.

[madlithuanian]

I could simply care less.

 

But, it does put him in a "whiny" light.

 

The story is basically over. Why keep re-hashing it?

 

I'm not so certian his side of the story is correct. No one really knows what transpired between the agent and the team other than those 2, and the Bears are not talking.

 

He has millions of reasons why the Bears didn't treat him badly...

 

Honestly, I see nothing wrong with Urlacher telling this story. I don't see him as being butt hurt or whatever. This sounds like the honest way it went down.

 

The Bears steered this to remove him, which is kind of asshole-ish but whatever, they wanted to move on. I think they need to learn from this, that you DON'T treat your stars this way at the end of their careers. They should've went to Brian the way he suggested in this interview and put it out there for him to consider.

 

I realize he's probably glossing over the fact that his agent probably wasn't negotiating as nicely as Brian is suggesting so the Bears probably had few options. At the end of the day, a few offers went back and forth before they said you have our final offer. He chose not to take it and the Bears moved on. The whole 30 seconds thing I don't believe. It was probably quick but not that fast. I do know that professional organizations want to control the message so they didn't want to wait and have Brian's agent out there spinning. They, without question, had the press release ready to go and hit send when the time came. End of story.

 

[Daventry]

I have always avidly disliked Urlacher due to some of his immature childish antics, but I have to say I gained a bit of respect for him in that interview, if nothing else because of the fact he at least showed some restraint (for him and his level of maturity) and admitted some culpability.

 

Regardless of whose fault it was, it is too bad that he went out like he did....but I am glad they did not pay him and he moved on as it was time.

[Connorbear]

I could simply care less.

 

But, it does put him in a "whiny" light.

 

The story is basically over. Why keep re-hashing it?

 

I'm not so certian his side of the story is correct. No one really knows what transpired between the agent and the team other than those 2, and the Bears are not talking.

 

He has millions of reasons why the Bears didn't treat him badly...

 

This 100%

 

Peace

[Stinger226]

Let me start by saying Brian was one of my favorite Bears...

 

I don't think there are many players who go out on their own terms. That is okay because I think it is in the professional athlete's DNA to rate themselves as the best, to continually feel they are the man; they need to be able to build self confidence in order to perform at that level. All that being said, this video shows Brian as a whiner and someone who is willing to bite the hand that feeds them. When Brian held his breath, pouted and made public his desire to renegotiate his existing contract a few years ago should Jerry Angelo have held a Snicker's sponsored video interview popping off about Brian's lack of loyalty and professionalism?

 

At the end of the day Brian joins the list of former Bears that exit with a bad taste in their mouth. He, like many of them, will return to the fold some day, once he realizes the realities of what went down in his situation. I think the Bears do a good job of helping those who have played for them; Brian may need it some day and when that day comes, they will extend their hand to him as well.

I totally agree, he comes across as whining when tries to rationalize the circumstances that led to him being out of football. He was my favorite Bear at the time, but his time has passed and people need to just let go

[selection7]

Most of you obviously have made up your minds what you think about it and can't be swayed by anything Brian actually says...because it's otherwise almost like you heard a different interview than I did. That's your choice I guess, but I thought this interview made Brian look great. Very, very reasonable on literally all counts.

 

He actually said, shockingly, he'd have played for that pittance offer (possibly even with some younger guy hypothetically brought in starting instead of him), if Emery/Stein had just told him that they only had that amount available to pay him based on what they felt he was worth from the get-go. He even outright said he could've accepted Emery not seeing Brian in his plan for the Bears' future if Emery had just been forthcoming about it. That's some serious humility and love for Bears football right there. Then he admitted he didn't get much interest from other teams, but didn't want to play for any other team than the Bears anyway...mentioning his kids and wanting to retire a Bear. Again, humility & love of Bear ball. Then he pointed out that they never initiated any talks, even the preliminary kind, about extending Brian nearly all offseason long, and eventually only made one offer period, non-negotiable, and that the Bears were so geared to end his time with the Bears that they had the announcement ready to go literally within seconds after getting Brian's agent's final offer (all of which corroborate exactly what I've been saying all along...that the new management didn't want him here anymore and were trying to get him to leave). Brian suggested that the limbo hurt his ability to train with his full heart in it and that he didn't want to go into a new season without meeting that standard that he always had met in the past (which shows character and a respect for the game). All the while, he seemed very calm and at peace with his retirement, laughing comfortably at times, while still showing reasonable concern over how things went down.

 

He finishes by discussing how he's always maintained that he wants his legacy to be "a great teammate" and that he's proud he still gets calls from teammates looking for advice or football knowledge, and how his knee was finally feeling great after bothering him for most of last year.

 

Are you guys kidding me?

[selection7]

Here's what I mean...my comments in bold.

 

I liked his honesty. Here's what I heard...

 

Brian's camp was taken offguard with Emery's tactics.

Brian got butt hurt over the offer. If by offer, you mean $, Brian actually goes to great lengths to explain it wasn't the money, but the way it was communicated that was the problem, so not true.

Brian decided he was worth more elsewhere. He literally never said anything like this. You just made it up.

Brian found out he wasn't.

Brian decides to retire.

Brian now feels stupid for HIS decision. He literally said the exact opposite of this.

Brian is now telling the story in a way that he hopes doesn't make him seem stupid. I would hope so, though he doesn't have to try too hard because even his detractors aren't accusing him of being stupid, which just makes this (and the next) comment sound odd and like it's Bear fans who are suffering from the sour grapes.

Brian IS stupid.

 

Still love the guy though...

 

At the end of the day, a few offers went back and forth before they said you have our final offer. Brian very clearly said there was only one offer, period. I know you couldn't have gleaned your info from the same video I watched.

The whole 30 seconds thing I don't believe. It was probably quick but not that fast. I do know that professional organizations want to control the message so they didn't want to wait and have Brian's agent out there spinning. They, without question, had the press release ready to go and hit send when the time came. End of story. Do you really think a guy who's been in the league for 13 years (and his professional agent) wouldn't know if it was standard procedure to issue a statement within seconds of hanging up the phone? OK, you said you think Brian is exaggerating the time, but does it change Brian's story if the real length of time was 5 minutes? You could see in his retelling the story the genuine shock he had when it happened. He could be lying, sure, but I doubt it. And at this point, the only way Brian looks bad in all this is if he's literally lying about most everything. Meanwhile, the Bears' silence is deafening.

 

This guy has meant an incredible amount to the Chicago Bears, playing as many seasons as Walter Payton, all with the Bears, and always with his utmost dedication and respect from his teammates...and no one seems to be saying otherwise, either. It seems downright odd that you all would go out of your way to twist his words so you can insult him when this one contract thing is such a tiny, tiny part of his legacy here. Upon his retirement, the guys on ESPN, most of whom aren't even Bear fans, went to far more extent to celebrate that legacy than all but a tiny handful on this particular forum. I can't help but feel that there's been some serious perspective lost.

[Uncle Buck]

Here's what I mean...my comments in bold.

 

 

 

This guy has meant an incredible amount to the Chicago Bears, playing as many seasons as Walter Payton, all with the Bears, and always with his utmost dedication and respect from his teammates...and no one seems to be saying otherwise, either. It seems downright odd that you all would go out of your way to twist his words so you can insult him when this one contract thing is such a tiny, tiny part of his legacy here. Upon his retirement, the guys on ESPN, most of whom aren't even Bear fans, went to far more extent to celebrate that legacy than all but a tiny handful on this particular forum. I can't help but feel that there's been some serious perspective lost.

 

 

I hear what you are saying and I would not want to try to change your point of view, but really what was the end game really going to be. If the new management really wanted him gone, I am guessing it was not about Brian's personality, his demeanor, or his leadership. I think they probably viewed him as someone who just did not have it anymore. Whether we agree with that analysis, really does not matter; they did not see his game as positive coming into a new season. If he is at the end of the road in the Bear's eyes, how do you turn out to pasture someone who has been the face of the franchise for a decade, AND have it end well because the player has an obvious different view of his own skill set? No one is going to win that battle.

 

It's done and Brian does not earn any extra points by revisiting the subject. Besides if he is being bald faced honest about his recollection of the events, we will probably never get an equally honest presentation from the Bears.... and as always with two stories, the truth is somewhere in between.

 

 

[CrackerDog]

Here's what I mean...my comments in bold.

 

Dude, you and I mostly agree. Read my comments again. I'm taking Brian's side but adding in a touch of realism. By offers I mean his camps offers as well as the Bears.

[GakMan23]

Heard on the Score he was whining about how Cutler is the only Bear that hasn't reached out to him since he retired. Sorry Urlacher, he is too busy learning the new offense to make you feel loved and missed...

[Uncle Buck]

I heard a Mike Singletary interview where he was asked about Urlacher's departure and subsequent commentary. To paraphrase, his feelings are that anyone who plays in the NFL for more than 3-4 years is blessed; they really made it; but at that point they need to start looking at their career with the organization's perspective. I think this wisdom comes from the separation of time; Brian needs to let it settle for awhile.

[CrackerDog]

Selection7 said: Do you really think a guy who's been in the league for 13 years (and his professional agent) wouldn't know if it was standard procedure to issue a statement within seconds of hanging up the phone? OK, you said you think Brian is exaggerating the time, but does it change Brian's story if the real length of time was 5 minutes? You could see in his retelling the story the genuine shock he had when it happened. He could be lying, sure, but I doubt it. And at this point, the only way Brian looks bad in all this is if he's literally lying about most everything. Meanwhile, the Bears' silence is deafening.

 

I didn't have a lot of time last night to address your comments in more detail. I still want you to re-read my post because I think I was very fair to Brian. With that said, I'll respond more directly to your comments I pasted above.

 

• No, I don't think Brian or his agent were confused by the speed at which the Bears got their press release issued. As I said, I'm positive the Bears had it ready to go as they probably already had a good idea that Brian was going to reject their offer. It was in their best interest to rip the Band-Aid off quickly.
• I don't blame the Bears for doing this that quickly given the need to control the message. Frankly, if Brian weren't just now whining about it all in public, more than likely to get more press for the fact that he's now a commentator, this would be a dead issue. He would've gone quietly into that good night and the Bears would be able to bring him back like all of their other mega-stars for various events. He's making his bed now. I hope he shuts up.
• I don't think Brian is lying. He's had his say, it should end here.
• The Bears should remain silent. Getting into a tit for tat argument with him at this point would serve no purpose. They could've handled it better than they did but they needed to move on and Brian should do the same.

[Stinger226]

Selection7 said: Do you really think a guy who's been in the league for 13 years (and his professional agent) wouldn't know if it was standard procedure to issue a statement within seconds of hanging up the phone? OK, you said you think Brian is exaggerating the time, but does it change Brian's story if the real length of time was 5 minutes? You could see in his retelling the story the genuine shock he had when it happened. He could be lying, sure, but I doubt it. And at this point, the only way Brian looks bad in all this is if he's literally lying about most everything. Meanwhile, the Bears' silence is deafening.

 

I didn't have a lot of time last night to address your comments in more detail. I still want you to re-read my post because I think I was very fair to Brian. With that said, I'll respond more directly to your comments I pasted above.

 

• No, I don't think Brian or his agent were confused by the speed at which the Bears got their press release issued. As I said, I'm positive the Bears had it ready to go as they probably already had a good idea that Brian was going to reject their offer. It was in their best interest to rip the Band-Aid off quickly.
• I don't blame the Bears for doing this that quickly given the need to control the message. Frankly, if Brian weren't just now whining about it all in public, more than likely to get more press for the fact that he's now a commentator, this would be a dead issue. He would've gone quietly into that good night and the Bears would be able to bring him back like all of their other mega-stars for various events. He's making his bed now. I hope he shuts up.
• I don't think Brian is lying. He's had his say, it should end here.
• The Bears should remain silent. Getting into a tit for tat argument with him at this point would serve no purpose. They could've handled it better than they did but they needed to move on and Brian should do the same.

I agree, the Bears handled it in a proper manner, where the whining comes in is the fact he is still talking about it, and made out the Bears didnt tell him they werent giving him more money. Well they offer you a contract, and they have to explain were not giving you anymore money? It dont work that way, his ego got the best of him and he stated he wouldnt work for that but would if someone ELSE offered it. He was my favorite Bear but instead of going out with class, he blames everybody else for him not being on the Bears. Its his fault,let it go and later be honored as a great Bear that will come in time.

[AZ54]

I agree, the Bears handled it in a proper manner, where the whining comes in is the fact he is still talking about it, and made out the Bears didnt tell him they werent giving him more money. Well they offer you a contract, and they have to explain were not giving you anymore money? It dont work that way, his ego got the best of him and he stated he wouldnt work for that but would if someone ELSE offered it. He was my favorite Bear but instead of going out with class, he blames everybody else for him not being on the Bears. Its his fault,let it go and later be honored as a great Bear that will come in time.

 

 

I'm with you here. Urlacher at the time was clear he'd play for less money for another team like the Patriots and he wanted a home team bonus. His words and his perspective of today after nobody else came calling for him represent some perspective. Over time he will have even more perspective. I'm just going to sit back and allow him to gain that perspective realizing it is very hard for elite athletes to end their careers. I've never been elite at anything but I can get a sense of the emotions someone else likely has when they come to the realization they are no longer elite, especially during that first weekend of the NFL season when he's not playing. There may even come a point where he learns to actually appreciate Bears fans once again. When you see that you will likely see the warm embrace of the Bears community welcoming back one of their legends.

 

I will add that if Urlacher's agent didn't understand the Bears cap situation, and if that agent also didn't understand the market for Urlacher (and other vet FAs) then he clearly had bad advice. Perhaps he is coming to that realization as well and some of that perspective seems to be showing in his comments.