Chicago Bears: Brian Urlacher sees a bit of himself in Mitch Trubisky

Brian Urlacher gets to be a part of the Chicago Bears action at least one more time as captain of the NFC team down at the Pro Bowl.

It’s fortunate timing as the roster is stacked with Bears players this year including Akiem Hicks, Eddie Jackson, Kyle Fuller, Tarik Cohen, Cody Whitehair, Charles Leno, and Mitch Trubisky. He’s excited about it and had a chance to talk about with Dan Wiederer of the Chicago Tribune. One of the topics that came up was regarding Trubisky himself. Urlacher falls into that tragic category of being a quarterback away from a championship.

Jim Miller. Kordell Stewart. Rex Grossman. Kyle Orton. Jay Cutler. They were just the highlights of a rather dark period of Bears quarterback play. He must be wondering how different his career might’ve been if he had somebody like Trubisky during his run. No use dwelling on that. One thing is clear though. He’s a big fan of the kid.

"I just like his whole demeanor. Obviously, he can throw the football. He can run it. But I love the way he handles himself after games. He never talks about himself unless it’s “I need to do this better” or “I could have done this better.” And anytime he talks about his teammates, it’s “They did this great.” In my opinion, that’s how you should be as a leader of a team — especially as the quarterback. Talk about what you can get better at and what everyone else did well. He always does that."

Urlacher seems to describe his way of leadership when referencing Trubisky

The way he goes into such detail, it almost seems like Urlacher sees a bit of himself in the young quarterback. That was exactly how the linebacker was. He took all the blame on his shoulders and gave his teammates nothing but praise. He kept setting the expectations for what the team should be and made sure to lead by example through actions rather than words. It was about working hard and playing hard and winning.

Trubisky has carried himself in exactly the same way. The fact the Bears have that type of leader at quarterback is a huge thing. Something that hasn’t been the case for this franchise for decades. Not since Jim McMahon was around. Simply being a vocal leader is one thing. Being able to back it up with quality play on the field is another. With his first Pro Bowl appearance and one of the best passing seasons in franchise history, Trubisky has built credibility in that locker room.

Now it’s about not only taking his play to the next level but doing everything he can to elevate those around him to play their best, just like Urlacher did for so many years.