Bears’ Great Says Surprised With Team’s Success

Hall of Fame running back Gayle Sayers made headlines in the offseason with a scathing analysis of the current Chicago Bears team that pulled no punches in calling out the players or trainer Lovie Smith. Sayers, who played his complete career in Chicago, incurred the wrath of numerous players with his opinions including linebacker Brian Urlacher. Questioned recently about the team’s strong 2010 normal season and berth in the NFC Championship game, he didn’t back off his previously assessment of the team but admitted that he was surprised with the Bears’ triumph.

Sayers’ incendiary comments were made at a booster banquet in his home town of Omaha, Nebraska:

“Cutler hasn’t done the job. Urlacher, I don’t know how good he’s going to be coming back [from surgery]. They need a couple wide receivers, a couple defensive backs. They haven’t done a good job.

“If Lovie doesn’t do it this time, I think he’s gone. He had a good team the Super Bowl year. Nothing came together for him the last decade.”

Just as he didn’t shy away from his candid comments at the time, he’s not trying to distance himself from them now that the Bears are one win away from the Super Bowl:

“They had a great season. I’m all for Brian Urlacher, he had a great season. The whole team had a great season.

“I told it like it was. That’s the way I felt about this team, that it would be very, very tough for them to get into the Super Bowl, and they’re almost there. I have nothing against Brian Urlacher. I have nothing against the Bears. I told it like it was, that I felt they had a tough way to get to reach the Super Bowl.”

“I think what took place is the Bears are the team that has the fewest injuries. Lot of injuries in [the NFL]. The Bears got beneficial early and went on in and had a great season.”

He did take consideration with a new comment by former teammate Dick Butkus that Urlacher was the best linebacker in Bears’ franchise past:

“Never. Never. Don’t even try that. Dick Butkus is blowing smoke. He knows. He knows who’s the best, and that’s Dick Butkus.”

In fact, Sayers ranks Urlacher behind Mike Singletary who was the defensive leader of Chicago’s great 1985 Super Bowl winner.

“Singletary was an excellent, great football player. Urlacher is a great, great football player also, but he did not have the killer instinct Singletary had.

“Singletary was second to Dick Butkus, easy as that. I’m not going to say anything else.”

The Bears host their longtime rivals the Green Bay Packers on Sunday in the NFC Championship Game. The current NFL betting line on the game has the Bears installed as a +3′ home underdog with the total set at 43.

Daniel Scott is a freelance sports writer and highly respected authority on price per head. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sportsbooks and pay per head sites. He lives in Las Vegas, Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and a kangaroo. He is currently working on an autobiography of former energy secretary Donald Hodell.