Buffone: Urlacher Worthy Of Comparisons To Butkus And Singletary
CHICAGO (WSCR) There's very little argument against the fact that Brian Urlacher has been one of the best Bears players during his time in Chicago. But there are some that are hesitant to place him among the ranks of Dick Butkus and Mike Singletary.
Former Bears linebacker and current analyst Doug Buffone isn't among this group. Buffone says Urlacher "absolutely" deserves to be mentioned in that category.
"The game has changed quite a bit as far as what the linebacker needs to do," Buffone said on the Danny Mac Show.
One knock on Urlacher has been his struggles with getting off blocks. Those critical of the 12-year veteran feel that his best seasons have come when he's been behind his best defensive lines.
LISTEN: Doug Buffone On The Danny Mac Show
Podcast
For the rest of this interview and other 670 The Score interviews click here.
"Granted, everyone says: 'You gotta take on that block,'" Buffone said. "But let's be honest about the whole thing. When I played, I played at what? 232 pounds. And let's say that then, there was a guard coming at me, and he was maybe 260. OK, I could take them on.
"What's happening now is that you're talking about the guys that are coming out there, they're 320, 315. ... They're bigger, they're stronger, they're faster. So, what you need now, you need linebackers that can move, that can get out of the way. ... And I think that the game has changed. I don't know of to many linebackers that can take on a 300-pound guard and a 280-pound fullback and make the tackle, it's very difficult."
