Hall of Fame running back Gayle Sayers made headlines in the off season with a scathing critique of the current Chicago Bears team that pulled no punches in calling out the players or coach Lovie Smith. Sayers, who played his entire career in Chicago, incurred the wrath of several players with his comments including linebacker Brian Urlacher.
Questioned recently about the team's strong 2010 regular season and berth in the NFC Championship game, he didn't back off his earlier assessment of the team but surely to his astonish with the Bears' success.
Sayers' incendiary comments were made at a booster banquet in his home town of Omaha, Nebraska:
"Cutler hasn't done the task. 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 have done a bad job.
"If Lovie doesn't do it this year, I think he's gone. He had a good team the [2006] Super Bowl year. Nothing came together for him the last couple years."
Recently 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 an amazing season. I'm all for Brian Urlacher, he had a great season. The whole troupe had a great season.
"I told I enjoy it. That's the way I felt about this team, that it would be very, very fine for them to get into the Super Bowl, and they're almost there. I have nothing against Brian Urlacher. I have nothing versus the Bears. I told it like it was, that I felt they had an excellent way to go to reach the Super Bowl."
"I think what happened is the Bears are the team that has a few injuries. Lot of injuries in [the NFL]. The Bears got healthy beginning and went on in and had a great season."
He did take exception with a new comment by former teammate Dick Butkus that Urlacher was the superior linebacker in Bears' franchise history:
"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 a celebrated, great football player. Urlacher is a great, majestic football player also, but he did not have the exterminator instinct Singletary had.
"Singletary was second to Dick Butkus, simple as that. I'm not going to say nothing."
The Bears host their longtime rivals the Green Bay Packers on Sunday in the NFC Championship Game. The current NFL line on the game has the Bears installed as a +3' home underdog with the total set at 43.
Questioned recently about the team's strong 2010 regular season and berth in the NFC Championship game, he didn't back off his earlier assessment of the team but surely to his astonish with the Bears' success.
Sayers' incendiary comments were made at a booster banquet in his home town of Omaha, Nebraska:
"Cutler hasn't done the task. 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 have done a bad job.
"If Lovie doesn't do it this year, I think he's gone. He had a good team the [2006] Super Bowl year. Nothing came together for him the last couple years."
Recently 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 an amazing season. I'm all for Brian Urlacher, he had a great season. The whole troupe had a great season.
"I told I enjoy it. That's the way I felt about this team, that it would be very, very fine for them to get into the Super Bowl, and they're almost there. I have nothing against Brian Urlacher. I have nothing versus the Bears. I told it like it was, that I felt they had an excellent way to go to reach the Super Bowl."
"I think what happened is the Bears are the team that has a few injuries. Lot of injuries in [the NFL]. The Bears got healthy beginning and went on in and had a great season."
He did take exception with a new comment by former teammate Dick Butkus that Urlacher was the superior linebacker in Bears' franchise history:
"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 a celebrated, great football player. Urlacher is a great, majestic football player also, but he did not have the exterminator instinct Singletary had.
"Singletary was second to Dick Butkus, simple as that. I'm not going to say nothing."
The Bears host their longtime rivals the Green Bay Packers on Sunday in the NFC Championship Game. The current NFL line on the game has the Bears installed as a +3' home underdog with the total set at 43.
About the Author:
Daniel Scott is a freelance writer and noted authority on pay per head. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sportsbooks and bookmaking software 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.
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