| 18 September 2009
Lance Briggs hasn't always wanted to be a Chicago Bear player. Briggs wanted out of Chicago at the end of his rookie contract to become the center of a defense. He wanted to play somewhere else where he wasn't in Brian Urlacher's shadow. Briggs wanted to play somewhere, anywhere he could showcase his true talent and ability as a football player and the main cog in a championship level defense. Based on that level of desire no one thought that Briggs would end up staying in Chicago. Not much you can do though when you're playing in the shadow of a hall of fame linebacker legacy and the guy you play next to is himself a future hall of famer. The names Bill George, Dick Butkus, Mike Singletary and Brian Urlacher inspire mythical World War II general status along the lines of Bradley, MacArthur, Eisenhower, and Patton. Go out and ask any Chicago Bears fans about the best defensive players in the history of the organization and you'll likely hear those names.
As the situation would have it, no team offered the type of money or the opportunity to succeed as Chicago did, and Briggs remained a Bear. Now barely one year later Briggs is the center piece of the Chicago Bears defense. With Brian Urlacher out for the season and the expectations of a championship level team still a part of the aspirations of a football city, it's up to Briggs to shine at a level he never has before.
Briggs talks about winning the defensive player of the year, this year is the best opportunity he perhaps will ever have being the captain and showing up in big games like this weekend's show down with the defending champion Steelers and reigning league defensive MVP James Harrison.
Briggs couldn't be in a more ideal situation than to be a part of a defense that leads his team to victory against one of the best defense's in the league that also comes in with a new found high-powered passing attack. Now it's time for Briggs to prove he can be the center piece of this defense and one of it's most irreplaceable parts.
Warren Sapp made the statement that the WILL 'backer in the Tampa-2 defense is the second most irreplaceable part behind the three-technique DT. That may be true, but Urlacher is an irreplaceable player whose ability as a player transcends any defensive scheme out there. There is no taking away from the fact that the players make the system, but now it's Briggs' time to show that he too can be more than just a WILL 'backer in the cog. Briggs needs to step up and take his game to a whole new level, he needs to be known as more than just a WILL 'backer in the Cover-2 defense.
Briggs needs to show up as one of the greatest linebackers in the league regardless of the system he plays in. Great NFL players shine through in any defensive scheme and there is little doubt that Urlacher is more than just a Cover-2 MIKE 'backer. Arguably there are better systems for Urlacher to play in yet his ability would fit anywhere in the league. This is what Lance Briggs needs to prove to not only himself, but to anyone who may doubt that he could fit in and play anywhere else in the league. To this point in his career it is easy to make the argument that Urlacher's presence has made Briggs' job easier. Briggs has been able to stand out because teams have always focused on stopping Urlacher first and foremost. Briggs has been the beneficiary playing next to Urlacher in this defense.
So now the question is if Briggs is seriously to be considered the best player on the Bears' defense and the best defensive player in the league, this weekend is the game to do it in. Briggs needs to go out and show he is the best defensive player on the field against Pittsburgh. He needs to lead the defense to a victory and make certain that everyone around him plays better because of his presence.
The Steelers do measure up as far being the Super Bowl champions, but their rushing attack is hardly elite. Briggs will have to back up one big game against Pittsburgh with a major game against Adrian Peterson. Prove that you can be the leader of a defense that shuts down Peterson and without question you'll get talk of being one of the best defensive players in the league.
So the time for Briggs is now, back up his contract demands from a couple years ago with a level of play that would put him in among the best linebackers not only in the league, but also in the history of the Chicago Bears.
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