The Chicago Bears have a great history and a ton of great players. A lot of them are in the Hall of Fame or well on their way. I am only 28 years old and have only seen so much Bears football, but thankfully I have seen quite a few good players in that time. So here are the top 5 Bears that I have seen play in my lifetime.
5. Charles “Peanut” Tillman
For those who may not know, Charles Tillman was nicknamed “Peanut” by his mother and the nickname stuck all the way through his NFL days as he became a fan favorite in Chicago. While his coverage skills were great and all his, he was most famously known for his ability to force fumbles on pretty much anyone in the NFL. It was latter dubbed the “Peanut Punch”. Anytime the Bears defense was needing a big play on defense Tillman always seemed to be there to force a fumble.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtmgUZ5C8Vo
While Tillman was a badass on the field, he is also one off the field. He recently became an FBI agent and also just recently rowed deep into Lake Michigan for charity. He may not have been one of the biggest stars in the NFL, but he is one of my favorite Bears of all time.
4. Lance Briggs
Life can be hard sometimes when you have to play second fiddle to another. That is exactly what Lance Briggs did his entire career in Chicago while playing along side Brian Urlacher. For eleven seasons Briggs and Urlacher formed one of the best linebacking duos to ever play the game. While Briggs may not be in the Hall of Fame just yet like Urlacher, he turned in a heck of a career himself. All Pro in 2005, seven times being named a Pro Bowler. Not to mention having over 1,000 career tackles and 27 created turnovers.
3. Devin Hester
The “windy city flyer” himself. Everyone loved Devin Hester, even if you weren’t a Bears fan he was appointment TV. He was the type of player that took a game and turned it upside down in a hurry. My two favorite returns were the Denny Green “Crown Them” game and the opening kickoff of Super Bowl 41 returned for a touchdown. I think someday we will see Devin Hester in the Hall of Fame. He is the best to ever return kicks and that alone I think is enough to get you into Canton. While he ended up breaking the all time return record as an Atlanta Falcon, he will always be one the greatest Chicago Bears of all time. His all time return stats are 20 touchdowns and over 11,000 return yards.
2. Khalil Mack
Khalil Mack has only been a Chicago Bear for one season. That isn’t much time to really make a case that he is one of the all time great Chicago Bears. Fortunately this is a list of my all time favorite modern Bears. Khalil Mack instantly has made a climb into my top 5. This dude is an absolute monster and helped bring back the fun of the Chicago Bears this past season. Only time will tell how much more he will do as a Chicago Bear and I for one am really excited for it.
1. Brian Urlacher
When I was a kid I envisioned myself playing like Brian Urlacher. My number was even going to be the same until an upperclassman had it first. I quickly came down to earth when they stuck me on the offensive and defensive lines. I, unfortunately, was not going to be like Brian Urlacher.
Brian Urlacher was another great middle linebacker to the list off all-time great middle linebackers that the Chicago Bears have had over the course of their existence. Just to top it off he is third Chicago middle linebacker to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Urlacher wasn’t the fastest guy on the field but he exemplified what most Chicago fans stood for, hard work and determination. I think that is why everyone came to love Brian Urlacher in Chicago and still do to this day.
My favorite Urlacher moment is an 85 yard pick six of Brett Favre. To top it off the Bears were absolutely man handling the Packers that day and it was just insult to injury.