Getty Brian Urlacher #54 of the Chicago Bears watches as Aaron Rodgers #12 of the Green Bay Packers calls the signals at Lambeau Field on September 13, 2012 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers defeated the Bears 23-10.
It should come as no surprise Aaron Rodgers grew to admire and respect some of his rival competitors on the Chicago Bears throughout his career, but the first name that comes to his mind when talking about his favorites is Brian Urlacher.
The Green Bay Packers quarterback talked about his respect for the Hall of Fame linebacker ahead of Sunday’s noon CT kickoff against the Bears at Lambeau Field, describing to reporters how the two have gotten to know each other better in the years since Urlacher retired.
“I like him a lot more now that he’s not sacking me or picking me off,” Rodgers joked Thursday. “He got me a couple of times. I did tackle him one time, though, but it wasn’t much of a tackle.”
Rodgers also talked about one of the more hilarious moments from their time as competitors, specifically the Packers’ home game against the Bears on Sept. 13, 2019, when Urlacher had a not-so-family-friendly way of countering Rodgers in their “chess match of check-recheck.”
“Every time I checked, he checked to something, and the checks he was saying we super inappropriate,” Rodgers recalled. “I think it was pre the micing up of the guards where every single word was heard because I promise you, if that had happened today, some of that stuff would’ve had to have gotten bleeped out.”
Urlacher has said similar things about his back-and-forth with Rodgers, whom the five-time All-Pro considers the toughest opponent he faced during his 13-season career. He talked about some of the strategies and words the Bears defense would do to prepare for him during an appearance on The Dan Patrick Show in 2018.
“We had some words on defense for our checks because he knew our checks. We played him twice a year, we’d have some words for our stunts on defense that we’d have to change every week because of him and their offensive line,” Urlacher said. “They aren’t curse words, but they’re words that I probably shouldn’t say on TV or radio.”
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Rodgers Also Praises Current Bears Linebacker
Much to their discontent, the Bears will be trying to upend the Packers on the road without star linebacker Roquan Smith, but Rodgers isn’t treating it as an advantage for Sunday’s matchup with another linebacker drawing his eye on the other side of the line.
“Well, 44, I’ve always thought he’s been a really solid player,” Rodgers said of Bears inside linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski. “I don’t want to butcher his last name, but he rocked me a couple years ago and I know where 44 is at most times when he is in the game. I have a lot of respect for him and the way he plays, his approach to the game. He’s been backing up both Danny (Trevathan) and Roquan this season and he does a helluva job.”
Kwiatkoski, who will become a free agent in the upcoming offseason, can be expected to fill a bigger role Sunday at Lambeau Field with both Smith and Trevathan sidelined with injuries. The Bears officially ruled out Trevathan on Friday with an elbow injury.
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