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Wondering about a player, a past game or another issue involving the Bears? Senior writer Larry Mayer answers a variety of e-mail questions from fans every day on ChicagoBears.com.
Larry: I thought Brian Urlacher had an outstanding year and deserved to be in the Pro Bowl again. How do his overall stats this season rank against the NFC players selected over him?
Jeffrey S.
Jeffrey: I completely agree with you that Brian Urlacher got snubbed in Pro Bowl voting this season. If you look at impact plays—let’s define them as interceptions, sacks, forced fumbles and fumble recoveries—Urlacher has produced 11 so far this season. The two players that were selected ahead of him in Pro Bowl balloting at inside linebacker—Seattle’s Lofa Tatupu and San Francisco’s Patrick Willis, generated 8 and 6 of those impact plays, respectively. Heading into the final week of the regular season, Urlacher has 4 interceptions, 5 sacks and 2 forced fumbles; Tatupu has 4 interceptions, 1 sack and 3 forced fumbles; and Willis has 3 sacks, 2 forced fumbles and 1 fumble recovery. I’m not really sure why Urlacher got snubbed. The decline of the Bears defense is probably the No. 1 factor. Then again, Willis was selected despite playing for a 5-10 team and on a defense that ranks 24th in the NFL.
Larry: I’m outside a lot, but Sunday’s Bears-Packers game was one of the coldest games I’ve ever been to. How does Sunday’s game rank among the coldest in Bears history?
Cody L.
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Cody: The game-time temperature was a relatively balmy 16 degrees, which isn’t among the 10 coldest games the Bears have played. But with the wind blowing at 22 miles per hour, the wind chill factor of minus-18 made Sunday’s contest the coldest Bears home game since 1963. The only colder game the Bears have played during that time occurred on Dec. 3, 1972 at Minnesota’s Metropolitan Stadium when the temperature was 2 degrees below zero with a wind chill of minus-19.
Larry: What are the chances of rookie Matt Toeaina becoming a part of the rotation at defensive tackle next year given that the Bears already have Tommie Harris, Dusty Dvoracek, Darwin Walker, Anthony Adams and Antonio Garay?
Albert
Virginia
Albert: Bears coaches have been impressed with how Matt Toeaina has performed in the two games he's played since being signed off the Cincinnati Bengals’ practice squad. He’s definitely an intriguing prospect who figures to benefit from spending the offseason with the Bears, and I’m sure he’ll get an opportunity to compete for a job next summer in training camp.
Email your question to Larry
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FULL CHALK TALK ARCHIVE
