Bears star linebacker Brian Urlacher had a bounce back season this year and isn’t the only Bear upset about the loss against the Packers in the NFC Championship. He had this to say about the season and the Super Bowl on Sunday.

Here is what Urlacher had to say:

The Bears lost the NFC Championship on Sunday to their NFC North rival, the Green Bay Packers.

The game meant so much to both teams. Most importantly, a trip to Dallas for the Super Bowl. This was the third match up between these two teams this season and the 182nd of all time.

This rivalry might be the most established in all of sports besides, MLB (Yankees-Red Sox), NBA (Lakers-Celtics) and NHL (Red Wings-Blackhawks). The Bears against the Packers is just a match up everyone enjoys watching.

The Bears seemed to be uninterested in the first half. They struggled mightily, allowing Green Bay to put up 14 first half points. So, with a 14-0 lead at halftime for the Packers, the Bears seemed to be in it on the scoreboard, but out of it in the way they were performing on the field.

They came out in the second half with a banged up Jay Cutler (he suffered an MCL II sprain, which is likely to keep a player out 3-4 weeks) and he went out after the first drive by the offense. QB Todd Collins (claims to have suffered a shoulder injury in his short time in the game) came in, then was taken out at the end of the third quarter in favor of Caleb Hanie.

Hanie sparked the team, driving the Bears down the field for two touchdowns, but he threw a pick six to big DT B.J. Raji, which really hurt the comeback. The Packers hung on to win 21-14. They ended the Bears season.

It’s sad because the Packers get the chance at the title, not the Bears, but the Packers deserved it more. They did beat the Bears on their home field.

Who knows what the Bears will do next season. They need some changes that is for sure. They need to bring a big bonafide #1 receiver into the mix, add some offensive lineman, decide what to do with Tommie Harris and figure out the defense because it is aging.

Those are the wants, needs and questions of many Bears fans right now. But I have a big gripe about the game that took place on Sunday. The coaching was bad in the first half, but the decision to have Todd Collins as the number two quarterback ahead of Caleb Hanie is joke.

I joked all week about the Bears starting Todd Collins over Jay Cutler, but I never thought I would actually see that veteran bum on the field for the Bears in the NFC Championship. Collins threw four incomplete passes, two of which were almost picked off by Green Bay.

To put Todd Collins at the number two quarterback position is a joke. He completed 10 passes and threw four interceptions in a week five affair with the Panthers. After that game, the Bears should have either given Caleb Hanie a look or brought in another veteran because Todd Collins is a joke. How he could be in the NFL and make one million dollars is beyond me.

I honestly believe I could throw farther than him. I think the Bears wasted a whole quarter with Todd Collins running the offense. Right after Urlacher’s big interception, Collins came in and that really hurt the momentum for the Bears. Hanie might not have won the game for the Bears, but he would have performed much better than that old bum Collins.

The Bears will have to figure things out this off-season if they want to regain there composure because a lot of fans are upset at their coaches and players right now, especially QB Jay Cutler. I’m not going to complain, this season was very great to watch, but to lose to the Packers in the NFC Championship, that is tough.

Hopefully that gives them a drive to come back stronger next season. We can only hope. Right?

Bear Down!

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Green Bay Packers @ Chicago Bears
Sunday, 3PM ET
Soldier Field, Chicago, IL
This will be the third match up this season between these NFC North rivals, but only the second meeting in the playoffs ever and the first since 1941. They split the season series. The Bears won at home and the Packers won at home. This will likely be a defensive battle with good quarterback play. I think the team who protects their quarterback better will win this one.

Aaron Rodgers has been great as of late and so has Jay Cutler. The Bears have a better running game with Matt Forte and Chester Taylor, but the Packers receiving core is better than the Bears.

Teams in the playoffs are 8-0 when they lead the game in rushing, so running will be crucial for the Bears. The Bears ran over 40 times last week, but I don’t see that many carries for the backs, but somewhere in the 30′s would only mean good things for the Bears.

Greg Jennings, Donald Driver and Jordy Nelson have more upside than Johnny Knox, Earl Bennett and Devin Hester. These teams match up very well against each other. Clay Matthews, Charles Woodson and Tramon Williams are stars on the Packers defense. Brian Urlacher, Julius Peppers and Lance Briggs are stars on the Bears defense.

Urlacher and the safeties have to play good solid coverage on defense. Matt Forte and Chester Taylor have to run and catch out of the backfield like they have been lately. Greg Olsen and the tight ends have to win their match ups with the Packers linebackers and safeties because the Packers cornerbacks are very good.

Again the team that better protects their QB will likely win. Both offensive lines have been playing better. It will likely come down to the battle up front. Bears offensive line versus Packers defensive line and visa versa.

This game should be good, the same referee as the first match up at Soldier Field will ref this one, Terry McAualy. McAuely called 18 penalties against the Packers in that game, the Packers had more penalties than points in that game. Bears-Packers for a chance at the Super Bowl, I don’t think it gets much better than that. The team with the better quarterback play will win this one. I think Jay Cutler will surprise everyone and play his biggest game ever.

Final Score: Bears 23, Packers 17.

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I will tell you the five players on the Chicago Bears team that need to play big, in order for them to win.

1. DE Julius Peppers

In two games against the Packers this season, Peppers has only six tackles. He was shut down in week 17 match-up. But in week the week three match-up, he was causing holds, false starts and even blocked an extra point. Peppers needs to get back to his old ways because last week against Seattle in the divisional round he only made four tackles. If he can bounce back and cause havoc like he has been all season, that will only help the Bears defense.

If they can rattle Rodgers early and often, I don’t see why the Bears can’t get ahead and start to build on their lead. Peppers is the biggest key to victory, without him they wouldn’t be in the NFC Championship, so they need him to play the best game of his career.

2. S Chris Harris

In his first year back with the Bears since the Super Bowl season 2006, Harris has been pretty successful. Let me note that the three seasons he has been with the Bears so far (05, 06 and 10), they have made the playoffs. This season he appeared in all 16 games making 70 tackles and a career high five interceptions. The last time he was able to get an interception against the Packers, it was back in 2005. However he has been playing great as of late, in the last nine games of the season, Harris had all five of his interceptions.

He got banged up in the divisional round last week against Seattle and missed practice all this week with a left hip injury. He says he will play and the Bears will need him to be healthy, however if he is too hurt, I think the Bears should go with rookie Major Wright. Wright is young, but has played well in his short time with the Bears. Expect Harris to try to give it a go, the Bears need all the help they can get.

3. WR/KR Devin Hester

Hester has been ridiculous once again on kick returns, he averaged a career high 17.1 yards per punt return. He returned three of his 33 punt returns for touchdowns and averaged 35.6 yards per kickoff return on his 12 run backs. On offense, Hester adds a nice threat, he reeled in 40 passes for 475 yards and four touchdowns. In two games against Green Bay this season, Hester caught two passes for 32 yards and returned a punt 62 yards for a touchdown back in week three. The Packers likely won’t punt to him, but the Bears will find ways to use him on offense, he is a key weapon, who is very good in the open field.

4. CB D.J. Moore

He will be a key weapon in this game. The Bears want to get pressure on Rodgers and they want to keep the receivers in check. Moore will be a huge part of that. He had four interceptions on the season and will likely be called upon against Green Bay on Sunday. Look for him to have a good game.

5. WR Earl Bennett

He didn’t show up last week against Seattle, but I expect him to be a big target on third downs. Bennett will need to be a good player on Sunday, if the receivers stink it up, the offense will have to depend on the running game and the tight ends. Bennett will be needed. I promise Cutler will look his way a good amount of times.

Honorable Mentions:

RB Matt Forte

TE Kellen Davis

DE Israel Idonije

FS Danieal Manning

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The Packers and Bears square off on Sunday at Soldier Field in the NFC Championship. The winner goes to Dallas for the Super Bowl.

I will tell you the five players on the Green Bay Packers team that need to play big, in order for them to win.

1. RB James Starks

He has been the workhorse so far this post-season for the Packers. He has taken most of Brandon Jackson’s carries away. In the wild card round against Philadelphia, Starks had 23 rushes for 123 yards, averaging 5.3 ypc. That’s pretty impressive. But against Atlanta in the divisional round, Starks had 25 rushes for only 66 yards, averaging 2.6 ypc.

If the Packers want to control the time of possession, Starks has to have the game that he did in Philadelphia. I expect him to be able to have some success, but the Bears run defense is pretty good, he could find himself struggling once again.

2. LB Clay Matthews

In two games this season against the Bears, Matthews has made five tackles and one sack.  He finished the season with 14 sacks. He had two sacks against the Falcons last week in the divisional round. Pressure from the linebackers is something the Packers had success with back in week 17 against the Bears. The Packers sacked the Bears six times in that match-up, and Matthews made one of those. Look for Matthews and the rest of the Packers defense to blitz a lot on Sunday. Matthews will be a key player for the Packers, if he can rattle Bears QB Jay Cutler that will be huge for them.

3. WR James Jones

He had arguably his best season since 07-08, with 50 catches and five touchdowns, but he is still vulnerable with the ball after the catch. In five career games, Jones has caught 15 passes for 177 yards, but he has fumbled three times in those five games, including once in the week 3 match up in Chicago. He might not play very well at Soldier Field because the grass is horrible.

Jones will be considered a weak link if the Bears can force some fumbles out of him. Jones has to be protective of the ball in this one because Green Bay can’t afford anything stupid.

4. OL Bryan Bulaga

Bulaga is the rookie right tackle for the Packers. He struggled in the week three match-up at Soldier Field against the Bears. Him and his fellow offensive linemen struggled in that game. The Packers as a team committed 18 penalties a franchise record. They committed more penalties (18) than points scored (17) in that game. Bulaga will have to play much better in this rematch at Soldier Field if the Packers want to take control.

5. Mason Crosby

Kickers don’t usually make the list of most important players, especially in an NFC Championship, but I think this game could be decided by a field goal. Crosby kicks field goals at a 78% clip, compared to Bears kicker Robbie Gould who is kicks field goals at a 85% clip.

If I could pick between the two to kick the game winner, I would definitely pick Robbie Gould. Crosby will have to be ready for a kicker battle if this game is close in the end. Crosby against Gould is a match-up not many fans will be looking at, so I’m telling you to pay attention to it.

Honorable Mentions:

WR Donald Driver

CB Charles Woodson

NT B.J. Raji

CB/PR Tramon Williams

For more news on Twitter, follow @Bearsbacker.