2012 NFL Training Camp Preview: Bears’ Linebackers
Published by Jake Perper on July 23, 2012
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears
Both Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs enjoyed a season with 100-plus tackles and good health in 2011.
The star linebackers don’t seem to be slowing down one bit from year-to-year.
With Nick Roach projected as the strongside linebacker, the unit should be strong once again.
Veteran Geno Hayes was brought in this off-season to provide some depth at the position and should battle Roach for the third linebacker spot.
Expect Blake Costanzo to be used mainly on special teams, while Dom DeCicco, J.T. Thomas and Jabara Williams fight for the last couple of roster spots.
Here are the career stats for each linebacker on the Bears’ current roster.
Brian Urlacher: (170 games, 168 starts), 999 tackles, 41.5 sacks, 21 interceptions, nine forced fumbles and 13 fumble recoveries.
Lance Briggs: (140 games, 137 starts), 791 tackles, 10.5 sacks, 13 interceptions, 11 forced fumbles, and seven fumble recoveries.
Nick Roach: (64 games, 45 starts), 110 tackles, 2.0 sacks, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.
Geno Hayes: (56 games, 43 starts), 201 tackles, 7.0 sacks, four interceptions, four forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.
Blake Costanzo: 61 games and 55 tackles.
Dom DeCicco: 15 games
Patrick Trahan: five games, one tackle.
Jabara Williams: seven games, two tackles.
J.T. Thomas, Ronnie Thornton, Adrien Cole: n/a.
Staying healthy will be key for this unit. Last season they were certainly lucky considering the lack of depth at the position.
With the addition of Geno Hayes and possible progression of second-year player J.T. Thomas, the depth looks better.
Expect a solid year from this bunch as they continue to rack up big numbers every year.
Next Up: Secondary
Jake Perper is the owner and head writer for Bearsbacker.com. Follow him on Twitter, @Bearsbacker and on Facebook for up to the minute news about the Bears.
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