Retiring Josh McCown Explains What Made Brian Urlacher the Greatest

Josh McCown is finally walking away from the game of football after 17 years. The man may have never worked out as a starter, but he has a firm place in NFL history as one of the best backup quarterbacks of his generation. He played for 10 different teams during his long run including a stretch with the Chicago Bears from 2011 to 2013.

During that span, he appeared in 11 games, started seven, and threw for 2,243 yards with 15 touchdowns and five interceptions. His incredible run in 2013 in place of the injured Jay Cutler where he had 13 TDs and just one INT is still talked about to this day. Some Bears fans can't help but wonder what might've happened had the team stuck with him that year.

McCown though isn't the type to lament on such things. He instead remembers the good times. During an interview with Connor Hughes of The Athletic, the veteran QB covered some of the favorite teammates he's ever had across his career. A healthy chunk of them came during his time with the Bears. None received more praise though than Brian Urlacher.

Josh McCown is biased but still believes Urlacher is the best ever

McCown played for almost two decades. Remember that. During such a long stretch of time, he had a chance to play with or against some of the best middle and inside linebackers in professional football. This includes Ray Lewis, Patrick Willis, and Luke Kuechly. However, it seems in his mind nobody will ever be able to touch #54.

“What a stud. What a stud. You know, when I got to Chicago, I was a backup and doing a lot of scout-team stuff. I had a chance to watch him run that defense, and that’s when that defense was rolling. He was the Peyton Manning of that side of the ball. It was unbelievable to watch him dissect plays, call them out by what he was seeing in the alignment.

He would turn and tell (linebacker) Lance Briggs what was coming. He’d be yelling, ‘Here comes the toss!’ or ‘Here comes the lead weak!’ It was fascinating. He had so much fun doing it. It was so awesome to watch that dude work. He was, I don’t know what the word is, but from a mental-processing standpoint in the game of football, he was so gifted."

McCown isn't the only person to say something like that. Even arch nemesis Aaron Rodgers said more than once how difficult it was to match Urlacher mentally. He was on top of everything an offense was trying to do. For as physically imposing as he was, it was his brain that turned him into a first ballot Hall of Famer. Other names will get votes for best middle linebacker in Bears history, but McCown knows where his will always go.