Bears' good health a huge factor in team's success

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Brian Urlacher

Standing at the lectern in the media room Thursday at Halas Hall, Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher literally knocked on wood when he mentioned, ''We've been pretty healthy for the most part this season.''

That is an understatement.

Of all the breaks the Bears have gotten this season -- starting with Calvin Johnson's ''drop'' in the end zone through the showdown today with yet another third-string quarterback against the Lions at Ford Field -- none has been more integral to the Bears' success than their unprecedented good health.

Knock on wood.

The Bears have been the healthiest team in the NFL, which is just as significant for a good team as leading the league in total defense or touchdowns. Their only player on injured reserve is linebacker Hunter Hillenmeyer, who suffered a concussion in the opener. The Bears' starters have lost a total of five games to injury -- quarterback Jay Cutler (one), guard Roberto Garza (two) and linebackers Lance Briggs (one) and Pisa Tinoisamoa (one).

Not only that, but those players -- and others who have had nagging injuries that didn't keep them out of the lineup -- have recovered. Urlacher averaged 11 tackles as the Bears won their first three games. Then he averaged five tackles through the next four, when he was bothered by a groin injury. The Bears lost three of those four games.

But he healed during the bye week and regained his effectiveness with 10 tackles against the Bills and Vikings and 11 against the Eagles. He was held to four against the Dolphins because they ran only 48 plays.

So while the Lions will be without quarterbacks Matthew Stafford and Shaun Hill and placekicker Jason Hanson and very likely without defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch, the Bears will be without only Tinoisamoa, who has a knee injury.

A rarity in the NFL

Kudos to trainer Tim Bream, strength and conditioning coach Jim Arthur, the coaches and the players for whatever they've done to maintain their health.

''A lot of that goes to the players and how they prepared for the season, getting their bodies ready to play a long season,'' Bears coach Lovie Smith said. ''We're talking about adding games and things like that. In order to do that and make it through the season, you have to put in the time in the offseason. Our players have done that.''

But make no mistake about it, to be this healthy this late in the NFL is undoubtedly a break. You could spend every non-football moment in a hyperbaric chamber and not be this healthy 12 weeks into an NFL season. It doesn't happen very often.

''No, it doesn't,'' Smith said. ''It hasn't happened around here for us. Not anywhere, really, where you're this late into the season with the amount of injuries we have.''

It's notable, especially at Halas Hall. This is a huge turnaround for a team that has struggled not only with injuries but with rehabilitation. Last year, Urlacher was lost for the season in the first half of the opener. Tinoisamoa also was hurt in that game and played only one game after that before going on injured reserve.

That seemed to legitimize the criticism that Smith's philosophy of limited contact during training camp left the players poorly conditioned for game-speed contact. But now Smith's training-camp regimen looks like a winner.

Lions coach Jim Schwartz said Urlacher has been so effective this season, it looks as though he has gone through a time machine.

'Year off didn't hurt'

''I'm sure the year off didn't hurt me any,'' Urlacher said. ''The way coach Smith structures our practices in training camp and our bye week, it gives us a chance to kind of maintain your health.''

Urlacher also said many players do conditioning outside of Halas Hall, himself included. He didn't go into details when pressed.

''Just different stuff,'' he said.

Hey, whatever works. Because avoiding injuries is everything in the NFL. Considering that the Eagles were without Asante Samuel, the Dolphins were without Chad Henne and the Vikings were without Sidney Rice and Bernard Berrian, the biggest advantage the Bears have is their health.

Knock on wood, of course.