Relaxed Urlacher is all business
Bears star intends to lay as low as he can during SB week
Urlacher admitted he'll talk to the media only as much as he's required to by NFL media-relations officials, but he did seem at ease.
''I was knocked out the whole flight [from Chicago],'' he said. ''That was good. I wasn't too anxious.
''It was nice to get off that plane and all those cameras out there wanting to see us and what we're going through.''
Urlacher said he won't get caught up in the hype of Super Bowl week.
''It's a business trip,'' he said. ''We had that week off to take care of tickets, family, all of that other junk you have to take care of before you get down here. It was nice to get that out of the way, but it is a business trip for us.
''Just practice, concentrate in practice, and when I get back to my room, hang out like I do back in Chicago. Of course there, you don't want to go outside because it's too cold right now. Here you have a little more opportunity to do stuff outside, but I'll just relax if I can and get my mind off the game.''
Urlacher said he'll stay away from South Beach and let his brother Casey see the sights.
And as far as interviews?
''When I have to speak, I will,'' Urlacher said. ''When I don't, I won't. When the media guys tell me to talk, I will, and if they don't tell me to, I won't.
''That's all there is to it for me. I do what I'm told when it comes to this stuff -- no more than I have to, no less than I have to.''
One subject he expounded on was the fact there's only one more season left on Smith's contract.
''I want him to be there as long as I'm there,'' he said. ''I couldn't imagine playing for anyone else after playing for him the last three years.
''He's a great man, a great coach. He knows football. Anyone who knows him or talks to him respects him. I can go on and on about him all day. He's great to play for. He always lets you know where you stand. If you want to talk to him, you can go talk to him. His door is always open for us. Sometimes you don't want to, but he'll call you in there.''
Urlacher also discussed the status of teammate Tank Johnson, who was allowed to travel out of state despite his house arrest.
''My man Tank, that's great,'' Urlacher said. ''He's a big part of our team. You can see what he can do out on the field, and we need him. We need him to win this thing. He's got some things cleared up in other aspects of his life. We're excited to have him.
''I know he's happy to be here, and to get out of his house for a little while, that's good for him. He's my buddy, he's my friend and we're happy to have him and excited he's here.''