Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher left Sunday night’s game impressed by the Texans.
Urlacher called running back Arian Foster a “bad ass” after the game was over and congratulated Texans safety Danieal Manning after Manning intercepted Jay Cutler in the first half of the game. Urlacher shook Manning’s hand on the field after the play and said Monday that he wasn’t concerned if people thought it was out of place to congratulate an opponent for making a play against your team.
“That was a nice play. I could give a crap about what people think on the street. Get mad at me all you want, I could give ... I could give a crap about what people say,” Urlacher said on The Waddle & Silvy Show on ESPN 1000. “Danieal Manning is a friend of mine, he was a teammate for five or six years, and that’s the way it is. He made a catch and was running toward the sideline to say something to Coach, so I walked out there. The guy had a good game, he caused a fumble, had a pick. He’s my friend. I wish he wouldn’t have caught it, but he did, so nice play to you. I don’t give a crap about what fans or people say, they can kiss my butt. I don’t care.”
The last message could probably have been phrased in a way that didn’t lead to headlines with Urlacher inviting fans to plant their lips on his keister and still gotten the point across. He actually wound up doing it himself at another point in the interview.
“When the play is over, it’s over. It’s not like I have to go out there and be a jerk to him because it’s during the game and I’m a tough guy,” Urlacher said. “That’s not the way it is. They’re my friends. Between the whistles I’m going to try and get them, and when the play is over we’ll go back to doing whatever.”
These guys know each other and spend time with each other in and out of the season, so it’s only natural that you’re going to continue to treat your friends as your friends. As long as Urlacher’s still giving his best effort, and he was on Sunday, it’s hard to see it being a major problem in Chicago.
