Urlacher Speaks Up About Jay Cutler Trade

Urlacher had this to say last Friday on ESPN 1000 in Chicago:

'Making this deal, plus we got Orlando Pace, our offense is looking really good, we have some big names on offense, which we haven't had since I've been here. We have a franchise quarterback, which we obviously haven't had. We're going in the right direction.

''He's still young [25]. I'm sure he has a lot to learn, but from what I've seen he has all the skills you want in a quarterback. He can throw the ball on the run, he can throw it from the pocket. He's got a cannon. And he can play well in cold weather, having played in Denver, so that will be important playing in Chicago.''

''He's got nothing to explain to me, they tried to trade him, and he got a little peed off about it.

''As a player, if a team talks about trading you, you would be a little mad, and he got really mad. I don't blame him one bit. ... I'm on his side, and most of the time players are on each other's side when these matters go down. He's got nothing to explain to us.''

''He'll do a great job, he's got a swagger about him which, personally, I love a quarterback who has a swagger. He's cocky, but not too cocky. I like that. I think you have to have that as your quarterback, somebody who's confident and will get the job done.''

Urlacher says he will miss Orton, who was a popular teammate.

''I have a lot of respect for Kyle Orton, he was a great teammate. He came in as a rookie and wins 10 games, gets benched the next two years, comes back last year and goes 9-6 as a starter. He's a winner.

''I hope he does really well in Denver. He's a free agent after next season, so I hope he plays his butt off and gets a big contract.''

Urlacher spoke up about his health as well.

''My neck is healthy, I didn't do any rehab -- all I did was train. I feel good, back to my normal self.''

all quotes from chicagosuntimes.com