I made my mind up a long time ago. It wasn't like an overnight decision. But I feel great about it. It's nice to have it behind me now and go onto the next stage of my life, whatever that may be. I thought it was time.
”
-- Brian Urlacheron "The Waddle & Silvy Show"
Throughout the season, the Bears kept Urlacher on a limited practice schedule, and that contributed to the linebacker struggling to regain form.
Urlacher put together a nine-tackle performance in Week 13 against the Seahawks, but he suffered a hamstring injury while chasing down quarterback Russell Wilson during a 23-17 loss in overtime, which ended his 2012 season with four games remaining. Before that, Urlacher had played in every game in the two previous years after missing 15 games in 2009 due to a broken wrist.
