Brian Urlacher: Faking injuries was part of Bears’ game plan

A key member of the Chicago Bears’ defense for the past 13 seasons, Brian Urlacher is as an eight-time Pro Bowler, a former AP defensive player of the year and a future Hall of Famer.

In his new role as an analyst on Fox Sports 1, the recently retired linebacker revealed another member of those defenses who played a key role in slowing opposing teams’ offenses -- the dive guy.

In other words, it was someone who would fake an injury in order to stop the clock, particularly during long drives or early in the season, when the athletes tend to get gassed.

“We had a guy who was the designated dive guy,” Urlacher said on “Fox Football Daily.”

According to Urlacher, a coach on the sideline would pantomime the motions of a swimmer taking a dive to let the player know it was time to hit the turf.

Still, Urlacher said, “it wasn’t coached, but it was part of our game plan.”

Of course, the Bears aren’t the first or last team to use such a strategy, but Urlacher may be the first high-profile player to discuss it in such a manner.

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