Bears' Brian Urlacher Declares He'll Be Ready to Play Week 1

Adam Bettcher/Getty Images(CHICAGO) -- Despite missing all of the preseason, including practice, with a knee injury, Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher still expects to play in the team's season opener against the Indianapolis Colts.

Urlacher suffered a sprained medial collateral and posterior cruticate ligaments in his left knee in the last game of regular season in 2011. On August 14, Urlacher underwent an arthroscopic clean-up procedure to help heal the injury.

The 34-year-old Urlacher told WFLD-Channel 32's "The Final Word" that his knee "isn't the same anymore" and "will never be the same," but later said that "I'm playing Sunday. That's a done deal."

"(The left knee) feels much better now," Urlacher also said. "I have been running around quite a bit, not with the team in practice, I have been taking it really slow like Coach Smith said we would. Everything they are going to let me do, I'll do. There is going to be some restrictions on what I can do because they don't want to overwork me too early."

Urlacher is entering his 13th season with the Bears. This past season, Urlacher recorded 102 tackles and had three interceptions.

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