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Brian Urlacher talks with ESPN's Josina Anderson about walking away from football.

San Francisco 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh said Friday that new Chicago Bears coach Marc Trestman "taught me everything" when they were on the Oakland Raiders coaching staff, and he still uses many of Trestman's techniques.

"Everything wouldn't be an overstatement," Harbaugh said Friday on "The Waddle & Silvy Show" on ESPN Chicago 1000. "We use his system still of calling plays and the way he taught us those concepts and techniques. I've used (those) since I coached with the Raiders, the University of San Diego, Stanford and the 49ers.

"He will do great and talk about long overdue. Marc Trestman becoming a head coach is well deserved, he will do a phenomenal job."

Harbaugh's first NFL coaching job came as quality control coach for the offense with the Oakland Raiders in 2002, and he reported directly to Trestman, the offensive coordinator. Harbaugh, a former Bears quarterback, went on to head-coaching jobs in college at San Diego and Stanford before landing the 49ers job in 2011.

Harbaugh took the Niners to the NFC Championship Game in his first season and led them to the Super Bowl last season, losing to brother John Harbaugh's Baltimore Ravens.

Asked if the Bears hit a home run with their hire of Trestman, Harbaugh said: "Absolutely. Grand slam. That was a grand slam hire. You see the coaches that Marc has put around him, they know football. He knows football. He's a great teacher and I think that's coaching right there. ...

"That's something I learned working with Marc, by example and by things that he would tell me. That's one of my lucky breaks in coaching was to work with Marc Trestman because he took the time to train me and to teach me. And I will always be thankful for that."

It's hard to fathom, but 12 other players wore No. 89 for the Bears after Mike Ditka left the team following the 1966 season.

Here's a quick look at the players, some of them even coached by Ditka, who were the number that will be retired on Dec. 9.

Matt Spaeth, TE, 2011-12: Spaeth was brought in from Pittsburgh to shore up pass protection for Jay Cutler. He's returning to Pittsburgh to play for the Steelers in 2013. He will have been the last player to wear the number.

Dustin Lyman, TE, 2000-04: Lyman was a linebacker at Wake Forest who was converted into a tight end by the Bears. He caught 37 passes over five seasons for the Bears.

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A member of the Green Bay Packers is going to miss Brian Urlacher? That's right.

Aaron Rodgers said on The Jim Rose Show that the Bears middle linebacker, who retired Wednesday, was his "favorite player to play against."

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Mike Ditka's final season as a player for the Chicago Bears was in 1966. His last season as their coach was 1992. So why did it take 47 years after his departure as a player, and 21 years after his final season as the coach, to retire the number of one of the most recognizable figures in team history?

A small part of the explanation could be the sheer size and breadth of the Bears' history. Before retiring Ditka's No. 89, a move the team announced Friday, the Bears already had the most retired numbers in the NFL (Ditka's is the team's 14th). I chuckled Friday morning when punter Adam Podlesh tweeted: "BREAKING: The NFL finally gives Bears the nod to use fractions and decimal points on jerseys after the last whole number is retired #iwantpi"

If you retired every deserving number in Bears history, there wouldn't be many left over for the current team.

But I think we all know that more than numbers were in play here. Ditka alluded to it during a morning appearance on ESPN Radio, noting the efforts of Bears chairman George McCaskey to reach out after succeeding his brother, Michael, in 2011. Michael McCaskey, of course, was running the Bears when Ditka was fired as coach.

"I never left" the Bears organization, Ditka said, but added: "I think what happened is they made a decision based on what they wanted to do. They had a right to make that decision. It hurts. It always hurts when there is a separation or divorce.

"But when George took over running the Bears and he called me, him and [team president] Ted Phillips and I met with him. I think [the meeting] was so cordial. George is a special guy. He probably had a little bit more vision than somebody else. But that didn't matter. That's not important to me. Whatever it is, it is. … I am very, very honored. That's the bottom line."

The ceremony will take place Dec. 9 at Soldier Field, when the Bears will host a "Monday Night Football" game (on ESPN!) against the Dallas Cowboys. It should be a great night.

Note: The video of Ditka's radio appearance is at the top of this post. Here is the link to the audio version if you prefer that.

The Chicago Bears took out full-page ads in two Chicago newspapers to thank linebacker Brian Urlacher, who announced his retirement Wednesday after 13 seasons.

"Few play for a storied franchise. Even fewer write their own chapter. Thanks, Brian," the ad in the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times read.

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» NFC Eight in the Box: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

How does each NFC North team look at running back, and what still needs to be done?

Chicago Bears: If you were drawing up plans for an experienced but diverse backfield, you could do a lot worse than modeling after the Bears. Starter Matt Forte is a shifty off-tackle runner and one of the NFL's top pass-catching running backs, a collection of skills that will fit neatly into new coach Marc Trestman's offense. Forte has caught 267 passes since his career started in 2008, the third-most in the NFL by a running back over that stretch. Backup Michael Bush, meanwhile, is a bigger and stronger inside threat who gives the Bears a better option in short-yardage and goal-line situations. He produced a first down on 24.6 percent of his rushes last season, according to ESPN Stats & Information, the 10th-best percentage in the NFL. As long as Forte and Bush are healthy, the Bears' relatively thin depth behind them is irrelevant.

Detroit Lions: Free agent acquisition Reggie Bush figures to benefit from opponents' attention on receiver Calvin Johnson to much greater extent than the Lions' backfield did last season. Early indications are the Lions will use Bush similarly to the way the New Orleans Saints did earlier in his career. With the Saints in 2006, Bush caught 88 passes. Training camp should bring competition for the right to be the "thumper" behind Bush. Will it be 2011 second-round draft choice Mikel Leshoure, who looked slow and not very elusive after returning last season from a torn Achilles tendon? (No NFL running back had as many touches as Leshoure without at least one play of at least 20 yards.) Or will it be the lesser-known Joique Bell, who as Pro Football Focus points out, made defenders miss regularly last season. He forced 26 missed tackles in 82 carries and actually averaged more yards after contact (2.99) than Bush did with the Miami Dolphins (2.06).

Green Bay Packers: The team re-made its backfield through the draft after years of transition, throwing the situation into unknown territory. At some point, the Packers will have to thin the herd of a group that includes returnees DuJuan Harris, James Starks, Alex Green and John Kuhn, along with rookies Eddie Lacy and Johnathan Franklin. The competition is wide open, although both Starks and Green have failed when given previous opportunities. Lacy's build and pedigree suggests he has an excellent chance to ultimately win the starting job, but Harris impressed the team late last season and could get the first shot this summer.

Minnesota Vikings: Adrian Peterson. Is there much more to say? Historically, runners who put together a 2,000-yard season tend to fall back the following year. But nothing about Peterson's career suggests he will fit neatly into a trend. He has set a goal of 2,500 yards, and however unrealistic it might be, he has earned the benefit of the doubt. Backup Toby Gerhart is in his fourth and presumably last season as Peterson's understudy. While Gerhart hasn't shown much explosion in short stints in Peterson's place, you would think he'll want to look elsewhere for more carries when his contract expires after this season.

The Chicago Bears will retire Mike Ditka's No. 89 on Dec. 9 during halftime of their Monday Night Football game against the Dallas Cowboys at Soldier Field, the team announced Friday.

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For being one of the greatest players in Chicago Bears franchise history, Brian Urlacher had a lukewarm relationship with the club's fan base in recent years.

And that's a shame.

We all make mistakes, and certainly Urlacher is human like the rest of us, but the middle linebacker's accomplishment far outweighed his faults. Urlacher was the driving force behind four division championships and one NFC title, while being named to eight Pro Bowls and winning the 2005 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award. He never got arrested. He never embarrassed the organization. None of that stuff.

Urlacher's biggest crime was the unwavering public support he showed his teammates and coaches.

Was it a mistake for Urlacher to criticize the fans on television for booing former Bears head coach Lovie Smith?

I think so. And I believe Urlacher compounded the problem by failing to make some kind of public apology the next day.

But if you spent time in the same locker room as Urlacher -- I covered him since 2004 -- you came to realize that he valued his relationships with teammates and Smith above everything else.

The stories of Urlacher's generosity towards teammates are legendary, especially the rookie or practice squad guys with no family in town who were invited to spend the holidays at Urlacher's house. Truth be told, Urlacher probably didn't even know all of their names, but they were welcome nonetheless.

He considered them family.

Imagine if you witnessed one of your family members get disrespected or slighted. Your first response, right or wrong, would be to lash out. Sure, a professional athlete is paid handsomely to deal with the negative stuff, but that doesn't mean he has to enjoy it.

If fans want to hold Urlacher's one flippant comment against him, then so be it. It's their choice.

But I truly hope there isn't a Bears' fan out there who harbors any ill will towards Urlacher because of his sometimes frosty relationship with the media. Who cares if Urlacher occasionally gave one-word answers, boycotted the local media in 2008 and went to great lengths to keep his offseason knee treatments a secret.

None of that should matter to a fan. And honestly, Urlacher was usually good to the media. Except for when he got injured, Urlacher was always there at his locker to answer questions after games. Not only did he start to appear more on local television and radio the last fews years, he was generally available in the Halas Hall media room every Thursday during the season.

It is the responsibility of the media to portray an individual in the proper light. I believe that. But Chicago fans have had 13 years to get to know Brian Urlacher.

You don't need the media on this one. Use your eyes. And if your eyes don't tell you that Urlacher was the greatest Bears' player of this generation, then you might want to consider buying glasses.

Recently retired middle linebacker Brian Urlacher acknowledged during an interview Tuesday with ESPN 1000's "Waddle an Silvy Show" that he would "one-hundred percent" still be playing for the Chicago Bears if the organization had not fired long-time head coach Lovie Smith at the conclusion of the 2012 regular season.

Urlacher and Smith had an extremely close relationship. The eight-time Pro Bowl middle linebacker was the centerpiece Smith's Cover-2 defense since 2004 and helped guide the Bears to three division titles in that time span.

With the exception of a one-day stint as an ESPN television analyst, Smith has been reclusive in the offseason, but he did share his thoughts about Urlacher's retirement to the Bears' official website on Thursday.

"Hard to put into words what Brian Urlacher meant to me and our team," Smith told ChicagoBears.com. "He is special in so many ways. We all had the privilege to watch him put together a Hall of Fame career on the field. The way he took over the 2006 Monday night game in Arizona is among the greatest defensive performances ever. And I have so many memories of other outstanding games. But his physical play is just a small part of what made Brian great. People knew he called our defense, but his intelligence was never given its just due. His understanding of the game is among the best who has ever played it. Off the field he set the tone for our team. He was the example everyone looked to. He worked hard and wanted to be coached. And when we brought in a new player, Brian was the first person to greet him and welcome him to the Bears.

"The NFL has had many superstars in its history, but I couldn't have asked to work with a better one than Brian Urlacher. I believe he belongs in the discussion as the greatest who have ever worn a Bears uniform. There is no better man that I have ever been around. Our bond goes beyond football. He became family to me. And I'm happy for him and his family."

Peyton Manning revealed on Thursday that his former team, the Indianapolis Colts, hoped that recently retired Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher would fall to them in the 2000 NFL Draft.

But with Indianapolis sitting at No. 28, there's no way that would happen. The Bears snatched up the future franchise icon with the ninth overall pick, while the Colts settled for Brigham Young's Rob Morris, who went on to enjoy an eight-year run in Indianapolis.

"Absolutely, (Urlacher) was high on (former Colts general manager) Bill Polian's list," Manning told ESPN 1000's "The Waddle and Silvy Show". "We drafted a middle linebacker named Rob Morris that year. He and Urlacher were kind of the top guys.

"Rob was a very productive player for us. But certainly, I remember Bill Polian telling me just what a special player this Urlacher was. Polian always had that great eye for talent. Of course, nobody knew for certain this guy was gonna go on to have a Hall-of-Fame career. But anybody with that kind of athletic ability and speed, it's very impressive."

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Brian Urlacher didn't wait around to see if a market for his services would ever develop, but up until Wednesday when the middle linebacker announced his retirement, many in league circles believed it was only a matter of time before a team signed the soon-to-be 35-year-old defender.

Why?

Because certain NFL talent evaluators, including the Bears' front office, were of the mindset that with a healthy offseason of training under his belt, Urlacher still had the potential to be an effective player in 2013.

Former Denver Broncos general manager Ted Sundquist said two weeks ago on ESPN 1000's “Chicago's Gamenight” that he expected interest in Urlacher to start picking up after June 1 when teams are in a better position to free up additional salary cap space before heading to training camp in July.

"Absolutely, I absolutely would (take a hard look at Urlacher)," Sundquist said. "Now, is Brian Urlacher the same guy he was a number of years ago? No. But he brings a savvy, an understanding, an instinct and a hard-nose style of play that you can build around. I look for players at this particular point in their career to raise the level of other players around them. So yes, I would (take a strong look at him)."

But Urlacher didn't sound comfortable with the prospect of just being an OK player this fall. When a person achieves a level of greatness at his or her profession over a long period of time, anything less than great results are usually deemed unacceptable.

Urlacher conceded to ESPN 1000's “Waddle and Silvy Show” that his problematic knee “felt great," but he seemed to partially base his decision to retire on the reality that he would never be the same player he was before the injury at the end of the 2011 regular season.

“My knee feels great, finally,” Urlacher said. “This is the first I got to work out and not just do rehab. ... But I can look at myself in the mirror and say 'There's no way I'll be the player I used to be, or what I think I need to be out there.' Mentally? Yeah, I have it. But physically, I'm not what I used to be. There's no doubt about that. My knee is never going to be the same. I saw that last year, even when I started getting better. I'll never be able to move like I want to. ... I can't do what I want to do and it's frustrating.

“We talked to every team in the NFL, and maybe in July or August it would have happened, but I'm not going to wait. I want to be somewhere where somebody wants me. I don't want to go somewhere where, 'Oh, so-and-so got hurt, we need you.' I don't want that to be the situation.”

That's an understandable reaction from a player who achieved incredible success over a decorated 13-year NFL career and is financially set for the rest of his life, especially after his long-time head coach Lovie Smith got fired on December 31 -- Urlacher said he would “one-hundred percent” still be in a uniform if Smith had a head coaching gig in 2013.

But let's address the white elephant in the room: was Urlacher really that bad in 2012?

Outside of Baltimore's Terrell Suggs, can you name me another veteran player who could miss essentially the entire offseason and training camp due to a knee injury, show up cold Week 1, and still record 88 tackles, seven tackles-for-loss, two forced fumbles and return one interception 46 yards for a touchdown?

Urlacher shouldn't be chastised for his performance last year. He tried to pull off the impossible and actually got better as the year wore on before the hamstring injury versus Seattle prematurely ended his season with four games to go.

The greatest gift a player can receive is the chance to go out on his own terms. Urlacher sounds content and at peace with his decision, and in the end, that's what matters. But it doesn't sit well with me that Urlacher's final NFL play ended with him limping off the Soldier Field turf after the second-to-last snap of an overtime loss to Seattle.

In my mind, with a healthier knee, Urlacher starts 16 games and posts 100-plus tackles for some team in 2013. And who knows, maybe the team that ultimately would have signed Urlacher wins the Super Bowl and he goes out like the champion he is.

Guess we'll never know. And for me, that's kind of difficult to accept.

PITTSBURGH -- Count Chicago Cubs pitcher -- and former football player Jeff Samardzija -- as another person who will miss Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher.

Urlacher announced his retirement on Wednesday, after 13 years in the NFL, the same day Samardzija threw seven innings of one-run ball against the Pittsburgh Pirates. But the news of Urlacher's retirement didn't escape Samardzija.

"What a perfect guy to have in that spot on that team," Samardzija said. "I was always a fan of his, it's a sad day."

Samardzija grew up in northern Indiana and was an All-American receiver at Notre Dame, so he followed the Bears and Urlacher from the beginning of his career to the end.

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Respect to Mike Singletary. Respect to Dick Butkus, Bill George, George Connor, Clyde "Bulldog" Turner, Joe Fortunato, Doug Buffone, Wilber Marshall, Otis Wilson, or any of the other guys not mentioned here. But from this vantage point, Brian Urlacher -- even if he doesn't believe it himself -- is the greatest linebacker in Bears history.

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The first name Brian Urlacher mentioned Thursday when asked who was the toughest player he ever faced might surprise some Chicago Bears fans.

"I played against him, and played with him, (Jay) Cutler is tough, man," Urlacher said on "Mike & Mike In The Morning" on ESPN Radio. "I know a lot of people don't like him, and this and that, but I played against him when he was in Denver and I played with him in Chicago, and I'd just rather play with him in Chicago. He's a tough dude."

Urlacher also mentioned Brett Favre, which wouldn't surprise anyone, but as Urlacher mentioned, Cutler is a polarizing figure whose toughness was unfairly questioned by players and fans alike when he couldn't play in the second half of the 2011 NFC title game against the Green Bay Packers. It was later learned he suffered a sprained medial collateral ligament in his knee, and while he tried to play, he couldn't.

Considering the number of hits he's taken since arriving in Chicago in 2009, and being able to bounce back from almost all of them, Cutler being described as tough shouldn't surprise anyone.