Chicago, IL

Chicago Bears middle linebacker Brian Urlacher confirmed that he will play in their regular-season opener against the Indianapolis Colts Sunday.

Urlacher will be taking the field less than one month after undergoing arthroscopic clean-up procedure in his left knee.

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

Urlacher missed offseason practice and bulk of training camp due to his injured knee. He underwent an arthroscopic clean-up procedure Aug. 14 after spraining his medial collateral and posterior cruticate ligaments in his left knee during the 2011 regular-season finale.

Before undergoing surgery, it was reported that Urlacher traveled overseas seeking treatment that didn't involve surgery for his injured knee.

"The left knee feels much better now," Urlacher 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. It's a long season. There will be some restrictions but there won't be restrictions in the game on Sunday."

Urlacher shrugged off suggestions to rest the knee an extra week and make his comeback when the Bears face the Green Bay Packers on Sept. 13.

"I don't see why (I would wait)," Urlacher said. "We have a day off Monday before the Packers game and our practices before that game will be quick anyway. There is not a whole lot that is going to happen. We already have our game plan in, I think.

"Because we play Green Bay twice a year, we know what they're doing, they know what we're doing. There shouldn't be a whole lot of game-planning going on."

An eight-time Pro Bowler, Urlacher was selected by the Bears in the first round of the 2000 NFL draft. Since then, the 34-year-old linebacker has missed a total of 24 regular season games, but none since 2009.

 

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