Getting respect from fans of the team you play for is one thing. Getting it from your rivals is another. Jack Sanborn had another terrific performance for the Chicago Bears on Sunday against the Green Bay Packers. He finished with 11 tackles, the third time he’s reached double digits in four games. Now with 53 on the year, he needs to average 12 over the next four games to finish with 100 for the season. Keep in mind he didn’t become a starter until Week 9. That is positively insane for an undrafted rookie.
It appears even the opposition has taken notice. Tyler Brooke covers the Packers for Acme Packing Co. When reviewing the film of Green Bay’s win on Sunday, he couldn’t help but admit the Bears might have something in their young linebacker.
He wasn’t alone. Former Bears players were swift to sing his praises as well. Corey Wootton, who played with Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs, stated his firm belief that Sanborn will be a starter in Chicago for years to come. Tom Thayer also singled him out for his incredible hustle and instincts.
Jack Sanborn is more proof the draft process is flawed.
NFL teams will never admit it, but their evaluation process has become way too on who the best athletes are. Yes, athleticism plays a big role in determining who the star will likely be in the league. It’s the same for every sport. That said, more goes into good football players than athleticism. Sanborn might not be the fastest guy on the field, but he routinely showed at Wisconsin it didn’t matter. His instincts and quickness made up for his limitations. It’s why he was so productive for the Badgers. Yet that didn’t matter.
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Those blunders ended up letting the Bears reap the rewards. They knew that if he went undrafted there was a good chance they could sign Jack Sanborn. He was a native of Lake Zurich, a northwest suburb of Chicago. They were correct. He targeted the Bears as his preferred landing spot from the jump. The two sides came together quickly. Six months later, he was their starting middle linebacker. Together with Jaquan Brisker and maybe Kyler Gordon, GM Ryan Poles has laid an intriguing foundation for the Bears’ defense.
