Brian Urlacher has been sidelined most of camp with a left knee injury, a nagging issue which has the star linebacker's status for Week 1 in doubt, says Ian Rapoport at NFL.com.
It's been reported that Urlacher went to Germany for treatment not approved in the United States, which the Bears have been reluctant to discuss but was done with hopes his knee will heal in time for the first regular season game. But Rapoport was told the Bears are pessimistic that Urlacher will be ready by then. Urlacher and coach Lovie Smith haven't been too open about the situation with the media, as the Chicago Tribune pointed out Wednesday.
The Bears have allowed Urlacher to proceed as if he'll play in Week 1, but are preparing as though he won't. Urlacher has said his goal is to be ready for the Indianapolis Colts, but more important to the Bears might be the pivotal Week 2 matchup against the Green Bay Packers.
Internally, the Bears are reported to be as though Urlacher won't be able to go Week 1 and are setting their sights on preparing him for Week 2 vs. the Packers. The Bears obviously hope Urlacher can practice before then, which he hasn't done much of so far this camp.
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