Key players on Bears' defense getting past their prime?

Whether they care to admit it or not, time in their prime is rapidly running out for some of the key players on the Bears' defense.

Brian Urlacher is 32. Julius Peppers and Anthony Adams are 30. Hunter Hillenmeyer will be 30 next month, and Lance Briggs and Israel Idonije will be 30 in November.

Urlacher, Peppers and Briggs have been to a combined 16 Pro Bowls, but it's anyone's guess how many more they'll make in their 30s, although Briggs and Peppers both made it last year for the fifth time.

"I don't know how long a guy can or can't play," said Briggs, who has been to the all-star game five straight times. "When guys hit a certain age, people start to think that they're on the down side of things. But I'm out there every day with (these) guys.

"In some cases maybe that is true, but the guys that I've been around - outside of some aches and pains - these guys seem fine. I don't know about the window (of opportunity).

"I'm sure our days are numbered. Everyone's days are numbered, but as far as playing the game, I don't see (that happening) anytime soon."

Urlacher is the oldest player on the defense, and the only Bears starter older is 33-year-old center Olin Kreutz. Urlacher and Briggs are entering their eighth season together as starters, but there is no discussion of their professional mortality.

"We just enjoy it," Urlacher said. "We have been together a long time. I'm the old guy in the room now; have been for a while. (But) we don't talk about if the window's closing or how much longer we're going to play or be together or anything like that. We just enjoy the time we have and try to play as good as we can."

That's pretty much the way defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli feels about his group.

"I think we've got a bunch of hard-nosed, tough veterans that are coming together," Marinelli said. "They really had a nice off-season working together, and the chemistry's good. I see that as nothing but positive.

"The knowledge, being in (the right) position, communicating; there's a certain presence to these guys that I really like."

Peppers has been trumpeted as a player who could elevate the performance of the entire defense, but he shrugs off any mention of pressure to win immediately, which is only natural, considering his 25 sacks over the past two seasons.

"I don't feel any pressure because I'm confident in what I'm able to do," Peppers said. "I just hold on to that knowledge that I've done it before, so I feel like I'll be able to do it again."

Peppers, Urlacher and Briggs are all eager to get to Sunday and demonstrate what the defense can do in a game that matters. Never mind that the sand in the hourglass is piling up at the bottom.

"I think we have a shot at being really good this year," Peppers said. "I'm looking forward to getting out there and actually doing it. We've talked about it enough already, so now it's time to play."

But the question is: How much time does this defense have left before all the sand runs out?

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