LAKE FOREST – As Nick Roach prepares to step into Brian Urlacher’s long-held spot in the middle of the Bears’ defense, he knows every snap will invite a comparison.

Could Urlacher have made that tackle? Could Urlacher have broken up that pass? Could Urlacher have sniffed out that audible at the line of scrimmage?

“That’s naturally what’s going to happen,” Roach said Thursday at Halas Hall. “I’ll probably do the same thing – wonder what Brian might have done in the situation, or ask him how he feels about what he saw that maybe I didn’t see. I think it’s a good thing.”