ESPNChicago.com reports Hall of Fame running back Gale Sayers, appearing Friday on "The Waddle & Silvy Show" on ESPN 1000 in Chicago, responded to verbal shots Urlacher took at the Hall of Fame running back in May for questioning how good the Bears will be this season.

"I was very, very surprised," Sayers said. "Do people want me to lie and tell them that I think they're gonna win the Super Bowl or they're gonna win 14, 15 ball games?

"I couldn't say that. So when the reporter [in May] asked me what did I think of the Bears, I said, 'Well, they got some problems right now.' Will they win the Super Bowl? I said 'No.' Then Urlacher, he came out and jumped on me, and I don't know why."

Urlacher first ripped Sayers for the Bears' lack of success while Sayers played from 1965-71, pointing out Sayers never led Chicago to a postseason berth. Urlacher, in an interview with the Chicago Tribune, went on to say Sayers -- a Hall of Famer -- doesn't know how to win football games.

"In four, five, six years, he'll be up for the Hall of Fame, let's see if he makes the Hall of Fame," Sayers said. "It didn't bother me [what Urlacher said], because people knew that when I played the game of football, we had great players on our team, Dick Butkus and Mike Ditka, we just didn't have enough great players on our team.

"Whatever he said, I didn't listen to it and it didn't bother me."