Brian Urlacher holds up the George Halas Trophy after the Bears beat the Saints 39 14 in the NFC Championship game at Soldier Field on January 21,2007. (Jim Prisching / Chicago Tribune)

It took little time for the Bears to show how much they missed Brian Urlacher's field presence.

Early last week, before Urlacher announced his retirement via Twitter, one of his former teammates dropped by his suburban Chicago home seeking guidance.

"Peanut actually stopped by two days," Urlacher said, referring to veteran cornerback Charles Tillman. "He was trying to get some (defensive) signals because they forgot how to use some of those signals."

The quick refresher course came at a price for Tillman, who played alongside Urlacher for 10 seasons.

"I asked him to autograph a couple of things for me," Urlacher said with a laugh.

The camaraderie within the locker room was the one aspect that made walking away from the game more difficult for Urlacher, who turned 35 Saturday. He always was known as a team guy and a person who treated everyone on the roster with an equal amount of respect.

As Urlacher reminisced about his five most memorable games in 13 seasons as a Bear, it was no surprise none of those memories reflected on an individual statistical achievement.

"I've said it the whole time, that I'll miss my teammates the most," he said. "I miss them now."

At least Urlacher has plenty to reflect upon. Here are his five most memorable games as he ranked them during a conversation with the Tribune:

1. Bears 39, Saints 14, NFC championship game (Jan. 21, 2007): Few will forget running back Reggie Bush taunting Urlacher on an 88 yard, third quarter touchdown run. But Urlacher and the Bears came away with bragging rights thanks to 21 fourth quarter points. Urlacher finished with four tackles and four pass deflections.

"I just remember winning the game at home, we were holding the Halas Trophy and the snow was coming down on the platform with all my teammates standing there," Urlacher said. "I remember Lovie (Smith) and coach (Ron) Rivera being up there with us. I remember Rex Grossman being up there with us. I mean, we're holding the trophy with snow nfl jerseys cheap coming down. It was perfect."

2. Colts 29, Bears 17, Super Bowl XLI (Feb. 4, 2007): The Bears left the snow in Chicago for rain in Miami, then got drenched by the Colts. The game started off as well as it could have, with South Florida native Devin Hester returning the opening kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown. The Bears had a chance until Chicagoan Kelvin Hayden picked off a fourth quarter Grossman pass and returned it 56 yards for the clinching score. Urlacher had 10 tackles (seven solo) and deflected a Peyton Manning pass. He also recorded the Bears' first tackle on defense (assisted by Chris Harris).

"Hester's touchdown was the most memorable moment of that game," Urlacher said. "Nothing else was even close."

3. Bears 24, Cardinals 23 (Oct. 16, 2006): Most remember this breathtaking game for Cardinals coach Dennis Green's "The Bears are who we thought they were!" rant. But many felt Urlacher's performance was the defining moment for a player likely bound for the Hall of Fame: a career high 25 tackles (according to team statistics), a forced fumble, three tackles for a loss and two pass deflections. His fourth quarter strip of Edgerrin James led to Tillman's fumble recovery and 40 yard touchdown return.

Urlacher couldn't recall one tackle he made in the Bears' astounding comeback from a 20 point halftime deficit. "My favorite play was Mike Brown's touchdown off the fumble recovery," Urlacher said. "Mark Anderson made Matt Leinart fumble, and (Brown) was Johnny on the spot, like he always was. The only thing was, it cost him the rest of the season (with a foot injury)."

4. Bears 27, Packers 24 (Oct. 1, 2000): Urlacher, the ninth pick in the 2000 draft, got beat out by Rosevelt Colvin for the starting strong side linebacker job but moved into his familiar role of middle linebacker after an injury to Barry Minter three games into his rookie season.

The fifth game was his first encounter with Brett Favre, and Urlacher recorded a second quarter sack. He also had 10 tackles, a pass deflection and recovered an Ahman Green fumble. "We were 0 4 going in, and it's the first time I had ever played against Green Bay," Urlacher said. "I don't think I really did anything that game, but we beat them. That's all that matters."

Urlacher went on to be named the NFL's Defensive Rookie of the Year and was named to the first of his eight career Pro Bowl teams.

5. Bears 30, Falcons 12 (Sept. 11, 2011): The season opening performance by the defense, which suffocated a high powered Falcons offense and sacked Matt Ryan five times, led many to believe the Bears were bound for a big season. Urlacher was a big part of that effort with 10 tackles and one of his 22 career interceptions.

It might not have been the most memorable game in terms of the outcome, but it might have the most lasting impact on Urlacher.

"That was the last game my mom watched me play," he said somberly. Lavoyda Lenard watched the Falcons game from her Texas home that afternoon and sent her son a text after the game. The next day, she died suddenly at 51. Urlacher traveled to New Mexico to bury his mother that week and rejoined his teammates to face the Saints. He paid to keep his mother's cell phone on so he could hear her voice, until the phone company eventually disconnected the line.