"Brian Urlacher's sprained knee is coming along just fine, and his progress has nothing to do with taking pain medicine.

"The rehab is going good," Urlacher told the Tribune on Tuesday. "It's still not where I want to be, but the knee gets better and better every day. It's just stiff, but the range of motion is getting better. I still can't play golf though."

Urlacher did not need surgery to repair the medial collateral ligament damage he suffered in the last game of the season against the Vikings, but it will prevent him from playing Sunday in the Pro Bowl."