Brian Urlacher is back at the Pro Bowl. And the Hall of Fame linebacker will have heightened responsibility at this week’s events. Urlacher will be serving as one of two “Legends Captains” for the NFC. Though to be fair, Urlacher hasn’t yet been given a manual for what he’ll be asked to do.

“It’s a good question,” Urlacher said Tuesday. “I know I have to be at every practice. But I have not yet been told exactly what I’ll be doing. If something needs to be done, do it I guess. Be there for the guys. And I hope I just get a chance to hang out and have a good time.”

Emmitt Smith is the NFC’s other captain. Jim Kelly and DeMarcus Ware will represent the AFC.

For Urlacher, the week will surround him with familiar faces. When practices begin Wednesday at the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex, seven of the 44 NFC players will be Bears.

Urlacher spent time Tuesday morning at an NFL community event to help restore and revive Ivey Lane Park in Orlando. The Tribune caught up with the Bears legend and picked his brain on everything from his own Pro Bowl experiences to Mitch Trubisky’s growth to, yes, the “double doink” he witnessed that eliminated the Bears from the playoffs earlier this month.

Here are highlights from that conversation.

You were an eight-time Pro Bowl selection yourself. What are your memories of your first experience?

Oh, my gosh. It was 2000 in Hawaii. I went as an alternate because (Lions linebacker) Stephen Boyd didn’t go. I remember I was a little nervous. These were all the guys I had watched growing up. I was 22 years old. And most of the guys who were there were way more established. I think Emmitt was there. These were so many of the guys I had watched. I was nervous and a little bit star-struck, I guess. But it was fun. And the thing I remembered most was the week of the Pro Bowl. The game? That was fine. Whatever. But the week of the Pro Bowl was the most fun part of the whole experience. It was just hanging out. Practice. Hanging out with all these different guys. Having a chance to meet everybody and hanging around the pool all day with the families. I played golf a few days. But just the interactions throughout the week were the most fun for me.

Now that you’re in this class as a “Legends Captain,” what does that mean to you?

It’s awesome. To be in that category. They started this program five or six years ago to bring the legends around. And I remember watching the game and thinking “What are these guys doing on the sideline?” I didn’t realize what they were doing at the time. But honestly, it’s an honor to be around these younger kids and have the chance to hang out and meet them and interact throughout the week. … And shoot, I was a Cowboys fan growing up. So I love being around Emmitt. I’ve been around him a few times over the past few years. I was honestly the No. 1 Cowboys fan as a kid. So any chance I have to hang out with him is a cool thing. And Jason Garrett, (this week’s NFC head coach), was a quarterback back then, the backup to Troy Aikman. So it’ll be cool to hang out with him this week as well. … I’m a fan of the game now. So, for me, it’s fun to meet these guys. I sit back now on Sundays and watch the game and see all these great players coming up. Having the chance to meet some of these guys and hang out and interact during this week will be fun. And I’m here for any of them who have questions for me.

There are now going to be seven Bears here this week. All of them are first-timers at the Pro Bowl. What’s your advice to those guys for the week?

Have fun. Like I said, I was so nervous my first time because of the star power of all these guys. And now suddenly you get the chance to be peers of theirs. So have fun during the week. It’s the practices, the meetings. Hanging out with the coaches. It’s cool. And there’s a lot of solid coaching experience on this Dallas coaching staff. Coach (Rod) Marinelli is there. I’m a big fan, as you know. Marc Colombo is the offensive line coach. So just take it in. Enjoy the week. And then go play on Sunday.

The Bears defensive players are anxious about the coordinator change with Vic Fangio leaving and Chuck Pagano coming in. That’s something you’ve been through in your career. What are the challenges to that transition?

I was very fortunate that when we changed coordinators later in my career we didn’t change defenses. It was still Lovie’s defense. So it wasn’t hard to pick up and keep moving. It was the same terminology, just a different guy making the calls. For these guys, it’ll still be the same scheme, the same 3-4 (base). But for them it will be adjusting to a different voice and different terminology. That takes time to get used to.

What’s the hardest part of that adjustment process?

Terminology is the most difficult part. When you change defenses, it’s the same thing a lot of times. But different terminology means different things in that new defense. So you have to get accustomed to that. You have to study. Get in your books and pay attention.

Mitch Trubisky got the invite here this week as an alternate. You’ve been pretty high on him the last two years. What do you like about him?