The injury nightmare of 2000 deepened for the Bears on Sunday when they not only lost a game but also lost another starter on offense for the season.
Tight end John Allred sustained what was diagnosed as ruptured anterior cruciate and medial collateral knee ligaments after he was hit on a third-quarter pass play in the 31-10 loss to New Orleans.
Allred, pressed into service as a fullback because of a shoulder injury to Curtis Enis, took a short pass from quarterback Cade McNown and was hit at the knees by Saints cornerback Fred Weary before he could protect himself. Enis and several other Bears were irate at Weary, but the defensive back was among the Saints who went to the cart to wish Allred well as he was being taken off the field.
“He feels like it happened when he got hit,” said trainer Tim Bream. “As he was turning, he got hit.”
Allred will have an MRI exam Monday to confirm the injury and is expected to have surgery in early November. The timing of the blow is especially cruel coming at this point of the season before Allred goes into unrestricted free agency for the first time.
Wide receiver Bobby Engram, who tore his ACL in the New York Giants game Sept. 17, is set to have surgery this week in Birmingham, Ala.
Defensive end Phillip Daniels was helped off the field after sustaining his second pinched nerve in as many weeks. Daniels, who was hurt last week when his head was bent sharply back on a tackle, had been outfitted with a collar before the game but had taken it off. After the injury, he put the collar back on and was able to return to the game.
Wide receiver Marcus Robinson arrived Sunday morning at Soldier Field with a walking cast on his sprained left ankle and was never close to playing. He is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game against Minnesota.
Bye-bye: The Saints continued the trend of teams that play after weeks off and doing well defensively against the Bears’ offense. New Orleans allowed the Bears 14 points last season after the Saints had a week off, and this year the total was three points.
“That always helps when you have time off,” said Bears running back James Allen. “You really get a chance to focus on the opponent and they probably did a lot of studying and adjusting. For us, on the other hand, coming off a big win, the week was kind of fast. But still, you have to be up for the challenge.”
Trade winds: Vice president of personnel Mark Hatley has fielded several calls from teams inquiring about trade availability of defensive tackle Brad Culpepper and other players, primarily on the defensive line. But Hatley, the NFL’s most aggressive trader over the last three years with 19 deals, said he doubted any trades would happen before Tuesday’s deadline.
Precious ball: Rookie safety Mike Brown scored 31 touchdowns as a prep star in Arizona, but the touchdown he scored in the first quarter was the first he ever scored on an interception. Brown stepped in front of a Jeff Blake pass intended for receiver Joe Horn and returned the ball 35 yards for the Bears’ first and only touchdown. Then he fought to hold on to the ball.
“I kept the ball,” Brown laughed. “When the guys came and jumped on me, I kind of lost it a little bit. But I knew where it was the whole time and picked it up.”
Illegal procedure: As if the Bears’ offense doesn’t have enough problems, referee Bob McElwee’s crew called two offensive pass-interference penalties Sunday, one against coordinator Gary Crowton’s signature play, the receiver screen.
Opposing coaches have complained to officials for more than a year that the play is so borderline illegal that it should draw flags more often for illegal “picks” or outright premature knockdowns of defensive players before the ball is caught.
“We didn’t say anything before the game,” said Saints secondary coach Rick Venturi. “They have been getting away with it so much, we didn’t think it would do any good.”
Makeover due: The Soldier Field turf looked like a head of hair that had just gotten a bad dye job. Its green was mottled by brown splotches in a half-dozen spots, and players regularly kicked up divots.
This is what happens when a field is used by a football team two days after a soccer team played on it (the Fire played Friday night) and when that field gets hit by rain and snow in between.
“We got about an inch of rain here [Saturday] night, which froze,” director of administration Bill McGrane said in a statement. “We started uncovering the field around 6:30 [Sunday] morning and had to use some equipment, a plow and motorized brooms to get the ice cleared so we could get the tarp off.
“We had some tears in the tarp around the 20-yard line. We tried to keep the water off the field as best we could, but we did get some water on the field there.”
Said Bears quarterback Cade McNown: “Both teams played on that field today. The Saints just played better. I don’t think it was an issue. I’ve seen fields chopped up worse than that one.”
The Bears later announced the field would be replaced before they face Minnesota on Sunday night.
Shy Ricky: Ricky Williams credited his 128-yard rushing day to his offensive line.
“We have a great line,” he said.
It was his third 100-yard day in a row after gaining 107 against Seattle and 103 against Philadelphia.
Does the groove have anything to do with him?
“Not really,” he said. “I’m just a pawn.”
It was the fifth 100-yard day of Williams’ short career, but the first time the Saints have won when he did it.
