They don’t have a nickname yet. But there are 12 of them, so something revolving around “dozen” probably will be tried, though alliteration might not be the answer.
While many NFL teams use rookies to fill in the blanks, some have no choice but to use them as vital cogs. The Bears are one of those teams.
As they hit the halfway point of the NFL season with a 3-5 record, the Bears would rather not think how much worse it would be if two rookies–cornerback Charles Tillman and linebacker Lance Briggs–hadn’t won starting jobs and made big plays since becoming starters in the fourth game of the season.
Or if two receivers drafted in the fifth round, Justin Gage and Bobby Wade, hadn’t started to play key roles the last three games.
“We’re trying to make a small contribution to the team. That’s what they drafted us for–to come in and play immediately or make plays on special teams or offense and defense,” said Tillman, the Bears’ second-round pick. “I think the rookies are doing a pretty good job so far.”
The rookies have formed an unofficial support group.
“We always talk to each other,” said reserve defensive tackle Ian Scott, a fourth-round pick from Florida who has worked his way into the rotation in the five games Keith Traylor has missed with a knee injury. “We’re classmates who are getting a chance to make plays. We try to encourage one another to help the team out anyway we can.”
The Bears have all of their draft choices and are keeping 10 on the 53-man roster. They can claim one of the NFL’s top rookie crops even though first-round picks Michael Haynes and Rex Grossman haven’t taken over huge roles. In the long run, their performance will determine how this draft is remembered. If they reach expectations, this could be a draft that helps make the Bears a playoff team.
Presuming Grossman and Haynes eventually win jobs, this draft would have four starters, with potential for more, most notably Gage and Scott. But that’s still a long way from the 1983 draft, which produced seven starters for the Super Bowl XX team; and the 1975 draft, which gave the Bears eight starters and the nucleus of playoff teams in ’77 and ’79.
And there’s one thing Tillman wants everyone to know about his classmates.
“We’re all humble,” he said.
The Humble Dozen?
The search for a nickname will go on.
In the meantime, here’s a round-by-round look at the Bears’ draftees:
First round: Haynes remains part of the three-man defensive end rotation, but he hasn’t knocked Alex Brown or Phillips Daniels out of the starting lineup. He has only one sack and will get coach Dick Jauron’s attention if he can do something about a pass rush that has produced only seven sacks, last in the league.
“He has to play with more consistency,” Jauron said. “He had some good downs Sunday and some bad ones. He had a couple of real good reads in the run game and one particularly poor read. He’s big and strong enough to play either side, and hopefully his pass rushing skills will keep improving.
“He has natural power and he uses it well. He’s going to get stronger as he grows here and gets more experience and works in our weight room.”
Grossman hasn’t played all season and the Bears remain committed to going slowly with the player they perceive as their quarterback of the future.
Second round: Tillman’s aggressiveness got him in trouble with penalties early, but he has already become the Bears’ best cornerback. He has two interceptions in the last two games.
“I thank my fellow DBs for hanging in there when I made little mistakes,” Tillman said. “Guys would say, `You have to do this, do that.’ They’re my mentors, they help me out.”
Third round: Briggs established himself as a big hitter in training camp, but didn’t always know whom to hit. When Bryan Knight proved not to be the answer as Rosevelt Colvin’s successor, Briggs got his chance.
“It really is night and day when you understand these defenses,” Briggs said. “Once you know that, you can play with your athletic ability.”
Fourth round: Safety Todd Johnson is on injured reserve, and Scott is getting a chance to prove himself as a good, young defensive tackle prospect.
Fifth round: Gage and Wade are about to push veterans down the depth chart. The 6-foot-3-inch Gage has shown he can make tough catches. Wade was not as impressive early, but has been a factor on third downs the last three weeks. Their development may cost David Terrell and Ahmad Merritt playing time. Tron LaFavor has seen some action in the defensive tackle rotation.
Sixth round: Linebacker Joe Odom of Purdue was a capable replacement for Warrick Holdman for three games. Holdman has missed 21 games with knee injuries over the last four seasons, so it’s an important role. Odom has showed a willingness to hit on special teams. Running back Brock Forsey held his own as the third-string running back, gaining 56 yards on 19 carries against Detroit on Oct. 26, but probably will build his career on being a willing special-teamer.
Seventh round: Guard Bryan Anderson didn’t survive the final cut, but was re-signed to the practice squad.
Drafting table
A look at other teams that are getting help from their draft choices:
1. BALTIMORE
First-round picks Terrell Suggs and Kyle Boller are having an immediate impact. Suggs has lived up to his billing as a pass-rusher with six sacks. Boller is near the bottom of the league in passing, but isn’t making big mistakes.
2. NEW ENGLAND
Three draft choices start, including second-round safety Eugene Wilson from Illinois, whose one-on-one coverage ability gives the Patriots more coverage options. First-round defensive tackle Ty Warren moved into the lineup when ex-Bear Ted Washington broke his leg. Fifth-round center Dan Koppen starts and third-round receiver Bethel Johnson is among the league leaders on kickoff returns.
3. NEW YORK GIANTS
Injuries forced fifth-round guard David Diehl from Illinois and seventh-round guard Wayne Lucier into action early, and they helped keep the Giants alive. First-round pick William Joseph has played well in the defensive tackle rotation.
All-time Bears drafts
A look at the Bears’ best drafts of all time:
1. 1983
The draft that gave the Bears the final push toward Super Bowl XX, led by two first-rounders, offensive tackle Jimbo Covert and Willie Gault. The championship team included seven starters from this draft: Covert, Gault, cornerback Mike Richardson, safety Dave Duerson, guards Mark Bortz and Tom Thayer and defensive end Richard Dent, the Super Bowl MVP.
2. 1975
Walter Payton alone makes it a great draft. The draft produced eight starters for playoff teams in 1977 and 1979. Payton and second-round defensive end Mike Hartenstine were still around for the Super Bowl XX victory. Hartenstine remained a starter until midseason, when William Perry moved into the lineup. Other starters from the draft were guard Revie Sorey, fullback Roland Harper, quarterback Bob Avellini, cornerback Virgil Livers, linebacker Tom Hicks and safety Doug Plank.
3. 1965
Two Hall of Famers in the first round–Dick Butkus and Gale Sayers. They sparked the Bears to a 9-5 record as rookies, but the Bears couldn’t build around them and they never went to the playoffs.
History still must decide
1999: The 13-3 team of 2001 got a big boost from third-round picks Marty Booker and Rex Tucker, and fourth-rounders Warrick Holdman and Rosevelt Colvin. Booker went to the Pro Bowl last year, and Tucker and Colvin came close. The Bears lost Colvin to New England in free agency last winter. Booker, Tucker and Holdman are signed for the long term. The top two picks–quarterback Cade McNown and defensive tackle Russell Davis–flopped.
2000: First-rounder Brian Urlacher has been to three Pro Bowls. Second-rounder Mike Brown hasn’t yet, but the Bears are paying him like he has and expect him to bounce back from a slow start in ’03. The sixth round produced kicker Paul Edinger, who immediately turned a team weakness into a strength. All are signed for the long term.
