Now that Lovie Smith has added a member to his coaching staff, he might consider asking new assistant coach Mike Brown how the Bears plan to stop wide receiver Randy Moss and Terrell Owens in successive games without their two best defensive backs.
That harsh reality confronted the Bears on Monday night after the team ruled Brown out for the rest of the season with a torn Achilles’ tendon and prepared to play at least the next month without cornerback Charles Tillman because of a sprained right knee.
Tillman hopped around Halas Hall on crutches Monday and, though Bears officials were awaiting official word from the team’s medical staff, two sources said Tillman would miss at least a month and termed the latest development “a disaster.”
The setback puts Tillman on a similar timetable as cornerback Jerry Azumah, who has been making major progress since neck surgery in early August.
It would not surprise some members of the Bears’ organization if Azumah, the first of three starters in the secondary to lose significant time to injury, returned ahead of schedule in time to play in late October.
As always, Smith spoke of the glass being half-full, but some Bears fans might be driven to drink by such lousy news one day after a rousing 21-10 victory over Green Bay. He didn’t elaborate on Tillman’s injury and tried his best to convince reporters Brown would continue to make contributions from the sideline.
“I just talked to Mike about changing the title behind his name; it’s assistant coach now–that’s what we plan on getting from him,” Smith said after stating Brown would not play again until 2005.
“He’s the captain of the team, he can still do a lot of the same things he was doing before, we just won’t have his leadership and his ability on the field.”
No matter how hard Smith tries to cushion the blow, losing the leader of the defense for the season and one of the NFC’s best coverage cornerbacks could rattle the NFL’s youngest team.
Brown had made a significant impact in Sunday’s win, for example, even before he scooped up a fumble and returned it 95 yards for a touchdown on the game’s decisive play. On the opening series, as Green Bay had rammed the ball down the Bears’ throat and faced first-and-10 from the 13, Brown got in the defensive linemen’s face and demanded a stop.
“They were doing whatever they wanted, and [Brown] was one of the guys who told us, `We’ve got to go now, don’t drop your head, let’s ride, let’s go,”‘ defensive end Alex Brown said. “That’s what he did.”
Three plays later, the Bears had held and forced a 25-yard field goal by Ryan Longwell instead of the Packers scoring a touchdown.
“It’s hard to replace a Mike Brown [because] he’s a special guy as far as a leader is concerned,” Smith said. “Brian Urlacher is our other defensive captain, and he has to take on more of a leadership role.”
As expected, Mike Green will move from strong safety to free safety and Bobby Gray will slide into the starting lineup when practice resumes Wednesday. On pass plays, that require five defensive backs, free safety Todd Johnson will enter and Green will remain as the nickel back assigned to defending the slot receiver.
Green’s versatility–he can play safety or cornerback–and the Bears’ depth at safety makes them more equipped to handle a loss at the position perhaps more than others.
A bigger burden could fall on untested cornerbacks Todd McMillon and Nathan Vasher, Tillman’s likely replacements.
The news about the secondary overshadowed the likely loss of two other starters. Right guard Mike Gandy pulled a hamstring and was declared out of Sunday’s game by offensive coordinator Terry Shea, and defensive tackle Alfonso Boone sprained his right knee.
Backup safety Cameron Worrell rounded out the injury report with a tight left hamstring.
