There was no disguising the Bears’ most clutch players Sunday night. They were dressed as rookies.
Rookie Nathan Vasher clinched a 23-13 victory over the San Francisco 49ers with a thrilling 71-yard interception return for a touchdown with 3 minutes 52 seconds left. Vasher picked off a Ken Dorsey pass intended for Brandon Lloyd, kept his balance and sped down the sideline untouched into the end zone.
The 49ers reviewed the play, but the officials ruled that Vasher did not have control of the ball when his knee touched the ground and regained it.
Rookies combined on the Bears’ only other touchdown of the night–a 49-yard connection from Craig Krenzel to Bernard Berrian on the second play from scrimmage.
“We used to stay out there late after everyone went in, but that’s tapered off,” Berrian said. “I think we still have a pretty good rapport because we came in together.”
San Francisco right cornerback Shawntae Spencer might agree.
Berrian used his blazing speed to run past Spencer on the Bears’ second play from scrimmage. The pass landed only where Berrian could catch it, and he sprinted into the end zone with the first scoring reception by a Bears wide receiver this season.
Besides giving the Bears an offensive spark it had waited a month for, the play reminded everybody how heavily the Bears will rely on rookies the rest of this season.
“You know, Marv Levy once told me a rookie’s job is to watch and learn,” Bears director of college scouting Greg Gabriel said.
Ideally, but all six of the Bears’ rookies left on the roster will do a bulk of their learning on the job this season.
Tommie Harris, defensive tackle
Role in Sunday’s game plan: Harris made his seventh straight start and expressed no fears about hitting the proverbial rookie wall. “Hopefully, I’ll jump over the wall,” he said. He came out with a bounce, opening a rush lane for Brian Urlacher on a first-quarter blitz that led to a sack.
Long-term plan: The Bears would be disappointed if eventually Harris isn’t making regular postseason trips to Honolulu.
Tank Johnson, defensive tackle
Role in Sunday’s game plan: Johnson played a backup role behind Ian Scott that he has settled into after raising expectations with a quick start in training camp. Johnson started against Minnesota but has struggled staying in game shape and being where he needs to be on the field.
“Tank is doing good things,” Gabriel said. “I think he freelances a little. He’s not disciplined enough, but experience teaches you how to overcome that and he’ll get better.”
Long-term plan: Once Johnson fine-tunes his body and adapts to coach Lovie Smith’s specifications for the single-gap, upfield-oriented scheme, Johnson and Harris still look like a dominant tandem in the middle of the defense.
Bernard Berrian, wide receiver
Role in Sunday’s game plan: Berrian showed the big-play capability the Bears said he had on draft day with his 49-yard TD catch and has begun to earn more trust in recent weeks. “He’s starting to come around,” Gabriel said.
Long-term plan: Berrian’s speed makes him a keeper on a team that lacks a deep threat without him.
Nathan Vasher, cornerback
Role in Sunday’s game plan: Vasher entered on the second play of the game to play corner on the nickel defense as starter Jerry Azumah slid over to nickel back. In two starts while Azumah was out, Vasher fared better than many rookie fourth-round picks would. But then the Bears never considered Vasher fourth-round talent. Gabriel said Vasher dropped only because he did not participate in the NFL combine and then ran a slow time at a private workout. Undeterred, the Bears timed Vasher again and he ran in the 4.4 range.
Long-term plan: Vasher’s presence and continued improvement will keep the pressure on veteran R.W. McQuarters to justify his big contract.
Craig Krenzel, quarterback
Role in Sunday’s game plan: Manage the game, and don’t beat the Bears. Two turnovers in the first quarter blunted the impact of the touchdown pass. But he’s young, and the Bears expected such growing pains. “We’ll know what we have by the end of the year,” Gabriel said.
Long-term plan: The season has become devoted to finding a No. 2 quarterback for 2005, and it’s Krenzel’s turn to audition.
Alfonso Marshall, cornerback
Role in Sunday’s game plan: Marshall played the “gunner” role on punts, a job he does so well that punter Brad Maynard called Marshall and Todd McMillon, the other gunner, the best pair he had played with in eight NFL seasons. Marshall did not make the 53-man roster out of camp after looking too tentative in the Cover 2 defense, but Charles’ Tillman injury created the need for another corner on special teams. He filled it.
Long-term plan: When Tillman returns, the Bears will have to decide whether Marshall has played well enough to remain active on Sundays.
