Bears' Brown expects to be ready to play
By ANDREW SELIGMAN
AP Sports Writer
7:05 PM CST, November 6, 2008
LAKE FOREST, Ill.
Mike Brown felt a twinge in his right calf and headed to the locker room, his work for the day complete.
The Chicago Bears' safety doesn't think he'll need more time off, though.
Brown expects to be ready to play Sunday against the unbeaten Tennessee Titans after leaving last week's 27-23 win over Detroit, although he did say, "Sometimes it's not the player's decision. Some people higher on the totem pole have the final say."
That would be coach Lovie Smith, who wasn't about to reveal Thursday if Brown or quarterback Kyle Orton would play against Tennessee, but the news this week at least appeared to be good after tests showed neither player suffered any structural damage.
Orton left the field on a cart in the final minute of the second quarter with a sprained right ankle after the Lions' Cory Redding tackled him and Dewayne White fell on him. While reports had him missing three to four weeks, Orton hoped to play this week even though that seemed unlikely. He did not practice Wednesday or Thursday, and the Bears were preparing to go with former starter Rex Grossman instead.
The odds of Brown, who walked to the locker room a few plays before Orton went down, seemed better. He practiced on a limited basis Thursday after sitting out the previous day and looked fine as he jogged off the field.
"I feel really, really good," Brown said before practice.
He wasn't feeling that way when, while backpedaling, his foot slipped on a slick field as he tried to plant and drive. He felt a twinge that he might have tried to play through in the past, but after a long line of injuries, he decided to use caution rather than risk another serious problem.
An Achilles tendon injury limited him to two games in 2004 and the setbacks have come in rapid succession since then, even in his 2005 Pro Bowl season. That year, Brown missed the final four regular-season games with a calf injury and the following year, he went on injured reserve with a foot injury.
Last season, Brown and defensive tackle Dusty Dvoracek suffered torn anterior cruciate ligaments in their left knees in the opener at San Diego, the first in a long line of injuries on both sides of the ball that sent the Bears spiraling from the NFC championship to a 7-9 record.
A non-factor through the first seven games, Brown got off to a good start against the Lions when he dove in front of Calvin Johnson on the game's third play from scrimmage for his first interception since the San Diego game and ran 51 yards to the end zone. He was ruled down by contact after a review, negating the touchdown, but the interception led to Robbie Gould's 36-yard field goal. It was a sweet start to a day that ended on a sour note for Brown when he walked to the locker room with 1:05 left in the first half.
It was a rough day for the Bears, period.
Sure, they shut out the winless Lions in the second half, but they allowed 23 points in the second quarter and had to rally from a 10-point deficit. An offense that has been their strength struggled, and a defense that was supposed to be their strength delivered another uneven performance -- something they can't afford against the Titans.
Chicago thought that unit would return to the dominant form of 2005 and 2006. Instead, it's mired in mediocrity.
Although the defense ranks sixth against the run, it's 18th overall because of issues defending the pass.
Brown, tackle Tommie Harris and linebacker Brian Urlacher haven't played to their Pro Bowl form. The pass rush at times has been nonexistent, although the Bears did have two sacks last week, and the spotty performance against lowly Detroit came after a 48-41 win over Minnesota. That means they have allowed 64 points the past two weeks.
"I believe our opponents have scored less than we have the last two games," linebacker Lance Briggs said. "As long as our opponents are scoring less points than us, I believe we'll win. We'll continue to win. If we're giving up 20 points and our opponents are giving up 15, we win."
No, they lose.
That slip aside, Briggs' point was clear but he couldn't explain the inconsistencies.
Nor could Brown, although he insisted the Cover-2 is not an outdated scheme. He said the Bears don't use it that often anyway, except in third-and-long situations. Usually, they're in a three-deep set, zone blitz or man-to-man.
The problem, Brown said, is the execution.
"It's time for the defense to step up. We're tired of being the weak link," he said, emphasizing those last two words. "We're used to being the strong link. Right now, we're definitely the weak link of this team."
