Bears' Miller gets reminder of not-so-fond Titans memory
By Bob LeGere | Daily Herald Columnist
Published: 11/8/2008 12:04 AM
The last time the Bears and Titans met, on Nov. 14, 2004, the Bears won 19-17 in overtime when defensive ends Adewale Ogunleye and Alex Brown combined to sack Titans quarterback Billy Volek and force a fumble in the end zone.
Titans offensive tackle Fred Miller pounced on the loose ball, but he was downed by Ogunleye for the game-winning safety. Miller signed with the Bears the following off-season and started 46 games over the next three years. He was waived after last season but re-signed Sept. 10 as a backup after rookie Chris Williams had back surgery.
That gave Ogunleye and Brown another opportunity to kid him about the play.
"They brought it up, but bygones are bygones after about four years and a Super Bowl appearance," Miller said. "It was a very bad play for us. Both tackles got beat off the edge, myself as well as Jason Matthews, and both ends - I guess it was Wale and Alex Brown - did a good job and knocked the ball out of the quarterback's hand. I tried to recover."
"I thought I could scoop and score from that point," the 6-foot-7, 320-pound Miller said in jest. "That's what I was going for."
Ogunleye laughed when told about the "scoop and score" line.
"How many years ago was that?" he said. "Even then he couldn't do it. I don't believe that."
Injury update: Quarterback Kyle Orton did little more than go through the motions at Friday's light practice, and he was listed as "doubtful," but "no chance," would be a more accurate description of his status.
"Kyle was able to do a few things," coach Lovie Smith said, "so he's making progress."
Smith was asked if Orton did enough Friday to play Sunday and seemed to rule it out.
"I can't go that far," Smith said. "This is the first day where he's actually able to do anything."
Cornerback Charles Tillman (shoulder) was also limited at practice and listed as questionable.
Safety Mike Brown (calf), linebacker Hunter Hillenmeyer (thumb), safety Danieal Manning (hamstring) and wide receiver Brandon Lloyd (knee) all went through a full practice and were listed as "probable."
Linebacker Brian Urlacher was excused from practice for personal reasons but will play Sunday.
Man mountain: It usually takes more than one man to neutralize Titans 6-foot-6, 320-pound defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth, which is why Pro Bowl center Olin Kreutz will be providing left guard Josh Beekman plenty of help Sunday.
Haynesworth is a run-stuffing monster who also leads the Titans with 6 sacks.
"He's probably the best defensive tackle in the NFL," Kreutz said. "He's a disruptive force. You've always got to know where he is. We have to account for him, try to get a body on him and get in his way. He's got everything. He's got size, speed, he's intelligent. He knows how to play the game. He gets in people's backfields a lot."
Same old Devin: Devin Hester's punt- and kickoff-return numbers are way down, and his fumbles are up, but Titans coach Jeff Fisher is still concerned about the Bears' Pro Bowl return specialist.
"Devin can break three runs in the next three weeks and be leading the league in both categories," said Fisher, who was the Bears' single-season leader in punt-return yards with 509 (in 1981) until Hester erased him from the record book with 600 yards in 2006 and 651 in 2007. "He's making good decisions; he's catching the football. He's very, very close (to breaking one). We see him as one of the all-time (best) returners to ever play the game. It's going to be quite a challenge for us."
The Titans' coverage units are weak. They're 25th in punt-return average allowed and 31st in kickoff-return average allowed.
