November 4, 2008
BY BRAD BIGGS bbiggs@suntimes.com
The Bears can feel good that Craig Steltz is one of the most improved players since training camp closed.
The rookie safety stepped in for Mike Brown in the second half Sunday and came up with a big interception in the end zone and generally impressed, a good sign considering Brown's fragile history.
''If Craig doesn't make the interception, who knows,'' coach Lovie Smith said. ''You need your free safety to make some plays like that. Craig did a lot of good things. He's been paying attention, ready for his opportunity, and it was good to see him make plays like that.''
Brown is nursing a right calf injury. He was positive when he left the stadium Sunday and it's not expected to be serious, but any injury involving the veteran warrants close attention. Brown strained his left calf in practice before Week 14 in 2005. He sat out all practices for two weeks and wound up missing the final four regular-season games. Even with the first-round bye, Brown was unable to make it through the playoff game in mid-January.
''[There is] concern because it's happened so many times, but right now Mike just has a calf injury,'' Smith said. ''Mike doesn't have a season-ending injury, so right now I'm looking at it like other injuries that we have. Hopefully, it's not anything that will keep him out for long.''
Any time that Brown misses will put the Bears in an interesting position. Steltz is considered a strong safety, and playing at him at free safety might create issues even though the Bears insist their positions are interchangeable.
Rooting interest
It wasn't Cade McNown announcing that fans who wish to boo should stay home and serenade their televisions, but it was interesting to watch middle linebacker Brian Urlacher twice walk off the field Sunday with his arms raised, signaling for the crowd to bring more boos as the Lions racked up 23 points in the second quarter.
''When you go through adversity a little bit, I see everyone rallying together, being positive, using positive reinforcement,'' Smith said. ''Negative reinforcement has never really worked for me. We don't do it that way. I would just hope that most of the time we'll hear positive reinforcement to help us get through some of those times. That's what a team does.''
Nickel for your thought
Corey Graham stepped aside for Nathan Vasher to reclaim his starting cornerback job, but Graham still got a lot of work as the nickel back and subbing for Vasher against double-tight-end formations. He finished with six tackles, five of them solos, and made perhaps the biggest special-teams play of the game when he downed a Brad Maynard punt on the 1-yard line.
''Corey did some good things,'' Smith said. ''It's still a work in progress. You just don't move to that position [nickel back] and play your best game the first time out, but Corey did a lot of good things like he normally does. He's a good player, and we'll continue to get him involved.''
Tackling the issue
Linebacker Lance Briggs led the team with 11 tackles after coaches reviewed game film, pulling him within one of strong safety Kevin Payne for the season lead. Charles Tillman made eight tackles, and Tommie Harris had three stops and three quarterback hits to go with a tackle for loss and a sack. Urlacher was credited with five tackles.
