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Bears report: Inside slant March 27, 2007
The Sports Xchange
Inside slant · Notes, quotes · Strategy and personnel
Based on what newly acquired safety Adam Archuleta has been told by the Bears, he's been given Mike Brown's job.
"I guess you would say I'm the strong safety on this football team
," Archuleta said. "At no point has anybody ever indicated that I would be a backup."
Which means that Brown, a Pro Bowler in 2005, will either be cut or moved back to free safety, where he played his first four seasons before moving to strong safety the past three seasons. Each of Brown's past three seasons has been marred by major injuries, which have sidelined him for a total of 28 games. He's currently rehabbing from foot surgery, which sidelined him for the final 10 games of 2006 plus the postseason.
If he returns to his Pro Bowl form and regains his speed, Brown could be paired with Archuleta in a safety tandem that would be extremely smart and physical but not very swift or effective in pass coverage. Over the years, Brown has developed a knack for big plays, scoring six touchdowns on interception returns of 41, 35, 33 and 16 yards and fumble returns of 95 and 62 yards.
But, if Bears coach Lovie Smith doesn't believe Brown will be at full strength by opening day, the Bears may be reluctant to pay him the $2.5 million he's due in each of the next two seasons to be a backup. Still, Brown's modest total of 14 career interceptions in seven seasons appears exceptional compared to Archuleta's two picks in six years. Archuleta's forte is as a physical presence, and he's always been more effective closer to the line of scrimmage than in coverage.
"The biggest impact that I have on a football field is my underneath stuff," Archuleta said. "If you want to compare apples to apples, I don't think there are many safeties who can do what I do
underneath. I haven't gotten a lot of interceptions in my career. There are a lot of factors for that, and obviously that's one thing that seems to be lacking, and I need to find a way to get my hands on more balls :X . (But) if you look at my career up until last year, if you really truly break down tape, I really don't get beat a lot :X and rarely was I out of position until this last season in Washington.
"People like to hang their hat on that and say I can't cover. I don't believe it, and I think if you ask Lovie, he doesn't believe it either. Where I make my impact is different than guys who make their impact by playing 20 yards off the ball."
Archuleta's impact was negligible last season after signing a six-year, $30 million contract as an unrestricted free agent with the Redskins, following five stellar
seasons with the Rams. He was benched midway through the season due to lapses as a pass defender.
"I'm not going to pretend I went out there and lit it up ," Archuleta said. "But at the same time when you look at the performance of the (5-11) team, when you look at the performance of the defense, and then you look at individual performances, I don't think mine was really out of line with what was going on as an organization."
Archuleta, who drew the Bears' interest last off-season, believes he's with the right team now, albeit a year late.
"I think it's a perfect fit; I think it's where I belong," he said. "It really capitalizes on my strengths and allows me to go out and play football the way I'm supposed to play."
Archuleta's especially looking forward to a road game against the Redskins this season.
"It'll be fun," he said. "They could actually see what I'm capable of
doing and what I could have been doing in a Redskins uniform."
Copyright © 2007 The Sports Xchange. All Rights Reserved.
Bears report: Inside slant March 27, 2007
The Sports Xchange
Inside slant · Notes, quotes · Strategy and personnel
Based on what newly acquired safety Adam Archuleta has been told by the Bears, he's been given Mike Brown's job.
"I guess you would say I'm the strong safety on this football team
," Archuleta said. "At no point has anybody ever indicated that I would be a backup."Which means that Brown, a Pro Bowler in 2005, will either be cut or moved back to free safety, where he played his first four seasons before moving to strong safety the past three seasons. Each of Brown's past three seasons has been marred by major injuries, which have sidelined him for a total of 28 games. He's currently rehabbing from foot surgery, which sidelined him for the final 10 games of 2006 plus the postseason.
If he returns to his Pro Bowl form and regains his speed, Brown could be paired with Archuleta in a safety tandem that would be extremely smart and physical but not very swift or effective in pass coverage. Over the years, Brown has developed a knack for big plays, scoring six touchdowns on interception returns of 41, 35, 33 and 16 yards and fumble returns of 95 and 62 yards.
But, if Bears coach Lovie Smith doesn't believe Brown will be at full strength by opening day, the Bears may be reluctant to pay him the $2.5 million he's due in each of the next two seasons to be a backup. Still, Brown's modest total of 14 career interceptions in seven seasons appears exceptional compared to Archuleta's two picks in six years. Archuleta's forte is as a physical presence, and he's always been more effective closer to the line of scrimmage than in coverage.
"The biggest impact that I have on a football field is my underneath stuff," Archuleta said. "If you want to compare apples to apples, I don't think there are many safeties who can do what I do
underneath. I haven't gotten a lot of interceptions in my career. There are a lot of factors for that, and obviously that's one thing that seems to be lacking, and I need to find a way to get my hands on more balls :X . (But) if you look at my career up until last year, if you really truly break down tape, I really don't get beat a lot :X and rarely was I out of position until this last season in Washington."People like to hang their hat on that and say I can't cover. I don't believe it, and I think if you ask Lovie, he doesn't believe it either. Where I make my impact is different than guys who make their impact by playing 20 yards off the ball."
Archuleta's impact was negligible last season after signing a six-year, $30 million contract as an unrestricted free agent with the Redskins, following five stellar
seasons with the Rams. He was benched midway through the season due to lapses as a pass defender."I'm not going to pretend I went out there and lit it up
," Archuleta said. "But at the same time when you look at the performance of the (5-11) team, when you look at the performance of the defense, and then you look at individual performances, I don't think mine was really out of line with what was going on as an organization."Archuleta, who drew the Bears' interest last off-season, believes he's with the right team now, albeit a year late.
"I think it's a perfect fit; I think it's where I belong," he said. "It really capitalizes on my strengths and allows me to go out and play football the way I'm supposed to play."
Archuleta's especially looking forward to a road game against the Redskins this season.
"It'll be fun," he said. "They could actually see what I'm capable of
doing and what I could have been doing in a Redskins uniform."Copyright © 2007 The Sports Xchange. All Rights Reserved.
