After ‘MNF’ drama, Bears banged up for bye week

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| Wednesday, October 18, 2006 |

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Mike Brown (30) celebrates Monday after breaking up a pass. He left the game in the fourth quarter with a sprained right foot.

The Associated Press

CHICAGO — Charles Tillman stood with both arms raised, while Devin Hester collapsed and pointed toward the sky. Over on the sideline, players and coaches bounced as if they were on trampolines, fists pumping and wide smiles crossing their faces as the opposing kicker missed a potential winning field goal.

The Chicago Bears were elated and relieved after rallying to beat Arizona 24-23 on Monday night and remain undefeated. They improved to 6-0 for the first time in 20 years, even when everything seemed to be going wrong.

“We were supposed to win the game for some reason,” quarterback Rex Grossman said. “Everything went our way when it needed to.”

Not quite.

After extending his franchise record with his seventh defensive touchdown, Pro Bowl safety Mike Brown was carted off the field in the fourth quarter with a sprained right foot. More details were not available on Tuesday.

The Bears have not played well when Brown has been sidelined the past two seasons.

He missed 14 games in 2004 with a torn right Achilles’ tendon, one of many injuries that sent Chicago limping to a 5-11 record. Last season, the Bears went 2-2 over the final four regular-season games with Brown nursing a strained left calf. He barely played in the playoff loss to Carolina, in which Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith caught 12 passes for 218 yards and two long touchdowns.

“We struggled without Mike last year, but I think with the young guys we have, with the combination of guys and I think with our D-line ... if we can play with those guys picking it up, I think we can do it,” defensive coordinator Ron Rivera told the Chicago Sun-Times. “We kind of patchwork things.”

Which was what the Bears did on Monday.

They stitched together a win even though the offense was at its worst and the defense got pushed around and missed assignments for much of the first three quarters.

The numbers were jaw-dropping.

Four interceptions and two lost fumbles for quarterback Rex Grossman. Three points by the offense. A 20-point deficit.

A team that had outscored Seattle and Buffalo by a combined 77-13 the previous two weeks managed only 168 yards on offense while Arizona finished with 286. A running game that had shown signs of life the previous two weeks mustered only 34 yards. And Grossman immediately served notice he was off when he overthrew a wide-open Bernard Berrian on the game’s first play.

Still, the Bears went into the bye week celebrating, rather than sulking.

They can thank their defense, special teams and Cardinals kicker Neil Rackers, who missed what would have been a go-ahead 41-yard field goal with 53 seconds left.

As ugly as this game was, it might have been a defining moment for the Bears. While their execution was shaky, their will never wavered.

“Everyone started saying, ‘Let’s believe,’ ” Bears defensive tackle Tank Johnson said. “In the fourth quarter, I was holding up four fingers and telling everybody that we have to finish. That’s the main thing we have been preaching all year.”

There was Mark Anderson sacking Leinart and jarring the ball loose in the closing seconds of the third quarter, and there was Brown scooping it up for a 3-yard return that cut Arizona’s lead to 23-10. There was Urlacher ripping the ball out of Edgerrin James’ hands and Tillman returning the fumble 40 yards for another touchdown after Grossman had thrown his fourth interception. And there was the rookie Hester returning a punt for a touchdown for the second time this season, running it back 83 yards to give the Bears a 24-23 lead.

It was the first time an NFL team rallied to win from a 20-point deficit without getting an offensive touchdown.

Now, they have time to heal and fix what went wrong on Monday. And they have a favorable schedule, with home games against San Francisco and Miami. Then again, Arizona (1-5) wasn’t expected to put up much of a fight.

“To be truthful, our team thought they could come back and win the football game, even though it was looking bleak for a long time,” coach Lovie Smith said. “It was basically that. When are we going to do it? Somebody has to do it.”

Bears’ 6-0 starts

Year / Final / Playoffs

2006 ? ?

1986 14-2 Out in 1st round

1985 15-1 Won Super Bowl

1942 16-0 Lost title game

1936 9-3 Did not play

1934 13-0 Lost title game

1933 13-0 Won title game

1921* 9-1-1 Won title

*Chicago Staleys

Arizona coach fires offensive coordinator Rowen

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Frustrated Arizona Cardinals coach Dennis Green fired offensive coordinator Keith Rowen on Tuesday and replaced him with quarterbacks coach Mike Kruczek.

The move came hours after the Cardinals blew a 20-point lead and lost to the Chicago Bears 24-23 on Monday night.

“I’ve known Keith for a long time. I have the utmost respect for him,” Green said. “We are not scoring enough points.”

Kruczek becomes Green’s third offensive coordinator in the coach’s 2½ seasons in Arizona. Rowen took the job after Alex Wood was fired following the 2004 season.

“I don’t hesitate to make changes. That’s just who I am,” Green said. “I like things to go a certain way, and if they don’t, I normally do something about it.”

Green said he was talking with Rowen about taking another position on the staff.

Kruczek also will remain as quarterbacks coach, a job he has held since Green arrived.

“I think his close working relationship with Matt Leinart will give us a better chance,” Green said.

Kruczek was a quarterback at Boston College and backup to Terry Bradshaw with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was head coach at Central Florida for six years before joining Green’s staff.

At his Tuesday news conference, Green noted that Rowen had nothing to do with the strange series of late plays that led to the Monday night collapse.

“But at certain times, you feel like you have to do something a little bit different, something that we hope will be better for us,” Green said. “I think Mike is a very demanding taskmaster kind of guy. He’s old school all the way, and I think that’s what we’re going to need right now.”

Arizona has lost five straight since a season-opening victory over San Francisco and is 12-26 since Green took over. The Cardinals play at winless Oakland on Sunday.

NFL notebook

Robinson pleads not guilty to drunken driving

ST. PETER, Minn. (AP) — Green Bay Packers receiver Koren Robinson pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges of drunken driving and fleeing police stemming from a high-speed chase in August.

Robinson was then taken into custody because of a warrant in Blue Earth County for a previous traffic violation. He was released a short time later, after his attorney went to a bank to withdraw $1,000 to post bond.

The more serious charges came when Robinson was with the Minnesota Vikings. His car topped 100 mph as police chased him from St. Peter to the Vikings’ training camp headquarters in Mankato on Aug. 15. Police say Robinson’s blood-alcohol content was 0.11 percent, well above the legal limit of 0.08.

Ravens coach removes offensive coordinator

BALTIMORE — Baltimore Ravens coach Brian Billick removed offensive coordinator Jim Fassel from his position.

Billick, a close friend of the former New York Giants coach, announced the change at a news conference at the Ravens’ headquarters, calling it “one of the most difficult decisions I’ve had to make.”

Fassel was in his second year as the Ravens’ offensive coordinator after serving a season as a senior consultant to the offense.

Brother of Browns star Winslow dies at 23

CLEVELAND — Cleveland Browns tight end Kellen Winslow Jr. attended a funeral for his younger brother, Justin K.B. Winslow, who died suddenly last week in Kansas City, Mo. He was 23.

The son of Hall of Fame tight end Kellen Winslow Sr. was found unconscious on Oct. 12 by his mother, Dawnn Wimes O’Bannon. According to a statement released by the family, he was unresponsive with a weak pulse.

Justin Winslow was taken by ambulance to a hospital but couldn’t be revived and died. A family spokeswoman said the cause of death would not be known until toxicology tests are completed.

Colts trade McFarland for 2007 draft pick

INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis Colts’ leaky run defense got some much-needed help Tuesday when it acquired defensive tackle Anthony McFarland for a 2007 second-round draft pick in a rare midseason deal.

The Colts announced the deal about one hour after Tuesday’s trading deadline.

McFarland, a 6-foot, 300-pound defensive tackle, should help shore up the middle of the Colts’ run defense that ranks near the bottom of the league.

Lions place RB Bryson on injured reserve

ALLEN PARK, Mich. — The Detroit Lions placed running back Shawn Bryson on the injured reserve list , and signed running back Arlen Harris.

The team also waived wide receiver Scottie Vines from the physically-unable-to-perform list, released tackle Clint Stickdorn from the practice squad and signed guard Stephen Peterman to the practice squad.

Texans sign vetern defensive tackle Dalton

HOUSTON — The Houston Texans signed veteran defensive tackle Lional Dalton.

Dalton started 14 games for Kansas City in 2005, but fell out of favor this season and played just two games for the Chiefs before being released last week.

The Texans were in the market for a defensive tackle after losing Seth Payne for the season when he tore a ligament in his right knee on Sunday.