AHSIllini32
New member
- Joined:
- Nov 5, 2012
- Posts:
- 3,196
- Liked Posts:
- 1,548
Veteran cornerback says he's healthy, hopes to punctuate career with a title
By Rich Campbell, Tribune reporter
5:42 p.m. CDT, June 14, 2014
Charles Tillman feels healthy, OK? Stop asking him about it because he's tired of the question.
The Bears cornerback made that clear Thursday night as pop music pulsed from speakers at Kings in Rosemont, where he hosted a bowling fundraiser for his Cornerstone Foundation. As Tillman fulfilled his media obligations, the issue pestered him like he has done to so many receivers over the last 11 seasons.
How's your health, Charles?
"I don't think I've got a cold or anything like that," he said with a straight face. "So I feel fine."
Later, another reporter asked, "The wing is all good?" in reference to his surgically repaired right triceps.
"That must be the question of the night, huh?" he responded.
Soon after that, an unsuspecting reporter lobbed Tillman a third question about his health.
"Why are y'all asking that … not-so-smart question?" he asked with vigor. "I'm good, man. I'm fine. People, I'm healthy. I'm OK."
And with that, Tillman penned the prologue for his 12th season with the Bears.
Here is a club fixture at 33 trying to outrun his NFL mortality for at least one more season.
"I just want to win a ring and call it a day," Tillman said. "I just want to get a championship ring."
So 2014 is shaping up to be, at once, a fresh start and maybe a culmination for the two-time Pro Bowl selection.
His 2013 season started promisingly enough. In Week 1, Tillman intercepted Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton on the defense's second play from scrimmage.
After that, however, right knee and groin injuries took their toll.
The Bears practiced a total of 20 times ahead of their next eight games. Tillman missed eight sessions and was limited in seven others because of his knee and groin. And he would have missed a ninth practice to nurse those maladies if he hadn't missed it for a family matter.
Tillman's knee problem ended up sidelining him for the Bears' Thursday night home win over the Giants in October.
But look at Tillman's production during that span, and it's easy to understand why he's so eager to brush aside the health questions. He wasn't a jalopy headed for the junkyard. He had three interceptions and three forced fumbles in the eight games he played before tearing his triceps on Nov. 10.
Overall, though, he missed eight games. He missed a total of six from 2005 to 2012.
The Bears digested all that data and allowed Tillman to test free agency in March. For the first time in Tillman's career, he had to contemplate wearing a jersey that isn't navy and orange.
He visited the Buccaneers and sensed he would play out his career there with coach Lovie Smith, for whom he played nine seasons with the Bears.
"It felt like home because you were with Lovie and some of the other coaches," Tillman said. "It felt normal."
He managed to compartmentalize the situation within the confines of business. The relationships he cultivated and treasured in Chicago were separated from the bottom lines of dollars and on-field production.
In the end, he re-signed with the Bears on a one-year contract that could be worth up to $3.4 million.
"If I would have gone to another team, it probably would have been Tampa," he said. "It just didn't work out the way any of us planned, so I'm back in Chicago. But that's not a bad thing. It's still a good place, a good place to be."
One apparent benefit of returning to the Bears was how it could help continue his foundation's presence in Chicago, although he said that did not affect his decision to re-sign.
Tillman hosted the third Celebrity Pro BOWLer Tournament on Thursday night, joined by almost a dozen current and former teammates. The event raised funds for his foundation, the mission of which is to provide opportunities and resources for underprivileged children and their families.
Similar efforts helped Tillman in February win the NFL's Walter Payton Man of the Year Award, recognition for his combination of on-field accomplishments and community service. Younger Bears players appreciate the example he sets in that regard.
"He's always educating me on the game on and off the field," cornerback Isaiah Frey said. "He's always looking to improve our young corners, and he's helping our safeties out all the time. He's just a mentor all around."
On the field, Tillman's confidence in his fitness gives him a clean break from a disappointing 2013. At the same time, last season's injury woes and the Bears' willingness to let him explore his options indicate this could be his final season with the team.
Tillman's focus, however, is narrower. He sees the Bears' defensive personnel moves as justification for optimism in his quest for that ring.
The adjustments defensive coordinator Mel Tucker is planning for his second season won't prevent Tillman from playing with vision in the passing game, Tillman said. The techniques that have helped him effectively produce turnovers in the past are still in place.
"Right now on paper, we look great," Tillman said. "Now it's just taking what we have on paper and transitioning it to the field."
He later added, "If we can stay healthy, I think we'll be a good team."
So Tillman does acknowledge health uncertainties. But surely he wasn't referring to himself.
rcampbell@tribune.com
Twitter @Rich_Campbell
Copyright © 2014 Chicago Tribune Company, LLC
By Rich Campbell, Tribune reporter
5:42 p.m. CDT, June 14, 2014
Charles Tillman feels healthy, OK? Stop asking him about it because he's tired of the question.
The Bears cornerback made that clear Thursday night as pop music pulsed from speakers at Kings in Rosemont, where he hosted a bowling fundraiser for his Cornerstone Foundation. As Tillman fulfilled his media obligations, the issue pestered him like he has done to so many receivers over the last 11 seasons.
How's your health, Charles?
"I don't think I've got a cold or anything like that," he said with a straight face. "So I feel fine."
Later, another reporter asked, "The wing is all good?" in reference to his surgically repaired right triceps.
"That must be the question of the night, huh?" he responded.
Soon after that, an unsuspecting reporter lobbed Tillman a third question about his health.
"Why are y'all asking that … not-so-smart question?" he asked with vigor. "I'm good, man. I'm fine. People, I'm healthy. I'm OK."
And with that, Tillman penned the prologue for his 12th season with the Bears.
Here is a club fixture at 33 trying to outrun his NFL mortality for at least one more season.
"I just want to win a ring and call it a day," Tillman said. "I just want to get a championship ring."
So 2014 is shaping up to be, at once, a fresh start and maybe a culmination for the two-time Pro Bowl selection.
His 2013 season started promisingly enough. In Week 1, Tillman intercepted Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton on the defense's second play from scrimmage.
After that, however, right knee and groin injuries took their toll.
The Bears practiced a total of 20 times ahead of their next eight games. Tillman missed eight sessions and was limited in seven others because of his knee and groin. And he would have missed a ninth practice to nurse those maladies if he hadn't missed it for a family matter.
Tillman's knee problem ended up sidelining him for the Bears' Thursday night home win over the Giants in October.
But look at Tillman's production during that span, and it's easy to understand why he's so eager to brush aside the health questions. He wasn't a jalopy headed for the junkyard. He had three interceptions and three forced fumbles in the eight games he played before tearing his triceps on Nov. 10.
Overall, though, he missed eight games. He missed a total of six from 2005 to 2012.
The Bears digested all that data and allowed Tillman to test free agency in March. For the first time in Tillman's career, he had to contemplate wearing a jersey that isn't navy and orange.
He visited the Buccaneers and sensed he would play out his career there with coach Lovie Smith, for whom he played nine seasons with the Bears.
"It felt like home because you were with Lovie and some of the other coaches," Tillman said. "It felt normal."
He managed to compartmentalize the situation within the confines of business. The relationships he cultivated and treasured in Chicago were separated from the bottom lines of dollars and on-field production.
In the end, he re-signed with the Bears on a one-year contract that could be worth up to $3.4 million.
"If I would have gone to another team, it probably would have been Tampa," he said. "It just didn't work out the way any of us planned, so I'm back in Chicago. But that's not a bad thing. It's still a good place, a good place to be."
One apparent benefit of returning to the Bears was how it could help continue his foundation's presence in Chicago, although he said that did not affect his decision to re-sign.
Tillman hosted the third Celebrity Pro BOWLer Tournament on Thursday night, joined by almost a dozen current and former teammates. The event raised funds for his foundation, the mission of which is to provide opportunities and resources for underprivileged children and their families.
Similar efforts helped Tillman in February win the NFL's Walter Payton Man of the Year Award, recognition for his combination of on-field accomplishments and community service. Younger Bears players appreciate the example he sets in that regard.
"He's always educating me on the game on and off the field," cornerback Isaiah Frey said. "He's always looking to improve our young corners, and he's helping our safeties out all the time. He's just a mentor all around."
On the field, Tillman's confidence in his fitness gives him a clean break from a disappointing 2013. At the same time, last season's injury woes and the Bears' willingness to let him explore his options indicate this could be his final season with the team.
Tillman's focus, however, is narrower. He sees the Bears' defensive personnel moves as justification for optimism in his quest for that ring.
The adjustments defensive coordinator Mel Tucker is planning for his second season won't prevent Tillman from playing with vision in the passing game, Tillman said. The techniques that have helped him effectively produce turnovers in the past are still in place.
"Right now on paper, we look great," Tillman said. "Now it's just taking what we have on paper and transitioning it to the field."
He later added, "If we can stay healthy, I think we'll be a good team."
So Tillman does acknowledge health uncertainties. But surely he wasn't referring to himself.
rcampbell@tribune.com
Twitter @Rich_Campbell
Copyright © 2014 Chicago Tribune Company, LLC
