Bears
Mike Brown reflects
on the highs and lows of his career in Chicago
Mike Brown was a popular player in his day, respected by his Bears teammates as a leader in the locker room and beloved by fans for his upbeat personality and knack for being around the ball and making big plays. At the Bears100 Celebration in Rosemont over the weekend, Brown was terrific on the panel of former Bears safeties and it’s clear he holds Eddie Jackson, who has scored five touchdowns the last two seasons, in high regard.
“This dude right here, it’s a special skill that he has,” Brown said, referring to Jackson. “I don’t have that skill. So I was like, I’m not going to miss the interception and have someone go for a touchdown. I’m just gonna hit this dude. My philosophy was more like at the fourth-quarter mark, the receiver is going to be tired of me hitting him and that’s when you will see balls tipped up in the air and you will see them not finishing routes and that is when the big plays would happen in my situation.”
They rolled a highlight of Brown’s pick-six in overtime to beat the 49ers in 2001. Brown, of course, scored touchdowns on interception returns in overtime in consecutive weeks, also beating the Browns. It’s a back-to-back feat that has never been duplicated in NFL history. His introspection was fantastic.
“Those obviously are plays that are part of my career,” he said. “Those are two plays that are always about it. Those are two plays that I remember vividly. Yeah, it was a special time. I was a young player. I was in my second year. So it gave me more confidence; 2001 was a real special year, 13-3.
“Winning these football games is hard, so once you start getting to 10 wins, 13, that is hard to do. So, my problem is I just don’t want to be remembered for those two plays. I want to be remembered as someone who played for the people. So we’re talking about preparation. My preparation to get mentally prepared, I was always joyful. The game to me, it was party time. All the work in practice, that’s the work. When it’s time to go out there on Sunday, that is when all of the fun happens.”
When that fun was starting, Brown would lead teammates out of the locker room before the game. The Bears rolled video of him doing that leading a chant — “We the ones that make plays!” Over and over again, it’s what he chanted as he led teammates from the locker room and through the tunnel to the field. Why that?
“I don’t know,” Brown said. “They call us specialty positions for a reason. We’re the ones that get the glory of the playmakers. The game is won in the trenches, I think we all understand that. That’s what we talk about, the front seven. We know that football is a game with an offensive line and a defensive line. Whoever wins that battle usually is going to win the game. You guys see all the plays being made. That was the thing, letting the playmakers know that we are the ones that have to make them. So when there is the opportunity to make them, we have to make them because the people doing the dirty work need us to make those plays. So we’re the ones that make the plays.”
Missing the Super Bowl XLI after suffering a torn Achilles tendon late in the season remains an emotional topic for Brown more than 12 years later. He teared up a little bit when asked about it. His answer was something that should resonate.
“I still struggle with it,” he said. “You play for the ’ship. You play for the ring. Our team made it and I couldn’t be out there. It’s the game. It’s the one sport, it’s one game for a championship. It’s not a series. It’s a game. And it’s the biggest game in the world. I still struggle with it especially when I get around all you folks.
“Now that I have children, it makes it a lot different. The past is the past and now I am looking forward to watching my children grow and be solid citizens. I am trying to teach them the right way to do things. Just being a Bear because they really didn’t believe I was any good. Being here, they’re amazed and they’re excited and it’s cool to see their faces. To me, that’s what it’s all about. If you have children, that’s what it is all about. That made it a lot easier. If I could get it back, I wish I could.
“That locker-room stuff, that stuff is life-changing. You made friends for life. That is the thing that is special coming back to these things.”
PREVIOUS ARTICLE
