"I remember when rock was young. Me and Suzie had so much fun." -Bernie Taupin
He became a Chicago Bear in the Soldier Field endzone on December 14th 2004. Daunte Culpepper threw what he'd thrown a million times - a ball in the direction of Randy Moss. And there was the kid from Louisiana-Lafayette, who'd had the terrific rookie season just a year earlier, wrestling the ball away and sealing a Bears victory. This play not only made him immortal in my eyes, it seemed to have symbolically ended the Culpepper/Moss dream and ushered in a new era in the NFC North.
Then comes Detroit in 2005. A bad Jeff Garcia throw in overtime, a Peanut TD, Defensive Player of the Week. So...what the fuck happened?
No, seriously, what happened? Because since then, he's just sucked. He's become the football equivalent of an only child. The parents hear the crash in the living room, they know who did it. Flag for unnecessary roughness? Flag for pass interference? Guess who? He falls down (literally) on big plays and collapses (mentally) on just about every other. Yes he had five interceptions a year ago but that is more a testament to opposing offenses refusing to throw in anyone else's direction. It's a near-meaningless stat, like a lot of football stats. Kyle Orton had 10 wins last year, remember? Stats aren't for football.
I write this today because Sunday night, in Primetime, the Chicago Bears need the Peanut from December 14th 2004. They need him because in the absence of a sustained running game, the Hawks are going to bring three and four receiver sets. Nut is going to be face-to-face with Deion Branch...with Nate Burleson. This is the sort of game that defines a season, especially with four winnable games following (home Buffalo, at Cardinals, home Niners, home Dolphins). A win Sunday night and the Bears could be staring down the barrel of 8-0.
But I'm putting the game on Charles Tillman. Yes, that's what I'm doing. One game, Nut. One game and I'll buy your jersey. One game and I'll write you sonnets.
One game, Nut, one game. Because I'm telling you right now...Mike Holmgren watches film. He's seen you run around like a moron out there. Right now he's eating his third large sandwich for lunch and saying, "This Tillman guy sucks." Right now, I agree.
You get one game. Don't suck anymore.
#2 Rob said . . .It would be great if we just demote him on two wide reciever sets and just let manning and vasher play, then when they bring out a slot reciever throw manning back on him. i would put peanut on bobby engram and leave it at that, whenever engrams on the field let charles push his old ass around, engram cant have a whole lot of speed any more so i woudnt think hes going to just run by tillman. in four wide reciever sets i hope they try out three safeties and let daniel manning come up and cover one of the quicker guys like branch or burleson. i wish the bears would just play it like you can in madden where you pick what receiver each corner lines up on. id put vasher on jackson, manning jr. on burleson, daniel on branch with chris harris and brown backing up and peanut on engram
September 26, 2006
#3 Pat said . . .Jeff -- you just so NAILED IT on this post. Dittos.
September 26, 2006
#4 fred said . . .I hope Carlos Zambrano isn't the only Chicago sports player who spends time on the internet.
Charles, if you're reading this.... Charles?... oh, you only answer to Peanut? how cute. anyway, Peanut, if you're reading this, read the above post again. Memorize it. This is your free pass. I d0n't think you have any idea how quickly Chicago fans and sports media will embrace you if you start playing well. Sunday is the perfect time. It's on national TV, and...I'm not sure if you remember the last time you played in a non-exhibition game on a national stage, but... well... you didn't really win over any fans with that performance. It's ok though, because there's Sunday night. [for some reason] you've been given chance after chance to prove yourself, and I say that's swell... as long as you do it this time. Trust me, we want to love the Peanut. We want to make jokes like "he's all over Deion Branch like peanut butter on celery," it's just hard to when you're lying on the ground and he's in the endzone.
Sunday night, Peanut.
September 26, 2006
#5 DTB said . . .Stats don't mean shit; this team is 27-0 playing after three o'clock indoors when the temp is below fifty, they win the coin toss after calling tails coming of a win at home, bla bla bla.
That flag for unnecessary roughness last week, he took the bait. Same with a couple other guys they got hit with a cheap shot and hit back and got caught and flagged.
They always catch the second guy that hits back.
Stop that shit. Play football like we know you can.September 26, 2006
#6 jeff said . . .I'm honestly tired of everyone bagging on Tillman. You all magnify the entire team breakdown in the playoffs a year ago and put it all on his shoulders. Its fucking crazy! Sure he got tangled up with Smith on the third play of the game and sure Smith whooped us. But notice I said US and realize that NOBODY was able to stop him last year.
There are a few factors involved here. First off, week in and week out who is covering the opposing teams best reciever? Peanut. Secondly who is the Strongside LB, Hillenmeyer. Hunter fucking Hillenmeyer is Tillmans flat support and we all know that coverage isnt Hunters strongest suit. Thirdly, Vasher looks great in comparison because he picks up the scraps. Nearly 100 % of the time Vashers man is the last read on the field for the QB. For a QB to go through all of his progressions it takes over 3.5 seconds. Not only is there the pressure by our front four in that time but also a self imposed pressure to get rid of the ball, which allows Nate to sit back and take chances on the ball thus providing his gaudy stats. And lastly you all need to realize that yards DO happen, you cant pitch a shut out in yards. And ask yourselves, when was the last time you saw anyone score a red zone touchdown on Peanut? It does not happen.
It there is anything we can point to, it is the coaching staff and thier failure to realize that Peanut doesn't have that deep speed. Along with that is their failure to roll enough deep help to prevent the occasional big play. But nonetheless, we all will see this Sunday. Hasselbeck will throw early and often.
September 27, 2006
#7 The Duke said . . .we're not dogging tillman for giving up yards and i would argue against your assertion that he's constantly on the opposing team's best receiver...they're pretty good at rotating who is covering who...it's never a one-on-one situation.
we're dogging him for making rookie mistakes like he did on the deep pass in the detroit game (not turning around), for committing stupid roughing penalties on special teams in close games (minnesota), for FALLING DOWN...
not for nothing, but who else on the team is doing this? isn't this why we got rid of mike green?
September 27, 2006
#8 jeff said . . ...and Jeff that's your final warning. No more mentioning MG's name on this site again.
September 27, 2006
#9 jeff said . . .can we please make an exception for times when his name is mentioned in the uber-negative, especially when he's being mentioned as the only player worse than charles tillman?
September 27, 2006
#10 Rob said . . .Sorry but this was in the Suntimes today:
One player the Bears won't see is safety Mike Green, who was traded to the Seahawks for the 200th selection in the last draft. Green, who appeared to have won a starting job in training camp, is on injured reserve after suffering a Lisfranc foot injury. The injury is named for Jacques Lisfranc, a field general in Napoleon's army who developed a partial amputation technique for soldiers suffering from gangrene due to frostbite on the Russian front.
HahahahahahahahahaSeptember 27, 2006
#11 The Duke said . . .Duke and Jeff,
Instead of referring to that former Bears safety on IR for the Seahawks by name, let's just call him "that safety of whom we do not speak of" -- kind of a reference to the movie The Village... I think that would suit everyone fine.September 27, 2006
#12 jeff said . . .Deal.
September 27, 2006
#13 before I forget said . . .works for me. except i'm a grammar snob so it must be "the safety of whom we do not speak"
September 27, 2006
#14 jeff said . . .Shaun Alexander might play on Sunday. Something got misread on the scan... wha?
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15003689/
September 27, 2006
#15 Charles 'Peanut' Tilman said . . .apparently he prayed to jesus and jesus fixed it. not making that up. on a similar note, chuck tillman prayed to jesus and didn't slip in the shower today.
September 27, 2006
#16 Charles 'Peanut' Tillman said . . .Ok blog, so I may have done some studpid dumb mistakes over the last few weeks...and yes Smith did kick my ass as he did the rest of this league...but I'm putting it out there right now, Zambrano isn't the only Chicago athlete that surfs the web, I'm going to come through this week. I'm not looking to be elevated to the level of that fated night in MN...I'm just looking to do my part and kick sOME SEEAHAWK BUTT! Go Bears!
September 30, 2006
#17 j said . . .Told you I'd come through.
October 2, 2006
#18 CaTcH22 said . . .Charles Tillman Sucks. I don't know what else to say. He is small and slow!!!!!! I realize why he has to play now, but why when there were no injuries? He is not good enough to play in the NFL as a starter. Sure he does make a good play every so often, but come on, he is awful. Our defensive secondary is not that good and it will kill us in the playoffs. We must get rid of himin the offseason.
December 12, 2006
#19 Ken said . . .Fuck you dumb twats. Lets see fat lazy bitchs strap it up and do what Peanut does. Your lucky to piss in the toliet with out getting it all over yourselfs...your all just haters.
January 26, 2007
#20 Rick Counter said . . .this is the worst blog ever and everyone reading this has now become that much more stupid. congratulations for being on google's top Charles Tillman Randy Moss search. You deserve it so everyone can see how stupid you are.
April 10, 2007
#21 Ken said . . .Charles I'm from Wisconsin and a Packer fan, but I have to say that your interception over Randy Moss is to this day the most memorable interception I have ever seen. It couldn't have happened to a better person(you) or a worse person(Moss). Thank you for the memory.
RickAugust 6, 2007
#22 Alicia B said . . .p.s. Kill yourselves you retards. I am ashamed to be called a Bears fan along side you nimrods. I actually enjoy them winning after all the years of losing, you tards should try that.
September 17, 2007
#23 Alicia B said . . .You guys talk all this shit about "Peanut" Strap on some pads and get down and dirty a couple plays with him and see who cries wolf. You haters only wish you could do what Tillman does. Ive known him since high school and I have never known him to back down or give up! So all you morons who think you know him only wish you could be him!
October 16, 2007
#24 cb said . . .You guys talk all this shit about "Peanut" Strap on some pads and get down and dirty with him a couple of plays and see who cries wolf! I have known him since High school and I have never known him not to be the best at what he does...You lazy, morons think you know him, you only wish you could be him....
October 16, 2007
#25 biftDeelt said . . .Hey Peanut,
Remember this loss against the TB Bucs! You may think you are one of the elite in the NFL, but you are nothing but a neophite. Who gets a personal foul called against them in OT on 4th down? YOU BLEW IT AND THE GAME. Eat the peanuts out of my s@#t.
September 21, 2008
#26 facial cleanser said . . .Hello. And Bye.
http://www.wikio.com/article/ac-dc-headline-fest-release-soundtrack-167804990May 28, 2010
posts are very nice.
December 26, 2010
Here at DaBearsBlog, you are free to kill us or the Bears as you so wish. You are not free, however, to be an asshole. So if you spew racism or ill-meaning foul language (cursing about football is just fine) or anything of that ilk, your comments ain't gonna last long, jerk.