Editor’s note: Each week during the NFL season, former Bears defensive lineman Alex Brown shares his football wisdom with RedEye. Responses have been edited for length and clarity.
Let’s tackle this off the top: Should Brian Hoyer start at quarterback over Jay Cutler?
I don’t think it’s a decision at all. The way [Hoyer’s] been playing the second half of that Dallas game and this past game against Detroit, I think he’s earned that. If you tear the names off the backs of the jerseys and just look at what they’ve done in the time they’ve been in, you’d pick Hoyer every time. So I don’t undertand what the big fuss is about. Just because you make more money doesn’t mean you’re supposed to play.
I heard what [Hoyer] said after the game as far as he’s just there to do whatever they tell him to do, and I get that. I’m not saying at all that he’s more talented [than Cutler]. I’m saying he’s doing what needs to be done to give us a chance to compete and win games. He’s not turning the football over. He’s been very efficient with the offense over the last six quarters. Just little stuff like that, and that’s what you need.
What did you see from running back Jordan Howard against Detroit that makes you think he can sustain that success?
The way he runs the ball. He runs with a bit of an attitude. The situation during the game is the reason I think he had such a big game for him. Being a rookie and his first game starting and really getting some reps … the defense kept the game close; the run and pass game were both options. I heard a couple of [former teammates] talking and they said it would take that offensive line time to jell, that in about five weeks you’d start to see improvement. In this past game, I saw improvement. I don’t think they’re where they want to be, but I’m happy to see some cohesion within that group. And when you look at the pass protection, Hoyer’s getting the ball off on time, nobody has to block for six seconds, so it’s good for the team as a whole. Is [Howard] the most talented back? No, he’s not. He’s not the fastest [either]. But he’s a 25-, 30-carry guy and if you give him the rock, he’ll keep defenses honest.
Is there any protocol, from the NFL or your own coaches, for dealing with fans who run onto the field?
That was never brought up. [Laughs.] There were so many other things to worry about that they’re not going over what you should do if a fan runs onto the field. I guess if you did hit him, everybody would clap because they shouldn’t be running on the field. But just because he runs on the field, that doesn’t mean you should hurt the guy or the woman. It’s a dumb decision they’re making, but that doesn’t mean they should be clothesline and hogtied and all that stuff.
In what city did it surprise you to see a great deal of Bears fans during your playing days?
St. Louis and Arizona. Arizona was probably the biggest surprise because it’s a lot further than St. Louis. I remember in 2006 when we played in that game with Dennis Green [and his famous postgame rant], that game had a lot of Bears fans and it was LOUD at the end when we were starting to come back. It almost fell like a home game. And then with St. Louis, it was always like that; [in part because the Rams] weren’t very good.
Are the Cubs going to win the World Series?
[Laughs.] I’m a Chicago fan. When the Cubs and the Sox play, I like to see the Sox win. I’d like to see [the Cubs] win [the World Series]. I think they have the best team, but the best team doesn’t always win. You can have a hot pitcher [on the other team] and that can cause doubt in the favored team’s mind. Even though these guys have been amazing all year, they’re still human and little things creep up.
In 2005, we come out and get beat in that divisional [playoff] round against Carolina. We come out the next year and we know we have the better team … why in the hell are we in overtime against Seattle? Once we got past that … then it was like [we’re OK]. And we had beaten Seattle so the correlation was we beat Carolina during the season [in 2005], then they come back and they beat us in the playoffs. We smoked Seattle during the season and now we got them in the playoffs in the same situation that we had with Carolina the previous year. You just have that, “oh, [bleep], here we go. we’ve got to beat these guys.”
Let’s say the Cubs go down 2-0 [in the first round]. Now the pressure it’s mounting for real, the fans are getting antsy, everything’s starting to go the way you didn’t think it was going to go. You just never know.
But I think they have the best chance to win because they have the most balanced team. They have dominating pitching, they have insane pitching. They got a shot, and honestly that’s all you want.
I want to see them get to the NLCS and then I’ll think, “this just might happen.”
Catch Alex Brown before and after every Bears game exclusively on Comcast SportsNet Chicago’s “Bears Pregame Live” and “Bears Postgame Live.”
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