Charles "Peanut" Tillman: Preaux Career

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Tillman agrees to five-year contract

BOURBONNAIS, Ill. - The Bears will practice with a full complement of players for the first time Monday morning after second-round draft pick Charles Tillman agreed to a five-year contract late Saturday night.

The 6-1, 196-pounder will compete for the third cornerback position with Roosevelt Williams and Todd McMillon behind starters R.W. McQuarters and Jerry Azumah. Defensive coordinator Greg Blache has said that finding a reliable player to man that position is his most pressing concern in training camp.

Tillman registered 12 career interceptions as a four-year starter at Louisiana, where he was a two-time all-Sun Belt Conference selection and earned all-America honors as a senior. Last season he recorded a career-high 100 tackles and also blocked three punts.

The source of the story

By Larry Mayer
Senior Writer
July 26, 2003

[NewsCopy]

LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- When Chicago Bears cornerback Charles Tillman heard one of the coaches wanted to see him, the rookie was sure he was in trouble.

"I was like, `Ohhh, what did I do? I did something wrong," Tillman said.

Actually, he's been doing a lot right lately. So much so that, three games into his NFL career, Tillman has earned himself a start. That's why defensive backs coach Vance Bedford wanted to chat with Tillman before practice Wednesday -- to tell him he'd be starting Sunday against the Oakland Raiders.

It's a huge honor for the rookie. And an equally huge challenge.

"It's Tim Brown and Jerry Rice, it doesn't get any better than that," Tillman said. "It's the NFL, the best in the world. That's what I should expect. That's why I'm here, to go against the best."

Hillman was a second-round pick from the University of Louisiana, where he had 12 career interceptions and six fumble recoveries. Defensive coordinator Greg Blache said earlier this year that he could see Tillman starting some time this season. Most, including Tillman, figured it would be later in the season.

But at 0-3, the Bears are struggling on defense -- and everywhere else, for that matter -- and Blache and coach ~~~~ Jauron are trying to shake things up. Jerry Azumah has struggled in his role as the starting right corner, and Blache and Jauron like what they've seen so far from Tillman.

"He's a kid we think may be a playmaker, and what we're trying to do is get more guys that can make plays on the field," Blache said of Tillman. "Everybody makes mistakes. The problem we have is our margin of error is so small that when we make a mistake, it's devastating, because we can't overcome it because we don't make the (big) plays.

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[Turbine]

Congratulations Peanut.

Way to go holding Jerry Rice to a season low 3 receptions.

Not bad for yourself a season high 6 tackles, 3 solo, and a pass deflection.

We knew you could do it. Geaux Cajuns

[Turbine]

One week after his first start, ex-Cajun returns to state.

LOUISIANA La. — Charles Tillman couldn’t have asked for a better opportunity.

The former University o Louisiana standout earned his first starting assignment at cornerback for the Chicago Bears last Sunday, just four games into his National Football League career.

Getting that early chance was impressive.

Also, the game was at home in Soldier Field and the Bears were hosting the AFC Champion Oakland Raiders, and that made it all the more enjoyable.

Then when Chicago earned its first victory of the season, 24-21, on a last-second 48-yard Paul Edinger field goal, the day was complete.

“It was pretty exciting,” Tillman said Friday while strolling in downtown Chicago. “I was going against Jerry Rice in my first career start. It was an honor to cover him. I had been watching him since I was a little kid.

“The man’s still got it. He’s a hard worker, and he’s still got the moves and stuff at age 40.”

For a split second, Tillman was slightly in awe of the situation. But that didn’t last long.

“After the first play, it was OK,” Tillman said. “I was in the game already. It was time to go ahead and play.

The rest of the story

Bruce Brown
bbrown@theadvertiser.com

[NewsCopy]

Return to Louisiana not happy one for, Tillman

NEW ORLEANS — Charles Tillman knew he would be a target of the New Orleans Saints passing game on Sunday in his second NFL start at cornerback for the Chicago Bears.

He wasn't counting on a pair of pass interference calls that came his way, but that too can be part of being a rookie.

"It’s expected,” the former UL Lafayette star said after the Saints held off the Bears 20-13 in the Superdome.

“My coach told me, ‘Welcome to the NFL.’ But you can’t complain about it or you’ll get fined. Maybe when I get a couple of PBU’s (passes broken up) or interceptions, I’ll get more respect.

“It’s bogus, but you can’t complain.”

The Saints had missed a 38-yard field goal on their first possession, then took over at their 20 after Chicago’s first punt of the day.

Quarterback Aaron Brooks aimed a deep pass on first down to Jerome Pathon, who was well covered by Tillman.

Tillman actually made a better adjustment to the ball than Pathon and nearly had an interception as the two athletes locked arms in stride. But when the ball fell away, incomplete, it was accompanied by an official’s flag and the Saints were beneficiaries of a 48-yard call to the Bears’ 32.

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Bruce Brown
bbrown@theadvertiser.com

[CDeb]

I missed the first interference call, but the second one was definitely bogus. He arrived at the same time as the football.

But Bruce is giving him too much credit on the pass breakup on the deep ball to Horn. The ball was already on the way to the turf by the time Tillman's hands arrived. Horn dropped it.

[NewsCopy]

Just a week ago, Charles Tillman tried to rationalize his disappointment and frustrations. In the last month, the Chicago Bears cornerback had repeatedly been flagged for pass interference and convinced himself that he's being picked on just because he's a rookie.

That's OK, he told himself.

"It's cool. I really can't complain about it," Tillman said following the Bears' loss to New Orleans in Week 6. "When I break up a couple of passes or get some interceptions, I'll get the respect then."

Seven days later, the Louisiana-Lafayette alumnus had a different perspective.

With the game on the line and Chicago trying to keep the Seattle Seahawks out of field goal range, Tillman was flagged for a questionable pass interference call against Koren Robinson with 1:04 left in regulation. On the very next play, Seattle running back Shaun Alexander scored on a 25-yard run to give the Seahawks a 24-17 victory.

"A dumb call, a bad call, a horrible call," an obviously emotional Tillman said on Sunday. "You can't play that play no better than that."

Not according to the referees. And based on the officials' tendency to throw their yellow flags at his expense, Tillman has no other choice but to defend the plays better.

"I know I get the rookie treatment, but sometimes they have to let us play," Tillman told the Daily Southtown. "I think we're the only secondary in the NFL where the officials won't let us play."

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October 27th, 2003, 05:58 am #20

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Ask Charles Tillman a question

Through the Chicago SunTimes you can
Ask Charles
a question.

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October 27th, 2003, 06:02 am #21

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Tillman and other Bears rookies set up win.

Rookies help propel Bears to victory

CHICAGO - Limping into Sunday's game without eight injured veterans, the Bears put their 2003 draft class on center stage-and the rookies brought down the house.

Receiver Justin Gage and running back Brock Forsey scored their first NFL touchdowns and cornerback Charles Tillman registered his first career interception as the Bears improved their record at the new Soldier Field to 2-1 with a 24-16 win over the Detroit Lions.

"With a lot of guys injured and a lot of guys out, we knew that we had to step up and I think we did," said Gage, whose 21-yard TD catch gave the Bears a 7-0 first-quarter edge. "We got the opportunity to prove to a lot of people that we can play and belong at this level."

The rest of the story

By Larry Mayer
Senior Writer
October 26, 2003

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November 9th, 2003, 01:47 pm #22

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NFL Q&A: CHICAGO'S CHARLES TILLMAN

Don't want any NFL fines

Chicago Bears rookie Charles Tillman, a second-round pick from Louisiana, grew up in, among other places, the South Side of Chicago and Copperas Cove, Texas.

Q: What do you miss about playing high school football?

A: The whole atmosphere in Texas. Texas is a football state, and they would close businesses early Friday night and everybody would be at the game. Just knowing everyone at the game, your neighbors, everyone knows you around town.

Q: What's something about the NFL that you weren't aware of until this season?

A: Probably fines. You get fined for everything. You're late to a meeting, you get fined. [Miss] curfew, you're fined. Just anything, it's a fine.

Q: Have you been fined yet?

A: I haven't gotten any fines. That's too much money for me.

Q: How much are fines?

A: I don't even know. I don't want to find out.

Q: You went to 11 different schools from kindergarten to 12th grade. Is there anything positive that comes out of that?

A: Yeah, being outspoken, well-rooted. I think that's the main positive out of that. It's easier to just go out and meet people and be friendly.

Q: You caused a small controversy in Chicago last month when you said you weren't a Cubs fan. What made you say that?

A: I said that jokingly. I'm not going to sit here and say I hate the Cubs. I got two Cubs hats. I got a Cubs shirt. It was just the media. I think they blew it out of proportion. . . . I really don't know anything about the Cubs, I really don't. I know the White Sox because it's on the South Side and I'm from the South Side. If I were from the North Side, I'd be a Cubs fan or I'd know more about the Cubs. They're two good teams. Quote me on that.

The source of the story

By KEN SUGIURA
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

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November 16th, 2003, 08:31 pm #23

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Peanut getting it done.

Not that this will surprise any fan of the Ragin' Cajuns. But Charles Tillman was the leading tackler for the Bears today.

He also had another interception.

It's one thing to get drafted but it is quite another to start as a rookie and excel.

Way to geaux Peanut.

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November 21st, 2003, 05:52 am #24

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Tillman, Briggs excelling in tough class

The Bears have been getting great contributions from their rookie class, particularly cornerback Charles Tillman and linebacker Lance Briggs, who have emerged as regular starters. But those players are going to struggle to earn postseason awards because of the team's miserable 3-7 record and stiff competition at their positions.

Tillman was credited with a team-high 12 tackles against the Rams on Sunday, including nine solos. He became the third Bears rookie to lead the team in tackles in a game this season. Briggs led the Bears in tackles the previous two weeks, and Joe Odom did so at New Orleans. Tillman shows signs of being a future Pro Bowl player, but he's unlikely to make the all-rookie team because two players selected ahead of him, Dallas' Terence Newman and Seattle's Marcus Trufant, have made contributions on winning teams.

Tillman has more interceptions (three) than the other two combined, but he also has been called for a league-high six pass-interference penalties. Still, his interception total ties him with 16 other players for 15th in the NFL, including one other rookie, Patriots free safety Eugene Wilson. Newman has 43 tackles, an interception, a sack and 13 passes defensed while starting at left cornerback on a Cowboys defense that has been ranked No. 1 in the NFL most of the year. Trufant has 59 tackles, one interception and 10 passes defensed for Seattle. Tillman has 44 tackles, three interceptions, six passes defensed and two forced fumbles.

The rest of the story

BY MIKE MULLIGAN STAFF REPORTER

Quote

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[NewsCopy]

Through the Chicago SunTimes you can
Ask Charles
a question.

[NewsCopy]

Rookies help propel Bears to victory

CHICAGO - Limping into Sunday's game without eight injured veterans, the Bears put their 2003 draft class on center stage-and the rookies brought down the house.

Receiver Justin Gage and running back Brock Forsey scored their first NFL touchdowns and cornerback Charles Tillman registered his first career interception as the Bears improved their record at the new Soldier Field to 2-1 with a 24-16 win over the Detroit Lions.

"With a lot of guys injured and a lot of guys out, we knew that we had to step up and I think we did," said Gage, whose 21-yard TD catch gave the Bears a 7-0 first-quarter edge. "We got the opportunity to prove to a lot of people that we can play and belong at this level."

The rest of the story

By Larry Mayer
Senior Writer
October 26, 2003

[NewsCopy]

Don't want any NFL fines

Chicago Bears rookie Charles Tillman, a second-round pick from Louisiana, grew up in, among other places, the South Side of Chicago and Copperas Cove, Texas.

Q: What do you miss about playing high school football?

A: The whole atmosphere in Texas. Texas is a football state, and they would close businesses early Friday night and everybody would be at the game. Just knowing everyone at the game, your neighbors, everyone knows you around town.

Q: What's something about the NFL that you weren't aware of until this season?

A: Probably fines. You get fined for everything. You're late to a meeting, you get fined. [Miss] curfew, you're fined. Just anything, it's a fine.

Q: Have you been fined yet?

A: I haven't gotten any fines. That's too much money for me.

Q: How much are fines?

A: I don't even know. I don't want to find out.

Q: You went to 11 different schools from kindergarten to 12th grade. Is there anything positive that comes out of that?

A: Yeah, being outspoken, well-rooted. I think that's the main positive out of that. It's easier to just go out and meet people and be friendly.

Q: You caused a small controversy in Chicago last month when you said you weren't a Cubs fan. What made you say that?

A: I said that jokingly. I'm not going to sit here and say I hate the Cubs. I got two Cubs hats. I got a Cubs shirt. It was just the media. I think they blew it out of proportion. . . . I really don't know anything about the Cubs, I really don't. I know the White Sox because it's on the South Side and I'm from the South Side. If I were from the North Side, I'd be a Cubs fan or I'd know more about the Cubs. They're two good teams. Quote me on that.

The source of the story

By KEN SUGIURA
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

[Turbine]

Not that this will surprise any fan of the Ragin' Cajuns. But Charles Tillman was the leading tackler for the Bears today.

He also had another interception.

It's one thing to get drafted but it is quite another to start as a rookie and excel.

Way to geaux Peanut.

[NewsCopy]

The Bears have been getting great contributions from their rookie class, particularly cornerback Charles Tillman and linebacker Lance Briggs, who have emerged as regular starters. But those players are going to struggle to earn postseason awards because of the team's miserable 3-7 record and stiff competition at their positions.

Tillman was credited with a team-high 12 tackles against the Rams on Sunday, including nine solos. He became the third Bears rookie to lead the team in tackles in a game this season. Briggs led the Bears in tackles the previous two weeks, and Joe Odom did so at New Orleans. Tillman shows signs of being a future Pro Bowl player, but he's unlikely to make the all-rookie team because two players selected ahead of him, Dallas' Terence Newman and Seattle's Marcus Trufant, have made contributions on winning teams.

Tillman has more interceptions (three) than the other two combined, but he also has been called for a league-high six pass-interference penalties. Still, his interception total ties him with 16 other players for 15th in the NFL, including one other rookie, Patriots free safety Eugene Wilson. Newman has 43 tackles, an interception, a sack and 13 passes defensed while starting at left cornerback on a Cowboys defense that has been ranked No. 1 in the NFL most of the year. Trufant has 59 tackles, one interception and 10 passes defensed for Seattle. Tillman has 44 tackles, three interceptions, six passes defensed and two forced fumbles.

The rest of the story

BY MIKE MULLIGAN STAFF REPORTER