Charles "Peanut" Tillman: Preaux Career

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MIAMI — A nomadic existence was nothing new for Charles Tillman. As the son of an Army sergeant, he’d already been in 11 schools by the time he reached high school. It was a life he didn’t mind, moving from one city to the next, making new friends, adapting to a different school’s curriculum. “If I was in a particular school for too long,” Tillman said, “it was kind of like, ‘I’m ready to move. Let’s go somewhere else.’” One day, though, he’d finally had enough. When his dad, Donald Tillman, approached him about switching high schools and going to Dallas, the future Bears’ cornerback put his foot down. “I pleaded with my dad,” said Tillman, who was attending Copperas Cove in Texas, about three hours from Dallas. “He wanted to move after he got out of the military. I pleaded with him. I was like, ‘I’m tired of moving. After I graduate, I don’t care where we move. Just wait until after I get this scholarship.’ “He waited. It was a good choice.” Not always a corner Bears fans know Tillman only as a talented player who is normally hawking some of the best receivers in the NFL. It wasn’t always that way, though. . . . The rest of the story By John Dietz Daily Herald Sports Writer

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Charles Tillman was a ball catcher in high school?

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Charles Tillman was a ball catcher in high school?

Not nearly as hard to believe as the fact that he went play for Jerry Baldwin at Louisiana Tech...

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Not nearly as hard to believe as the fact that he went play for Jerry Baldwin at Louisiana Tech...

I was going to point that "typo" out too.... we only wished Baldwin would have gone to LaTech instead. I don't know how often a guy plays both DB and WR for a high school (other than small highschools), but it would be a heck of a great learning opportunity... worked for Peanut. I see that he only played CB when it was inside the red zone. Regardless, that had to be a serious demand on him (and the other guy).

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CHICAGO - Bears cornerback Charles Tillman, despite being occasionally vilified by some Bears fans as being a weak link to the defense, probably has been one of its steadiest performers this season. What gets his goat the most, though, is that people still aren't sure where his nickname - Peanut - came from. He likes the cartoon characters, but that's not it. He occasionally does get roasted by quarterbacks, but that's not it, either. Let him explain. Q1: Are you surprised you aren't more of a player in the peanut advertising market? A: No, because I don't really talk about it much. If it happens, it happens. Q2: How often do you find yourself actually eating peanuts? A: Not too often. I like peanuts, but I don't eat them much. If they're there, they're there. Q3: Did you know that the peanut came to the United States from Africa (thanks to the Portuguese, who brought it from Brazil)? A: I didn't know that; now if I need to bring that up, like at a party for a useless fact, I've got it. The rest of the story David Brown Special to the Advertiser

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Because of Super Bowl Media Day Tuesday, a lot more people now know what long-time UL fans have known for a while — that Charles Tillman is a quote machine. Tillman, always verbose and never stuck for an answer throughout his four-year Cajun football career, probably enjoyed what for most players is an agonizingly long interview session leading up to Sunday’s game. The Chicago Bears cornerback, in his fourth NFL season, had the most stability in his life in his four UL seasons and in his four years with the Bears. Before that, the child of a military family moved constantly and he attended 11 different schools prior to college. “If you move all the time and you’re real quiet, you probably won’t make friends easy,” Tillman told the media masses Tuesday. “You’ll sit at home and be a loner. By us moving so much and traveling all the time, I had to get out there and make friends. The rest of the story Dan McDonald dmcdonald@theadvertiser.com

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MIAMI -- About the only direct Louisiana connection on the Chicago Bears' roster, cornerback Charles "Peanut" Tillman, somehow matriculated from Texas to Louisiana-Lafayette, where he was a four-year starter for the Ragin' Cajuns but could never figure out how to peel a crawfish. "I really didn't do the mudbugs," Tillman said. "I just did the boudin and the jambalaya. Those were the best things I learned to eat down there. I know there was a technique that involved peeling and pinching where it would all come out. "I've done it like two or three times but couldn't get it. I would just eat the corn and the potatoes." In fact, Tillman recounts that on his recruiting visit to UL-Lafayette, he went to a restaurant in Lafayette called "The Cajun Pier." "They had nothing but seafood," said Tillman, who was a four-year starter as a cornerback for the Cajuns and two-time All-Sun Belt Conference selection after playing wide receiver at Copperas Cove (Texas) High School. "I don't eat seafood. I don't eat anything that comes out of the water. "I sat there and ate French fries and corn on my recruiting trip that first night. And the coaches realized, 'Oh, this is a good ol' Texas boy. He needs a big steak and potatoes.' So the next day, me and two of the coaches went to the Outback across the street, and I had steak and potatoes. Sacrilegious there, I know. But I just couldn't do the mudbugs. I just couldn't." The rest of the story By Jimmy Smith jsmith@timespicayune.com (504) 826-3814

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Things couldn't have been much worse for Chicago Bears cornerback Charles Tillman last postseason. Less than a minute into the NFC Divisional Playoff Game, Carolina Panthers Pro Bowl receiver Steve Smith burned Tillman for a 58-yard touchdown. The Panthers went on to win 29-21, and Tillman received much of the blame. A year later, Tillman is on the verge of starting in Super Bowl XLI. "I like the way he rebounded from last year," said Bears defensive coordinator Ron Rivera. "I know that the NFC playoff loss was tough, and I know a lot of people wanted to point toward Charles. One thing I thought was impressive about Charles was he went work this offseason, along with (defensive backs coach) Steve Wilkes and (defensive quality control coach) Gil Byrd, and really concentrated on working his techniques and his individual style of play, and he really improved. The rest of the story By Larry Wade shreveportsports@gannett.com

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. . . Escalators move cornerback Charles Tillman's 2007 base salary from $845,000 to $3.1 million. Tillman, after the team's success and a strong year personally, is a candidate for an early extension to keep him out of free agency in 2008, although no deal has been put on the table yet. The rest of the story