{"id":1121,"date":"2013-10-30T22:42:12","date_gmt":"2013-10-31T03:42:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pauleide.com\/?p=1121"},"modified":"2022-01-16T13:08:03","modified_gmt":"2022-01-16T19:08:03","slug":"charles-tillman-on-deion-sanders-peanut-punch-randy-moss","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/i80sportsblog.com\/charles-tillman-on-deion-sanders-peanut-punch-randy-moss\/","title":{"rendered":"Bears Icon Charles Tillman on Peanut Punch, Deion Sanders, Defending Randy Moss"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Charles

Charles Tillman is so good, you take him for granted. Even during an 11-year career as a member of some of the fiercest defenses in NFL history, his consistent production and greatness are rarely recognized outside of Chicago.<\/p>\n

“Peanut” owns the Bears’ career records for defensive touchdowns (9), interceptions returned for touchdowns (8) and forced fumbles (39). Thanks to his signature move the “Peanut Punch,” his 10 forced fumbles last year set an NFL single-season record, and the four fumbles he forced in a game against the Titans a year ago is the all-time single game record. His 36 career interceptions are just two away from tying Gary Fencik for the Bears’ franchise record.<\/p>\n

With two Pro Bowl selections and an appearance in Super Bowl XLI, Tillman’s overall body of work solidifies him as the best cornerback in the history of the Chicago Bears and potentially as the most disruptive defensive back of all-time.<\/p>\n

You\u2019re the most physical corner in the NFL, which for some reason is very rare in the game; to have a real physical corner that can stop the run and jam receivers at the line. Why is that? Why are so many corners soft, and can we blame Deion Sanders for that?<\/strong><\/p>\n

No, I don\u2019t think you can blame Deion for that. I think it\u2019s just what is required of our defense. And it\u2019s not just me; my other Pro Bowl corner Tim Jennings… he and I are in the same boat. I think there are a lot of physical corners, not just to name myself and Tim. But I think what makes ours more evident is the type of defense that we play. It\u2019s required that our corners make tackles and make plays.<\/p>\n

One thing I didn\u2019t realize was how much you traveled as a kid and in your younger life. How has that shaped you as a football player and the way you approach life?<\/strong><\/p>\n

One of the biggest reasons I think I am the way I am is because we moved around a lot. When we moved around a lot, I was just thrown into situations. Example being, I remember one year we left Kansas and moved to Germany. And when I got to this new school, they were doing division. My old school we were just starting to do division but it was going to be in the spring. The new school was already doing division, so I was the kid who had to catch it on the fly. I think that\u2019s how I react to life. I do everything on the fly.<\/p>\n

Defense is on the fly, it\u2019s reactive; you have to react to the offense. I have to prevent someone from doing something when they want to do it. Offensively, they know what they\u2019re going to do. Defensively, we don\u2019t have any idea what they\u2019re doing. I definitely think moving around helped shape me and has helped me be a better player.<\/p>\n

Speaking of reacting to things you can\u2019t predict, I wanted to talk about the Bears’ 2006 season. Going to the Super Bowl was totally unexpected and the team just had a fantastic year. Can you talk about that year in general and the Super Bowl specifically?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The 2006 season was a special year. We had a great group of guys, a remarkable group of young men who pushed the limit. And really, we had no limit. There was no game we were in doubt of. One of my fondest memories of playing in the NFL was the Arizona Monday Night Football game that we came back and won. It\u2019s my best moment as a professional athlete. There was just something special about us in that game and it wasn\u2019t just the game, it\u2019s how we thought the entire year; that we were unstoppable, unbeatable. Being in the Super Bowl, obviously we lost, but it was a great experience, memories that I\u2019ll take with me the rest of my life. We did something a lot of people don\u2019t get the opportunity to experience.<\/p>\n

As far as the Arizona game, even as a fan watching on TV, you could just feel that you guys were taking over. The feeling that you were going to make something happen and win the game was palpable. Do you feel that on the field as well? Is everyone aware of it?<\/strong><\/p>\n

One of the things that stick out to me in that game was at halftime. Olin Kruetz came in the locker room and said, \u201cHey, buckle your helmets, it\u2019s gonna get physical. We will<\/i> win this game. I promise you guys we will<\/i> win this game.\u201d And it\u2019s kind of surreal because they have it on film as he\u2019s saying it and you can feel<\/i>, literally feel<\/em> it as he\u2019s saying it. The mind is a powerful tool. It truly was a phenomenal moment, a hell of a year. Great coaches, great staff, great teammates. There was nothing bad about that team that year. It was just perfect in every way.<\/p>\n

A play that defines your career for a lot of Bears fans happened in your rookie season against Randy Moss in 2003. With the game on the line, you snatched the ball out of his hands in the end zone to seal the victory, in Rex Grossman\u2019s first career start. How did that play materialize, and what were you thinking in that moment?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Randy Moss was notorious for going up and just catching balls; picking it off and catching it at its highest point. It was backside, he was the only receiver backside, I was a rookie, you do the math; I knew the ball was coming to him. So I just knew that I had to be more physical than him. And, yeah, I came down with the ball.<\/p>\n