Lance Briggs and Mike Brown: Triumphs Despite Difficult Obstacles

Seven games into the season and already we can fully appreciate the hard work Lance Briggs and Mike Brown have contributed to the Bears' success. Together they lead the team in tackles, sacs, and crucial stops that were game-changers.

I recall just a little over a year ago before the start of the 2007 season Lance Briggs and the Chicago Bears may never have been mentioned in the same sentence, after Briggs contract was up and the Chicago Bears were tight on money after already putting several other contracts in place. There was the wait out of Briggs in which during that time he said to the media there was very little chance that he would return to the Bears in the 2007 season. It seemed like the end of Lance Briggs' fabulous career in Chicago and early signs of a possible rebuilding season which we Bears' fans have had our fair share. The Bears, however, managed to scrape up a one year deal with a possible one year extension contract that was reasonable enough for Briggs. Now we fast-forward in the 2008-2009 season and realize how much we really need the man. To me his arguably the best and effective defensive player in the Bears' defense this season. He is the MVP of the defense this season so far.

Mike Brown has so far made a wonderful comeback as Bears' safety. After four consecutive seasons of injury, three of which were season ending and involved the tearing of his ACL he is back on the field, healthy and to my understanding has played the most games in every single year he was hurt in that 4 year time period. It must have been really discouraging to rehab and then get injured for what was basically four NFL seasons and it takes a lot of heart for a guy to get back up after getting knocked down and return to doing what he loves. So many times an NFL player will call it quits after repeatedly getting injured for multiple seasons. It just shows how much Mike Brown is committed to the game and the Chicago Bears and I really admire him for all that he has had to overcome. I think a key to his health so far has been Lovie Smith's move to have him rotated from free safety to strong safety. In an earlier press conference Lovie Smith talked about how Mike Brown always got hurt playing strong safety and I give him credit for really getting to the problem and allowing Mike to continue to be successful on the football field. This has been a great story for Mike Brown who has overcome a lot and I hope he gets nominated for comeback player of the year.

These are just two of the many great feats that two Chicago Bears players have overcome. Their character is present with their willingness to overcome obstacles on the field every Sunday afternoon.

GO BEARS!!!