Great win on Monday but to lose Brown for the Year is a huge loss. Here is the report.
One day after surgery to repair his injured right foot, the Chicago Bears conceded the obvious, and on Thursday afternoon placed starting safety Mike Brown on injured reserve for the rest of the season.
The Bears made the move move reluctantly after the surgery revealed that Brown had a Lisfranc injury in the foot during Monday night's comeback victory at Arizona. Even on Wednesday, when Bears officials announced that Brown would be sidelined indefinitely, team officials privately conceded that the injury likely would land the veteran safety on injured reserve. The somber tone of their private comments foretold the possibility of injured reserve.
"It's disappointing, obviously," Brown said in the Bears' locker room, wearing a huge cast on his foot. "I know I can come back [next season] and play at a high level."
The Lisfranc joint refers to the space between the bones of the forefoot and midfoot. The Lisfranc injury is an injury to the ligaments that connects these joints. Injuries to this area of the foot often require up to a year of rehabilitation.
One of the several defensive heroes in Monday's improbable comeback victory, Brown sustained the injury on a running play in the fourth quarter and was taken off the field on a cart for what was originally termed a sprained foot. The injury, which occurred when Brown was bent awkwardly backwards in a pile, came after he helped jump-start the Chicago rally with a three-yard touchdown return of a Matt Leinart fumble.
The injury not only ends Brown's season, but could possibly end his seven-year tenure in Chicago, as well.
This marks the third straight season in which Brown suffered a significant injury. Chicago has a solid group of younger safeties and Brown's salary for 2007, in excess of $2 million, might be viewed as exorbitant by Bears management, since he will have appeared in just 20 games in three seasons.
Still, there is no denying Brown's importance to the Chicago secondary. The Bears were just 6-12 in the 18 games he missed in 2004-2005. Last season, he missed the final four games, and the Bears surrendered an average of 18.8 points in those games, after allowing only 10.7 points per game in the first 12 contests in which he played.
Chicago has a bye this week, so Bears coaches and team officials will have some time to consider what lineup move to make in Brown's absence. The team has several options, including elevating one of the backup strong safeties, Todd Johnson or Cameron Worrell, into the lineup. The Bears could also move former starting free safety Chris Harris, who lost his starting job to rookie Danieal Manning after the first two games of the season, to strong safety.
Hard-hitting second-year veteran Brandon McGowan, who has been rehabilitating from a knee injury, likely will soon come off the physically unable to perform list. He was suspended for one week by coach Lovie Smith for an unspecified violation of team rules.
Brown, 28, has scored a franchise-record seven touchdowns in his career on interception and fumble returns, and his return on Monday night for a score was indicative of how he often makes the big play at critical times.
In 2004, Brown missed 14 games with a torn right Achilles tendon. He sat out the final four games in 2005, with a calf injury. In camp this summer, the former Nebraska star was bothered by tendinitis in his left Achilles, and the coaches have given him some time off in practice this season, hoping to avoid aggravating that injury.
In 84 games, Brown, a second-round choice in the 2000 draft, has 440 tackles, four sacks, 14 interceptions, 20 passes defensed, eight forced fumbles and six fumble recoveries.
Len Pasquarelli is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
One day after surgery to repair his injured right foot, the Chicago Bears conceded the obvious, and on Thursday afternoon placed starting safety Mike Brown on injured reserve for the rest of the season.
The Bears made the move move reluctantly after the surgery revealed that Brown had a Lisfranc injury in the foot during Monday night's comeback victory at Arizona. Even on Wednesday, when Bears officials announced that Brown would be sidelined indefinitely, team officials privately conceded that the injury likely would land the veteran safety on injured reserve. The somber tone of their private comments foretold the possibility of injured reserve.
"It's disappointing, obviously," Brown said in the Bears' locker room, wearing a huge cast on his foot. "I know I can come back [next season] and play at a high level."
The Lisfranc joint refers to the space between the bones of the forefoot and midfoot. The Lisfranc injury is an injury to the ligaments that connects these joints. Injuries to this area of the foot often require up to a year of rehabilitation.
One of the several defensive heroes in Monday's improbable comeback victory, Brown sustained the injury on a running play in the fourth quarter and was taken off the field on a cart for what was originally termed a sprained foot. The injury, which occurred when Brown was bent awkwardly backwards in a pile, came after he helped jump-start the Chicago rally with a three-yard touchdown return of a Matt Leinart fumble.
The injury not only ends Brown's season, but could possibly end his seven-year tenure in Chicago, as well.
This marks the third straight season in which Brown suffered a significant injury. Chicago has a solid group of younger safeties and Brown's salary for 2007, in excess of $2 million, might be viewed as exorbitant by Bears management, since he will have appeared in just 20 games in three seasons.
Still, there is no denying Brown's importance to the Chicago secondary. The Bears were just 6-12 in the 18 games he missed in 2004-2005. Last season, he missed the final four games, and the Bears surrendered an average of 18.8 points in those games, after allowing only 10.7 points per game in the first 12 contests in which he played.
Chicago has a bye this week, so Bears coaches and team officials will have some time to consider what lineup move to make in Brown's absence. The team has several options, including elevating one of the backup strong safeties, Todd Johnson or Cameron Worrell, into the lineup. The Bears could also move former starting free safety Chris Harris, who lost his starting job to rookie Danieal Manning after the first two games of the season, to strong safety.
Hard-hitting second-year veteran Brandon McGowan, who has been rehabilitating from a knee injury, likely will soon come off the physically unable to perform list. He was suspended for one week by coach Lovie Smith for an unspecified violation of team rules.
Brown, 28, has scored a franchise-record seven touchdowns in his career on interception and fumble returns, and his return on Monday night for a score was indicative of how he often makes the big play at critical times.
In 2004, Brown missed 14 games with a torn right Achilles tendon. He sat out the final four games in 2005, with a calf injury. In camp this summer, the former Nebraska star was bothered by tendinitis in his left Achilles, and the coaches have given him some time off in practice this season, hoping to avoid aggravating that injury.
In 84 games, Brown, a second-round choice in the 2000 draft, has 440 tackles, four sacks, 14 interceptions, 20 passes defensed, eight forced fumbles and six fumble recoveries.
Len Pasquarelli is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
