[CBFF] (no subject)

[Jerry Madsen]

Brown's obsessed with sacks

August 9, 2006

BY BRAD BIGGS Staff Reporter

BOURBONNAIS, Ill. -- If you want to get a good rise out of Alex Brown,
ask him if it's easier rushing the passer from the blind side.

The Bears' right defensive end usually gets to make a run at the
quarterback from behind, but his sack totals the last three seasons
haven't been overwhelming. He has had six each of the last two seasons
and bagged 51/2 in 2003. They're steady numbers, but he admits he'd
love to hit double digits for the first time in his career.

Now known as a complete end -- scouts say Brown is the Bears' best
overall end and top-notch against the run -- he'll be quick to point
out all of the other things he does. For instance, Brown says four
sacks, which would've put him at 10 last season, would've been just a
fraction of what he accomplished.

SACK TANDEMS

Defensive ends who combined for the most sacks last season:

Giants	26	Osi Umenyiora (141/2), Michael Strahan (11-1/2)
Colts	22-1/2	Robert Mathis (11-1/2), Dwight Freeney (11)
Raiders	201/2	Derrick Burgess (16), Tommy Kelly (41/2)
Titans	19	Kyle Vanden Bosch (12-1/2), Travis LaBoy (61/2)
Panthers	18	Julius Peppers (101/2), Mike Rucker (71/2)
Dolphins	18	Jason Taylor (12), David Bowens (6)
BEARS	16	Adewale Ogunleye (10), Alex Brown (6)
Jaguars	16	Reggie Hayward (81/2), Paul Spicer (71/2)

''When you're on the field for 60 snaps, 16 games a season, that's
more than 900 plays,'' Brown said.

''I want double digits; I want it as bad as ever. But I believe a lot
of people are realizing what I think, that just because you get 10
doesn't mean you're one of the best in the league.''

End results

He didn't take many plays off last season, and that's why even with a
lower sack total, Brown was named the first alternate to the Pro Bowl.
He shed the image of a one-way end who didn't play the run and wasn't
really motivated coming out of Florida, and the proof was in the
support he received in voting from players and coaches.

But still, it always seems to come back to the sacks. When a reporter
approaches Alex Brown and left end Adewale Ogunleye during the season
and asks about the strengths and weaknesses of the offensive tackles
they're facing each week, it usually turns into a good-natured
argument between them. The playful back-and-forth goes something like
this:

Brown: You've got it easy because I'm going against the best tackle
every team has.

Ogunleye: Oh, yeah, well I have to face a tackle and the tight end,
who's almost always lined up across from me.

Brown: The tackle in front of you is just a mountain, you can go right
around him. I'm facing an athlete.

Ogunleye: Hey, the quarterback sees me coming. You're running at him
from the blind side. You should get him every time.

''There is a competitiveness,'' said Ogunleye, who became the first
Bears end since Richard Dent in 1993 to have double-digit sacks with
10 last season. ''It's a touchy situation. Honestly, as a defensive
end, your No. 1 goal is to get sacks. If I was in his situation, I
would get frustrated, but he's doing exactly what the coaches want him
to do. He's making plays.

''As a defensive end, sacks are exactly how you make money. When
you're in a negotiation and you say, 'I make plays,' they want to
know, 'Can you get sacks?'''

Ogunleye's $34.5 million contract is proof. It's a reward he received
coming off his 15-sack season in 2003 with Miami. Brown signed a
five-year extension in 2004 with a base value of $11 million. If he
can hit double digits, he'll be on his way to triggering $5 million in
escalators, still a bargain for the club. So, yes, sacks are worth
cash.

But don't try pushing that theory on former defensive coordinator Greg
Blache. He once said sacks were overrated and he didn't care about
them. Fans were in an uproar. After all, the teams that set the
standard for Bears followers were the best at stuffing quarterbacks.
The 1984 Bears hold the league record with 74 sacks, and the Super
Bowl XX champions the following season had 64.

But other than strong-side linebacker Rosevelt Colvin, Blache didn't
have the horses to get after the passer, and his point was the
hurries, knockdowns, deflections and holding penalties caused were
every bit as important as sacks. Pressure led to turnovers.

''I play because I love football,'' Brown said. ''You're going
somewhere I don't want to [about escalators].''

Best defense is a good ...

Defensive coordinator Ron Rivera could scheme to create more
quarterback pressure this season. The Bears had 41 sacks last season,
the second-most for the organization in the last 12 seasons. But what
will help the unit, specifically the front four, more than anything
will be the Bears' offense. The defense played with the lead a lot
last season, but the margin usually was close.

With bigger leads, passing situations will be more predictable and
Brown will be able to pin back his ears and go. Rivera can gamble
more, too, on those occasions. It's one of the reasons why
Indianapolis' Robert Mathis and Dwight Freeney combined for 22-1/2
sacks -- the Colts were ahead, and ahead big, much of the season.

And it's not like Brown didn't fill up those other categories Blache
liked. He led the Bears' defensive linemen in tackles for losses
(nine), pass breakups (eight) and forced fumbles (three). When he
sacked Tampa Bay's Chris Simms and forced a fumble in the beginning of
that game, it set up the Bears' lone touchdown in what was a key road
victory.

''Unfortunately, sacks are kind of the barometer for defensive ends.
How many sacks do they have?'' line coach Don Johnson said. ''But just
the fact that Alex had a good season and did a lot of good things and
ended up being an alternate for the Pro Bowl should lighten his burden
a little bit.''

Brown realizes there's an obsession with sacks by fans, it's one way
to quickly rank defensive players.

''Sacks change the game,'' he said. ''I'm obsessed with them. They're
not easy. You've got to beat a 330-pound guy who's pretty upset with
you, and you have to do it in 2-1/2 seconds. Some people are good at
it. Some people are good at other things. I try to be pretty decent at
all of it.''

bbiggs at suntimes.com