It wasnt about playing through the pain of a right shoulder injury any longer for Ruben Brown.
After consulting with multiple doctors on his injury, he was told he had to shut it down for the remainder of the season. That was the upshot of Browns talk with Score morning host Mike North on Tuesday.
“We waited to the last minute to talk to a couple different specialists, Brown told the show. “And they gave me a couple different scenarios with the shoulder.
“Ill be ready to go for pretty much the offseason. Were looking at as soon as the season ends, Ill be training for next season.
That sounds like a player committed to returning for a 14th season. Browns contract with the Bears expires at the end of the season, and its unlikely they would bring him back at 36. That doesnt mean there will not be teams who are interested. A handful of clubs, including his former employer the Buffalo Bills, inquired about his services in March.
Brown believes Terrence Metcalf, 29, will perform well in his absence.
“Terrence has been a starter and hes gonna be a good player in this league for a long time to come, Brown said.
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Its hard to ignore Adewale Ogunleye as a strong candidate for NFC defensive player of the week honors. Ogunleye tied a career high with three sacks in Sundays 17-6 victory at Oakland, forcing a fumble that was recovered by Israel Idonije on the final one to ice the game. Ogunleye is tied with Tommie Harris for the team lead in sacks with seven and has surpassed his total of 6 1/2 from last season.
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ESPN.com did a story over the weekend on the most penalized players in the league since 2004. Right tackle Fred Miller was tied for 17th with 30 penalties since 2004 entering the weekend and was called for a false start in the first quarter. Thats 10th-most among offensive linemen. Twenty-eight were accepted for 190 yards. Cornerback Charles Tillman was tied for 19th with 29 penalties. That is the seventh-highest figure for cornerbacks. Twenty-three were accepted for 223 yards.
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Visiting for some time with Bears president Ted Phillips on the field before the game Sunday was Frank Bauer, the agent who negotiated Lovie Smiths contract with $22 million in new money in March. Bauer also represents coordinators Ron Turner and Bob Babich.
