Bears cornerback Charles Tillman sat out one series against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday because he wasn’t feeling well. On Monday, coach Marc Trestman said Tillman had an upset stomach.
“He said some stuff done to him, some re-hydration down there,” Trestman said. “He had a little bit of an upset stomach early, and that was part of the reason. So the trainers took care of him and he was back out. It was nothing out of the ordinary.”
Zack Bowman and Isaiah Frey played in place of Tillman in the second quarter. It took the Bengals some time to notice that Tillman, who was shadowing star receiver A.J. Green, wasn’t playing. But they were able to capitalize with Tillman receiving treatment on the sideline. Green hauled in a 45-yard touchdown pass behind cornerback Tim Jennings.
Trestman said that on Green’s long TD reception that Jennings was supposed to have help over the top from safety Major Wright.
“They did a very good job offensively,” Trestman said. “It’s things that do happen in coverage.”
Tillman, despite of his upset stomach, was a major factor in the Bears’ 24-21 victory, making two interceptions. His second came off Green’s hands after he failed to bring what would have been a long gain for the Bengals. Tilmman had a 41-yard return on his second reception and thrown down hard on the sideline. He missed the series after his return.
“Charles is great,” linebacker James Anderson said Monday. “To have a guy like that, that’s probably the best in the league at creating turnovers, you know sooner or later that he’s going to make a big play. You just keep playing ball, and you know sooner or later he’s going to do something.”
