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| Sports ExtraSunday, August 31, 2008 11:39 PM CDT |
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Ex-Bear Buffone says Chicago defense lacks fire
BLOOMINGTON -- If the Chicago Bears defense lacks fire and passion -- and Doug Buffone insists it does -- perhaps coach Lovie Smith should give Buffone a call. | NFL page Providing the spark for a unit presumed to be the team’s strength might be as simple as locking Buffone in a room with the Bears’ defenders for 10 minutes. Actually, five may do. Four lackluster exhibition performances had Buffone in midseason form Saturday when discussing the missed tackles, blown assignments and general apathy he’s seen so far. “They’re counting on the defense to be the backbone of this team, and they haven’t shown me a damn thing yet,” said Buffone, the former Bears’ defensive captain who was in Bloomington for the annual Central Catholic High School Booster Stag. “They’re sitting there saying, ‘You know what, don’t worry about it. When that (opening) game comes, I’ll be there.’ That’s not the way the game works. I know better.” Buffone was a Bears’ linebacker for 14 seasons, retiring in 1980 with 24 career interceptions, still a team record. He plans to convey his displeasure to current linebacker Lance Briggs on Wednesday when they do an appearance together. “He’s wearing my number (55),” said Buffone, who is in his 16th year with the Score radio station (670-AM) in Chicago. “I’m going to tell him I want it back.” Much of Buffone’s angst stems from a 37-30 loss to San Francisco in the third exhibition game. The third preseason game is the one teams play their regulars the longest and treat the most like the regular season in terms of game-planning, etc. “The Bears were running into each other, they weren’t taking care of cutbacks, they were not tackling, there was no energy whatsoever,” Buffone said. “I’m so sick of hearing how it doesn’t mean anything. I understand that. I played in (exhibition) games. But there comes a time you have to show what you have. “To me, they’re basically throwing their helmets out on the field and saying, ‘Look what we did. We went to the Super Bowl (2006).’ So what? Someone needs to step up and get them out of this trance. Maybe Manning will do it. That’s the part that scares the hell out of me.” The Bears open against Peyton Manning and the Colts on Sept. 7 at Indianapolis. Kyle Orton will start at quarterback for the Bears, who Buffone said need to find out what they can about Orton. However, he does not consider Orton or former starter Rex Grossman to be “the future of the Chicago Bears.” “Neither of our quarterbacks can extend plays,” Buffone said. “If there’s trouble, we’re dead.” That is why he believes the defense is so critical, a point he is sure to hammer during his Score postgame show with ex-Bear Ed O’Bradovich. Buffone watches the Bears’ games on TV at the Score and heads directly into the studio when they end. “Usually, there’s smoke coming out of my ears,” he said. “The Bears lose, and I hate everybody. I can’t stand when I don’t see effort from somebody. I’ll see it, and that’s it. I’ll just go off in a tangent. It takes me almost three days to calm down.” E-mail this story | Print this story | Search archives | RSS Show comments |  Hide comments | Hide comments on all stories |
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albundy54 wrote on Aug 31, 2008 6:23 PM:
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