Safeties will hit, but can they cover?
BOURBONNAIS -- The question isn't whether Bears safeties Mike Brown and Adam Archuleta are going to put some big-time hits on opposing receivers and ball carriers.
That much is virtually guaranteed.
But some fans are concerned that by playing with two traditional in-the-box, smack-down safeties, the Bears' pass coverage could suffer.
Critics could say the Bears are playing with two strong safeties. And, after all, Brown's in his eighth season and Archuleta's in his seventh, and neither is considered to have great range.
To make room for the 5-foot-11, 215-pound Archuleta, who's basically a linebacker in a safety's body, the 5-10, 207-pound Brown has moved to back free safety this season, where he played his first five seasons.
Neither can be considered the kind of free safety with great coverage skills. But both have plenty of other positive traits that make defensive coordinator Bob Babich and head coach Lovie Smith optimistic about the Bears' last line of defense.
Having a veteran safety duo with their experience, intelligence and toughness provides a unique comfort level for the Bears' defense.
"It means quite a bit," Smith said. "We ask a lot of our secondary guys. They have to make a lot of adjustments and things like that. Both of them are good football players -- they're football smart, too.
"They both know the defense extremely well. We're expecting big plays from both of them."
Archuleta excelled in the Cover 2 defense under Smith's tutelage in St. Louis before he spent last season with the Washington Redskins, miscast in a scheme that didn't utilize his talents.
Only injuries have prevented Brown from playing in more than one Pro Bowl. Since the Bears traded for Archuleta in March, the two veterans have been working to mesh their talents.
"They're playing very well together," Smith said. "It takes awhile for new guys to get accepted fully. But normally once they see that you can play, they'll accept you. And I think that's the case. (Archuleta) is one of the guys now."
According to Babich, his starting safeties will make each other better players.
"They're both experienced, and they understand what it takes to win," he said. "I think that when one does a good thing, the other one feeds off it, and I think that they're just in a groove right now playing together."
Archuleta has been impressed by Brown's versatility.
"I've lined up with probably 10 free safeties in my career," he said. "I had a chance to play with (Pro Bowler) Aeneas (Williams). Aeneas was good at what he did -- he was at the end of his career, he was a true center fielder.
"But when you talk about a guy who can blitz, who can communicate, who can go down in the box, who can play center field, all-around football player, I'd put Mike up there."