LeGere: Fuller looks like quite a pick for Bears
Nine-year veteran wide receiver Brandon Marshall is ready to put his rookie teammate Kyle Fuller in the Hall of Fame after the cornerback's 2 interceptions were instrumental in the Bears' comeback victory Sunday night.
"I told him it's not about starting, it's not about making the Pro Bowl," Marshall said. "For him, he needs to have Hall of Fame on his brain because that kid can play."
So, too, can several other members of this year's draft class that had general manager Phil Emery beaming like a proud father in the locker room after Sunday's big win.
Fourth-round pick Brock Vereen was drafted as a safety. But after injuries to cornerbacks Charles Tillman and Sherrick McManis, Vereen was forced into emergency duty as the nickelback, a role generally played by a cornerback.
Second- and third-round tackles Ego Ferguson and Will Sutton played crucial snaps with the game on the line and helped hold the San Francisco 49ers scoreless for the final 26 minutes.
Fuller was pleased to hear the praise from Marshall, but he took it in stride just as he seems to take whatever comes his way, good or bad.
"I'm glad he feels that way about me," said Fuller, who began the season as the third corner in passing situations. "I just try to come out here every day and compete and play as hard as I can."
That low-key response is just Fuller being Fuller. One of the things that have impressed coaches and teammates about the 22-year-old from Virginia Tech is his even-keeled demeanor.
Whether it's because two older brothers - Vincent and Corey - have preceded him in the NFL or just his laid-back personality, you won't see Fuller hanging his head after a bad play or going overboard with a celebration after a great play.
Even after Fuller's 2 interceptions in a 4:10 span in the fourth quarter he acts like he has been there before, even if he hasn't.
"You would think he's been in the league five or six years the way he carries himself," quarterback Jay Cutler said. "It's fun to watch him."
Watching Vereen play the nickel was entertaining as well, even on the sidelines when he was getting a cram session on playing the new position from coaches and teammates.
"I thought he played well for a guy who hadn't played a lot," coach Marc Trestman said. "Brock is a very smart guy. He's got a good understanding of the game. He's an intelligent guy, an even-keeled guy. I thought he played well for the reps that he had."
When the Bears resume practice Thursday, Vereen will be back at his regular position.
"We really think of him as being in the safety position," Trestman said. "But certainly adding some value (at nickel) is a good thing, plus his special-teams value."
Sutton and Ferguson have been playing in a rotation behind starters Jeremiah Ratliff and Stephen Paea. But when Ratliff came out in the third quarter with a concussion, the rookies were called on to do more.
"They were in the game when the game was at stake," Trestman said. "I thought they played well for the time they were in there."
With Tillman out for the season, Fuller is a full-time starter. And, with free safety Chris Conte (shoulder) and Ratliff (concussion) day to day, the other rookies all could play more as well, which looks as if it might be a good thing.
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