I almost don’t want to ask it. Really, I don’t — mainly out of fear that I might jinx him myself. Yet, like his extensive injury history, the question lingers. It lingers in the back of the minds of the entire Chicago Bears organization, their many fans and undoubtedly now, in the back of the mind of Mike Brown. Is Mike Brown going to stay healthy this year?

The last four years have been a nightmare for the 2000 second-round pick from Nebraska. In 2004, he played in almost two entire games before injurying his achilles. In 2005, a calf injury caused him to miss the final four games of the regular season and the home playoff loss to Carolina. 2006 wasn’t any better. He suffered a lisfranc fracture that sat him out for the remaining 10 regular season games and the postseason. And last year. How can we forget last year’s season opener against San Diego? Thanks to fullback Lorenzo Neal’s uncalled, and uncalled for, horsecollar takedown, Brown would see action in just three and a half quarters before being placed on injured reserve.

It is a sad story. It really is. It is sad because Mike Brown is a beast. When he is healthy, he is the leader of the defense, not Brian Urlacher. He plays with a careless intensity, a style succeded by the likes of Pittsburgh’s Troy Polamalu and Indianapolis’ Bob Sanders. At 30 years old, he should be in his prime, not contemplating retirement.

Last month, the Bears decided against cutting Brown and announced that he would remain in their plans for the upcoming season. While it is probably fair to say that they won’t be counting on him, the organization obviously still believes he can rebound.

If (knock on the proverbial wood) he can stay healthy all year, he will reclaim his status as a top-tier safety. I’m talking top-five, easily. And that is all we fans really want. Not just selfishly for our own sake but for Brown’s sake too. The guy deserves a break — one of the good fortune variety.

More from Blog Down, Chicago Bears

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