WBEZ 91.5 Chicago

Updated 12:39 p.m. 

Sitting NFL players with concussions is a no brainer. So why isn’t it mandatory?

Last Sunday the league had three starting quarterbacks get "knocked out" of the game: The Bears' Jay Cutler, San Francisco's Alex Smith and Philadelphia's Michael Vick. Smith has already been cleared to go back on the field. On Friday, the Bears announced their decision to rest Cutler and start Jason Campbell in the game against San Francisco Monday. There is still no time table for when Cutler will be able to return.

I'm glad the Bears have decided to rest Cutler. When a player is concussed, the question about whether he should play the following week should be simple — no. Not maybe, not "waiting for medical evaluations" — it should be a flat no. The NFL has made a lot of noise with their concerns for concussions, but not enough. When a player has been removed from a game or is diagnosed with a concussion after a game he needs time to recover before any new physical contact. A rule should be in place that bars the player from the next game.

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Every November Chicago plays host to the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, and every November the circus takes over the United Center for a few weeks.

What does that have to do with sports? While the circus is here, the Bulls and the Blackhawks pack up their bags and play on the road while the elephants and clowns take over. The media has coined this long road trip the “circus trip” — not very creative, but it does conjure up some images of this stretch on the road. The Bulls begin their five-game trip in two weeks Wednesday night in Phoenix but the Blackhawks aren't concerned: The players and owners are still clowning around with their labor dispute. (Sorry, couldn’t help it!)

Three years ago at the Bulls practice facility, reporters asked players for their thoughts on the circus trip. The response we got from Joakim Noah was priceless: “Why do they always call it the circus trip?” Noah asked, clearly irked. "What's so circus about it anyway?" He thought it was a “dig” at the team. When I explained where the term came from he just said, “Oh.”

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The Bears' miserable 13-6 loss to Houston mirrored the weather conditions of the game at Soldier Field. Rain came down the whole evening and it wasn’t just the score that had the fans upset. Quarterback Jay Cutler couldn’t play the second half.

Bears offensive mistakes – two fumbles and two interceptions by Cutler overshadowed two Tim Jennings interceptions in the first half. The Bears cornerback leads the NFL with eight this season. Going into the halftime, the 10-3 lead by Houston wasn't horrible, but the news once the third quarter began gave everyone pause: Cutler suffered from concussion-like symptoms.

Even though the Bears QB had not been sacked he had taken several hits, especially when he scrambled on the run. Houston linebacker Tim Dobbins nailed Cutler late in the second quarter, at one point that seems to be the telling blow to his head. After the game, Coach Lovie Smith wasn’t certain that was the hit the forced Cutler out of the game. “He took a lot of hits, more than he needed to take.

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The Chicago Bears have eight down and eight left — games that is. With a 7 and 1 record the Bears are enjoying their view from the top of the NFC North. Here's what's working and what is down the road. 

It's the "D" 

When the season opened in September the feeling was the Bears aging defense would have to be bolstered by the somewhat revamped offense: Urlacher was coming off knee surgery, Tim Jennings was almost an ex-Bear after his 2012 performance, the safeties were questionable and Tillman, Briggs, Urlacher and Peppers have years of wear and tear on their collective bodies. 

This Bears unit has played at a very high level; Jennings leads the league with six interceptions, Urlacher is not what he was, but is still contributing, Peppers is the glue to the defensive line and is doubled-team on nearly every play.

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It has been over 20 years since the Chicago Bulls radio and television broadcasts were brilliantly conducted by Jim Durham: He began his NBA career in Chicago in 1973, announcing the good, the horrible and finally a championship for the Chicago Bulls in 1991, before serving as the NBA's number one ESPN radio play-by-play man.

But still, after all these years, Jim meant a lot to us. Last Sunday, Durham passed away suddenly, on his farm in Texas at the age of 65. It seems appropriate to dedicate a tribute to this man, heard and loved by fans and respected and admired by those of us lucky enough to work with him.  

NBA Senior Vice President Brian McIntyre began his career with the Chicago Bulls in media relations in 1978. This Hall of Fame league executive worked with Durham, a Hall of Fame announcer, for 35 years. McIntrye had this to say about Durham’s abilities behind the microphone:

To be able to process a fast pace game like NBA basketball, to see what is happening and unfolding in front of your eyes, to have the ability to quickly process that and put it into words that were so vividly descriptive — it just made your radio come alive.

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It was just what the doctor ordered-- Bears 28-10 win over Minnesota at newly sodded Soldier Field. It was a doctor's final okay that allowed Jay Cutler to get back on the field. There will be plenty of Bears seeing the doctors this week. 

Injuries and a lot of them:

Snapping a two game losing streak was the best medicine with all the ills this team went through the past week, most notably changing two starters on the offensive line and one on the defensive line. There may be future problems next week with injuries to running back Matt Forte (ankle), guard Lance Louis (knee), cornerback Charles Tillman (ankle), return specialist Devin Hester (concussion) and guard Chris Spencer (knee). When Coach Lovie Smith came to the post-game press conference he had to read all the injuries off a piece of paper. The severity on any of these injuries is unknown at this time.

The Jay and Brandon show:

Jay Cutler's return from his concussion and his play with his favorite target Brandon Marshall was huge. The Bears big wide receiver had 12 catches for 92 yards, allowing him to now have over 1,000 yards (1,017 to be exact) for the season.

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The Bears didn’t fiddle around in their dismantling of the Tennessee Titans 51-20. The first quarter alone was a record setter for the franchise scoring 28 points, the defense overwhelmed their opponent - on the road. With half the season finished, this Bear team is now 7 and 1 and remains on top of the NFC North division.

Stars of the game:

-The spotlight of the game has shone the brightest on Charles Tillman. He led the Bears with nine tackles and forced four fumbles-four in one game.  Three were recovered by his teammates, as Tillman continues to be relentless punching the ball out of the receivers’ hands. With his seven on the season and winning the "NFC Player of the Month" honor--Tillman has become a force to be reckoned with in the league. He has always had the skills; they were honed under the tutelage of Lovie Smith. Injuries at inopportune times have bothered him some seasons and several years when the Bears struggled with their pass rush and his cornerback play suffered the consequences.

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