Chicago Bears cornerback Charles Tillman recently gave his fans a chance to get to know him a little better by answering a variety of questions about himself and his career on Twitter.
Here are some of the most interesting nuggets:
Tillman said his torn right bicep is healing “great.” He suffered the injury Sept. 14 in the Bears’ second game of the season, a 28-20 victory over the 49ers in San Francisco.
Tillman said his favorite game destination, in terms of city and not opponent, is New York. The Bears have played four road games against the Giants and Jets during his 12-year career, and he was in New York last January to accept the 2013 NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year Award.
Tillman’s favorite television shows are “Homeland” and “New Girl.” “Homeland” is a political drama centering on the CIA on “Showtime,” while “New Girl” is a sitcom starring an ensemble cast including Zooey Deschanel on Fox.
Tillman revealed that the hardest person he’s had to cover in the NFL is receiver Marvin Harrison. Harrison was voted to eight Pro Bowls in 13 seasons with the Indianapolis Colts from 1996-2008 and holds several NFL records. Tillman faced Harrison in four games, including Super Bowl XLI.
Tillman labeled Green Bay Packers wideout Jordy Nelson as the league’s most underrated receiver. Nelson has caught 380 passes for 5,855 yards and 48 touchdowns in seven seasons with the Packers, including 163 passes for 2,579 yards and 20 TDs the past two years.
The toughest quarterback that Tillman has faced is Packers star Aaron Rodgers, whose 106.7 passer rating is the best in NFL history. Rodgers has won the last nine games he’s started and finished against the Bears, including 38-17 and 55-14 routs in 2014.
Tillman selected Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive back Rod Woodson as the player from any era he’d most like to play with. Woodson played cornerback and later safety for the Steelers (1987-96), 49ers (1997), Ravens (1998-2001) and Raiders (2002-03). He was selected to 11 Pro Bowls and holds the NFL record with 12 interception return touchdowns.
Tillman revealed that his favorite moment during his Bears career was the team’s stirring 24-23 comeback win over the Cardinals in Arizona on Oct. 16, 2006. Trailing 23-3 late in the third quarter, the Bears staged an amazing rally, scoring two touchdowns on defense and one on special teams to escape with a stunning Monday night victory. Tillman drew the Bears to within 23-17 by returning a fumble 40 yards for a touchdown with 5:00 left in the fourth quarter.
The teammate Tillman has most looked up to is middle linebacker Brian Urlacher, who was voted to eight Pro Bowls in 13 seasons with the Bears from 2000-12. Urlacher, linebacker Lance Briggs and Tillman teamed to help the Bears win three division championships and one conference title.
Tillman stated that Briggs is his closest friend on the Bears. The two were selected by the team in back-to-back rounds in the 2003 NFL Draft, with Tillman in Round 2 out of Louisiana-Lafayette and Briggs in Round 3 from Arizona.
Tillman also said he does not want to move to safety, his favorite Thanksgiving dishes are greens and macaroni and cheese, and he doesn’t want to coach when his playing career is over. His favorite pizza topping is pepperoni and his top restaurants in Chicago are Au Cheval and Allende.
Tillman revealed that his favorite sports other than football are basketball and boxing, his hobby outside of football is movies, and his favorite movie of all time is “Star Wars.” He also prefers the White Sox to the Cubs because he was born on the South Side of Chicago.
His favorite motivational quote is from Shakespeare: "Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt."
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