Briggs: Vasher Does Just Fine at Safety
by John M. Crist of BearReport.com, November 5, 2009 at 3:54pm ET

Nathan Vasher Profile

Chicago thought it were set at both corner positions after signing Charles Tillman and Nathan Vasher to big-money contract extension before the 2007 season, but while Tillman continues to be a solid DB, Vasher has since been benched in favor of Zack Bowman.

Vasher missed 12 games in '07 with a nagging groin injury and eight more in '08 thanks to wrist and thumb problems, and he simply didn't look like the former Pro Bowler he is throughout training camp in Bourbonnais over the summer.

However, Vasher is again getting playing time on D, replacing the ineffective Kevin Payne at free safety in the nickel package, and linebacker Lance Briggs likes what he sees from him so far.

"It's always nice to see 'The Interceptor' out on the field," Briggs said Thursday before practice at Halas Hall, referring to the nickname Vasher earned after recording 13 interceptions his first two years in the NFL and going to the Pro Bowl in 2005. "Nate, when I see him out there, he's having fun. And I think that's what's important, if you're enjoying what you're doing, you're having fun. If you're screwing up – I don't think there was a face on the field when we played Cincinnati that was out there smiling. If guys are out there smiling, it means we're doing something positive."

This is Vasher's first opportunity to play safety on Sunday, and even though he's not ideally suited to line up there at 5-10 and 180 pounds, Briggs hasn't witnessed much of a learning curve.

"All he needs to know is the call," said Briggs, "and he might have that already. Nate, he knows what he's doing. He doesn't need much."

Bowman has been hit and miss opposite Tillman at corner, but at 6-1 and 197 pounds, the second-year pro fits the mold of what Chicago likes physically at that spot.



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Injury News:
DB Nathan Vasher: Injury Update
-by ScoutNFLNetwork.com Oct 13, 2005

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Nathan Vasher
Ht: 5-10 Wt: 180
Position: CB
Date of Birth: 11/17/1981
Birthplace: Wichita Falls,  TX
Experience: 6
High School: Texas HS
(Texarkana, TX)
College: Texas


Biography:

PRO CAREER: Tied for Bears INT lead among active players, the 2005 Pro Bowler is tied for 7th in the NFL (tied for 2nd in the NFC) over his first 4 seasons with 17 interceptions… Ranks 5th in NFL from 2004-07 with 367 INT return yards and 8th with a 21.6-yard return average… Scored 3 career TDs and was one of just 21 NFL players with 2 INT return TDs from 2004-05… Scored other TD on 108-yard missed FG return, setting a then-record for the longest scoring play in NFL history… Chicago's first Pro Bowl CB since 1994 (Donnell Woolford), led Bears with career-high 8 INTs in 2005, the most by a Bears player since Mark Carrier (10 in 1990)… Combined with Charles Tillman to record 13 INTs in 2005; tied for NFL's 3rd-most picks by a CB tandem, tied for tops in NFC, most by Bears duo since 1990 (Carrier, 10; Woolford, 3) and most by any Chicago CB duo dating back to 1968… Tillman (13) and Vasher (12) led all NFC cornerback tandems with 25 combined interceptions over the course of the last three seasons (tied for third most in the NFL)… Tillman (10) and Vasher (11) were also the only CB duo in the NFL to each record double-digit INTs with the same team over the course of the 2005 and 2006 seasons… His 17 interceptions are second only to Mike Richardson (18, 1983-86) for most INTs as a Bear in their first four NFL seasons… Was also the first player since Charlie Sumner (1955, 1958-59) to record at least 16 INTs as a Bear in their first 3 NFL seasons (2004-06)… Has appeared in 50 career regular season contests, starting 37 while recording 143 tackles, 17 INTs, 32 PBUs, 1 TFL, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery and a sack… Second consecutive Bears rookie to lead team in INTs with 5 in 2004 (Tillman, 4 in 2003), the most by a Chicago rookie since 1990 (Carrier, 10), en route to pacing NFC and ranking 2nd in NFL with 177 INT return yards, 3rd-highest single-season total in club history… Contributed to Bears record-setting 6 defensive TDs in 2004 with a 71-yard INT return TD, the longest INT return TD by a Chicago defender in the last 12 seasons (Dante Jones INT, lateraled to Jeremy Lincoln for an 80-yard TD return vs. GB, 12/5/93).

HOW ACQUIRED: Entered NFL as a fourth-round selection (110th overall) by Chicago in the 2004 NFL Draft.

PERSONAL NOTES: Played both WR and CB at Texas H.S. in Texarkana, TX… Named first-team Texas 4A All-State team on both offense and defense as a senior by the Texas Sportswriters Association and was a 1999 first-team all-state selection at CB by the Associated Press… Registered 106 tackles, 6 INTs, 2 sacks and forced 3 fumbles in 1999 while catching 52 passes for 837 yards and 12 TDs… Lettered 3 seasons in basketball and track… Honor roll student in high school… Born Nathanael DeWayne Vasher in Wichita Falls, Texas… Mother is Monica.