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Bowman doesn't sulk, just plays hard
Bears CB makes big play in 4th quarter, forcing fumble and recovering it
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Zack Bowman could have sulked about losing his starting job to Tim Jennings. Instead, Bowman went out and made a big play Sunday night.
The Bears cornerback stripped Giants running back Ahmad Bradshaw just before Bradshaw made it to the end zone in the fourth quarter. Bowman also recovered the fumble at the 1-yard line, giving the Bears a long-shot chance to tie the game.
"We were all preaching on the sideline that we needed a turnover,'' Bowman said. "I saw the opportunity to make a play, and I made it.
"I didn't care about starting. I wanted to win. We're a team, whether I'm in there or Tim's in there.''
Unfortunately, the celebration over Bowman's play didn't last long. Giants quarterback Eli Manning hit receiver Hakeem Nicks with a 30-yard pass in front of Bowman, setting up Brandon Jacobs' game-clinching 2-yard score.
"I felt like I was in good position,'' Bowman said. "It was an underthrown ball. When I turned around, he kind of got underneath me. At the end of the day, that's a play that I have to make.''
Comfort zone: The Bears fell into a comfort level after reaching Super Bowl XLI, according to general manager Jerry Angelo, and three non-playoff seasons later they're operating under different rules — or they're choosing to apply their rules now.
"It's always been our mantra," Angelo said during the pregame show on WBBM-AM 780, "but maybe more so this year than maybe in years past because coming off that '06 year — having all the success — we kept the football team together so maybe there were some assumptions being made in our evaluations that weren't necessarily accurate and maybe some players got into a little bit of a comfort level."
"Things just didn't go the way we thought they would go, so this year we put more teeth into that, got back to the basics. Players had to earn their jobs all over again."
Clark inactive: Veteran tight end Desmond Clark was inactive. His role continues to diminish, although he remains a favorite in the locker room. A dropped touchdown pass on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line against the Packers probably didn't help his cause, but coaches told Clark numbers were the reason he sat.
Through three games, Clark played only 14 out of 167 offensive plays. The Bears have opted to use Greg Olsen as their pass-catching tight end and newly acquired Brandon Manumaleuna as the primary blocking tight end.
Missing in action: After not dressing against the Packers, receiver Devin Aromashodu dressed Sunday night but did not play.
Aromashodu fell out of favor after missing a handful of blocks and dropping a few passes in the season opener against the Lions. He played just one snap at Dallas the following week.
Defensive tackle Tommie Harris, who was inactive against the Packers, played about 20 snaps Sunday.
Extra points: Defensive tackle Marcus Harrison was inactive for the third time in four games. Also inactive for the Bears were safety Major Wright (hamstring) and tackle Chris Williams (hamstring), cornerback Joshua Moore and running back Kahlil Bell. … Some of the Bears wearing pink for breast cancer awareness where Julius Peppers, Devin Hester, Matt Forte, Johnny Knox and Earl Bennett, to name a few.
vxmcclure@tribune.com