Pro punchers marvel at Tillman's skill

Boxers, MMA fighters impressed with Bears cornerback's ability to knock the ball out

By Chris Kuc, Chicago Tribune reporter

November 6, 2012

Even the guys who make their living landing punches on moving targets are impressed with Charles Tillman's ability to consistently get his fist on a football.

The veteran cornerback is the NFL's master of the punch-out after forcing four fumbles during the Bears' 51-20 dismantling of the Titans on Sunday in Nashville, Tenn. Tillman raised his number of knockouts this season to a career-high seven and with his pugilistic abilities has forced 36 fumbles in his career.

"He's got a good right hand," said light heavyweight boxer Andrzej Fonfara. "He'd make a good boxer. If he punched somebody in the chin with that punch he'd be knocking out guys."

The ability to land the punches directly on a football during the maelstrom of a play is what has drawn the admiration of combatants who ply their trade in the boxing ring — or the mixed martial arts octagon.

"You can train for that until you're blue in the face, but it's something that you're either good at or you're not," said local MMA fighter Mike Bodziach, who played college football at Youngstown State in the late '90s. "There are a lot of MMA fighters who train that way and still aren't that accurate with their strikes. That's kind of a God-given talent.

"It's extremely impressive just because he's got that awareness to do it," added Bodziach, the head MMA coach at Emerald Smoke training facility in Chicago. "You see a lot of guys go for the strip, but just the fact he sees that there and punches it, his instinct and awareness is probably second to none."

Shawn "The Savage" Jordan knows a little something about fighting, carrying a 13-4 record in the heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He also knows football, having been a fullback on LSU's national championship teams in '03 and '07.

"It's a gift to have that hand-to-eye coordination, to follow a ball that is going that fast and coming from a different place and distance each time," said Jordan, who was a teammate of the Bears' Craig Steltz at LSU. "To relate it to fighting, we are hitting moving targets all the time. He's running downfield, his body is doing one thing, and his eyes are doing another and then he has to react. The fact he can react the same way every time is pretty impressive.

"You can tell the difference between an elite athlete and just another athlete in the fact they are able to perform these things and have the ability to adjust and adapt to what is going on around them. Every great defensive back really has great control of their bodies. Knocking passes down or punching (the ball) out, it's the same thing. They're getting their hand on a ball while they are competing with another athlete."

Because "Peanut" Tillman is so adept at punching, he has a standing invitation to trade a few with "Chicago's Polish Prince" Fonfara, who trains in Chicago and will fight Tommy Karpency for the IBO light heavyweight world title Nov. 16 at UIC Pavilion.

"If he wants to spar with me one day, we can spar," Fonfara said.



http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports...,7193763.story

And one more

Tillman's high school coach planted ball-punch seed
Bears star says 'light bulb' moment came during his freshman year in college

David Haugh's In the Wake of the News

7:40 p.m. CST, November 5, 2012

Turnover Tuesday at Belton (Texas) High School football practice this week figures to begin with a story coach Rodney Southern hopes will resonate with players as well as his words once did with Charles Tillman.

Now that Tillman publicly gave him props, Southern will tell his team before its weekly ball-stripping drills about the day 13 years ago he gave the future Bears cornerback a tip he later turned into an art form.

"We practice the same things every week, but mentioning 'Peanut' should get their attention, especially after Sunday,'' Southern said Monday over the phone. "What an amazing year.''


If Belton High players don't believe Southern played a role in helping Tillman become one of the best ball-punchers in NFL history, he can cite Tillman's postgame comments after four more forced fumbles against the Titans. Asked the umpteenth question about when he developed such a knack for knocking the football loose, Tillman — for the first time longtime observers could recall — related a specific conversation he had with Southern his freshman year at Louisiana-Lafayette.

It happened Nov. 20, 1999, after Tillman's team needed overtime to beat Wofford 37-34 in the season finale. Southern had been in his home state of Louisiana and decided to go watch Tillman and visit buddy Gary Bartel, who was Tillman's position coach. The defensive coordinator at Copperas Cove (Texas) when Tillman attended, Southern felt comfortable enough to offer some constructive criticism after his former player endured a long day.

The Ragin' Cajuns' stat sheet credited Tillman with 20 tackles, nine solo, suggesting he made many plays downfield on receivers who had caught passes. On several Wofford receptions in front of Tillman, Southern recalled the cornerback "was coming in from behind or the side and they had the ball exposed where he could have punched the ball out.''

He didn't. So after the game, Southern simply shared his observation in a playful way.

"He came to a game and he told me, 'You know, you could have forced a lot of balls out if you could just punch it,' '' Tillman recalled in Nashville, Tenn., pausing slightly for effect. "Light bulb!''

From that moment, dark days loomed for wide receivers who dared to carry the ball loosely against the cornerback who committed his career to popping it loose. By now, Tillman intuitively reacts to a tucked football as the voice in his head provides a sense of Southern comfort. Just punch it.

Given the upcoming schedule, no team will command more national attention in the next two weeks than the 7-1 Bears. At the center of it all will be a midseason NFL defensive player of the year candidate who struggles to grasp people's fascination over how he makes it so hard for ball carriers to keep their grip.

"I don't think it is difficult,'' Tillman said of what T-shirts call the "Peanut Punch.'' "It is always on my mind. I am very conscious of it. I speak it. I believe it. I practice it. It happens.''

Every student goes to college hoping to hone a skill. Tillman, who won only nine games in four seasons at Louisiana-Lafayette, had plenty of practice on bad teams perfecting the act of punching the football out of a player's arms — though patent rights still trace back to Copperas Cove.

"Every defensive coach preaches it, but we really coached it when Charles was there,'' said Southern, coaching in his 27th year. "He had long arms and was athletic with big hands. I remember a playoff game where one of Charles' ball punches swung the momentum.''

It seems each week Tillman produces a similar memory for the Bears, who emphasize the takeaway under Lovie Smith even more than Tillman's prep defensive coordinator. Since 2003, Tillman's 36 forced fumbles rank second behind Robert Mathis of the Colts. Of the top eight players in the category, only Tillman plays defensive back — why teammates speak with reverence and in a historical context.

"I'm like everyone else,'' Smith said Monday. "I'm amazed too.''

From a fundamental standpoint, the most amazing aspect of Tillman's unique talent might be it seldom compromises his tackling ability. Securing tackles appears as instinctive as stripping the ball, something reinforced from the first time Tillman poked a football out of an enemy's arms.

"Charles may not say it, but we taught him to secure the tackle first,'' Southern said. "But at their level, as fast as those guys are moving, sometimes you take a chance and punching the ball out is going to work.''

Since getting some good advice from an old friend one day 13 years ago, nobody in the NFL has made it work any better than Tillman.




http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports...5665955.column

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From a fundamental standpoint, the most amazing aspect of Tillman's unique talent might be it seldom compromises his tackling ability. Securing tackles appears as instinctive as stripping the ball, something reinforced from the first time Tillman poked a football out of an enemy's arms.

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This is what I really respect about Peanut. He's also a great tackler. He tackles like a great LB, rather than like a CB.

He's so smart too. His football IQ must be off the charts.

I can't remember ever watching a cornerback with such a complete arsenal of skills as Peanut Tillman. He's kind of like the "Walter Payton" of cornerbacks. I say this because Peanut may not be the best at any one single CB skill (other than the 'Peanut Punch' skill :smile:), but he is incredibly gifted an so many skills.

You just don't see CB's with the full-package of skills that Peanut has. I've never seen it in another CB.

I hope he can play at this high level long enough to land in the Hall of Fame. I think he has a shot if he can stay healthy.

I hope next time we play the pack he takes a swing at Rogers and knocks him the F out

My favorite part if this last interview was the "lightbulb" part.

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Originally Posted by motownbear

I hope next time we play the pack he takes a swing at Rogers and knocks him the F out

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But that might hurt his TV endorsement deals. You don't want that do you?

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Originally Posted by motownbear

I hope next time we play the pack he takes a swing at Rogers and knocks him the F out

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And likely earns a suspension, I'd rather he not try

Peanut Punch t-shirt gose on the xmas list