TAKING IT TO HOUSE AT HOME
Baltimore native Amos gets a pick- six; Fuller, who also hails from city, has standout game
BALTIMORE— Coming into the season, Bears defensive backs Adrian Amos and Kyle Fuller were linked in rather unbecoming fashion— two former starters slated to be backups after their once- promising NFL careers turned to disappointment.
But on Sunday, they shared a glorious moment for themselves and for their families, friends and teammates at M& T Bank Stadium. Two kids from Baltimore came home, played well and made a difference against the team they once cheered for.
“We’ve had our ups and downs, but, yeah, it feels good,” Amos said after earning a game ball in the Bears’ 27- 24 overtime victory against the Ravens. “When you win, everything feels good. If we had lost this game, we made a couple of plays, but it’s [ more about] what plays you could have made to win the game. Winning cures a lot.”
The Amos- Fuller combination was never bigger than on the key defensive play of the game. Fuller broke up Joe Flacco’s pass for wide receiver Chris Moore along the sideline at the Bears’ 15- yard line, and the deflection went right to Amos. The third- year safety not only snared the ball for his first career interception in his 32nd start, but weaved his way upfield for a touchdown that gave the Bears a seemingly comfortable 24- 13 lead with 5: 08 left in the fourth quarter.
“Kyle made a good play on the ball, tipped it, and I just caught it and tried not to get tackled,” said Amos, who had eight tackles, one tackle for loss and two pass breakups. “When I gave amove and broke through the line, I looked up at the Jumbotron, and it was just me— and then it was just, ‘ Get to the end zone.’’’
Amos’ inability tomake plays on the ball was the big reason the Bears went for an upgrade in the offseason with Quintin Demps in free agency and Eddie Jackson in the draft. But Amos hung in there, and when Demps suffered a broken arm against the Steelers, he was a starter again. Even teammates recognized how big a play it was, not just for the team but for Amos. Itwas his first TD at M&T Bank Stadium since scoring one in the annual Turkey Bowl as a receiver at Calvert Hall High in Baltimore.
“Very happy for Amos,” defensive end Akiem Hicks said. “Sometimes I call him ‘ Spatula- hands’ because he doesn’t catch a lot of balls. But he got his today and then took it to the crib. That was an awesome feeling. I bet it was for him, especially being his home.”
Fuller, who got his chance when starting cornerback Prince Amukamara was injured in the preseason and has earned the fulltime job, was solid again.
“Kyle played lights- out,” Amos said. “If I had to give a game ball, it would be to Kyle. They [ targeted] him for a whole series, and there were no completions. I don’t know how many actual [ pass breakups] they got him for, but it should be seven or eight. He was in man- to- man a lot. He showed up and played big- time.”
Fuller, who played at Mount St. Joseph in Baltimore, officially was credited with three pass breakups. But his production was even better than that.
“Just doing my job, nothing special,” said Fuller, the Bears’ firstround pick in 2014. “I just thank God. It feels good to get a big win — something we definitely needed. Just going to continue to work hard and get better and keep it going.”