No rookies, new starters Cooper, Wilhelm foil Bears

By: JAY PARIS - Staff Writer | Sunday, September 9, 2007 10:14 PM PDT ∞

SAN DIEGO -- Chargers linebacker Matt Wilhelm, a former Ohio State star, was asked which was sweeter: being a first-time NFL starter or Michigan being 0-2.

"Oh gosh, that is a tough one,'' Wilhelm said. "I'm going to stay in the here and now, so I'm going to say being a starter is better.''

Wilhelm and Stephen Cooper, the team's two inside linebackers, broke their maidens as a starting tandem Sunday. And in the Chargers' 14-3 win over the Bears, the majority of Chicago's plays were pointed in their direction.

"When you're going against a tough running back like (Cedric) Benson, we knew the key was to stop the run,'' defensive end Luis Castillo said. "And those guys stepped up and played great, and we knew they would.''

The Chargers had three new defensive starters, and two were smack dab in the middle. But the Chargers were confident Wilhelm and Cooper would hold up.

"Those guys aren't rookies,'' Castillo said. "They're proven veterans who have played five years. It's great when you have two new guys in the middle and they possess the maturity to handle it."

Cooper's eight tackles paced the Chargers, while Wilhelm's five tied for second. They also helped restrict the Bears to 80 rushing yards. But the pair delivered their biggest impact with two fumble recoveries and another forced fumble.

Cooper got his early in the third quarter to slow a Bears drive that was nearing midfield. Later in the quarter, Wilhelm pounced on Mike Scifres' punt, which ricocheted off Chicago's Brandon McGowan.

Then in the fourth quarter, with the Chargers clinging to a 7-3 edge, Cooper stripped Adrian Peterson of the ball. Clinton Hart recovered it, and the offense cashed in the turnover for LaDainian Tomlinson's first rushing touchdown of the year.

At last, Wilhelm and Cooper had emerged from the shadows of departed starters Donnie Edwards and Randall Godfrey.

"They learned from some good guys, some veteran guys, and they got a taste of it last year," defensive tackle Jamal Williams said. "Yeah, they were testing them, but (Wilhelm and Cooper) did a good job out there."

Wilhelm's mouth was as active as his feet. His goal was to get under the skin of Bears quarterback Rex Grossman, a strategy gleaned from linebackers coach Ron Rivera, who served as Chicago's defensive coordinator last year.

"Coach told us that Rex was kind of a mental midget, so you can get into his head and create that doubt,'' Wilhelm said. "That is what I tried to do -- I was talking to him a lot of times, I was talking to whomever.''

For once, Wilhelm and Cooper were the talk of the locker room.

"The guys showed maturity, man, and they really did a great job showing leadership out there,'' Williams said. "They took control of the huddle and the team.''

-- Contact staff writer Jay Paris at jparis8@aol.com.