The Chicago Bears gave up too soon on Tony Parrish
Not enough fans are going to remember Tony Parrish, but watching what he accomplished after leaving Chicago was frustrating. Chicago drafted the safety out of Washington in the second round of the 1998 NFL Draft. He was an instant starter for the team. In his rookie season, he finished with four forced fumbles and an interception. In his sophomore season, he had 105 combined tackles, seven tackles for loss, a forced fumble and an interception.
In his final two seasons with the Bears, he finished with a combined six interceptions, one for a touchdown, 11 tackles for loss, three sacks and a forced fumble. Parrish was superb, yet the Bears couldn't keep him in town. Unfortunately for them, Parrish went on to play for the 49ers and dominated.
In his first year in San Francisco, Parrish grabbed seven interceptions and had 17 passes defensed. He also had 63 solo tackles and a forced fumble. That's not all. He followed that up by leading the league with nine interceptions the next year. He had 18 passes defensed and was a Second-Team All-Pro. Chicago missed out on the two best seasons of Parrish's career because they gave up on him too soon.