Article: Bears' Fencik a very free safety

SUWANEE, Ga. People miss the point about Gary Fencik. Just because he's smarter than your average Bear, that doesn't mean he's some pipe-smoking egghead in an elbow-patched jacket, dabbling in football because it looks quaint.

He plays football because he loves it. He even loves the messy chore of throwing his body in the path of oncoming pain. He doesn't love the pain. He is a smart fellow. But he's out there flattening ball carriers, not outwitting them.

"Toughest Ivy Leaguer I've ever seen," says Buddy Ryan, the Bears' defensive coordinator.

Fencik doesn't need the game, not in the sense that he would go broke without it. He'll have to fend off job offers when his career ends. But ...

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