Bears Blitz

Published by Ed Leiser on July 6, 2010
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears

Lost in the shuffle of a busy offseason and a disappointing 2009 season is one of the Chicago Bears‘ primary weapons—the special teams.

I know, I know.  Special teams don’t sound “sexy” to anyone, but over the course of a long, 16-game regular season, as many as three or four games can be decided strictly on special teams.

It’s not always who hits the 55-yard field goal with one second on the clock or who ran back the punt 65 yards for a score, either.

The field position battle is a direct correlation with the effectiveness of a team’s special teams unit.

Also, things like turnovers can occur on punt and kick returns—and everyone knows how important they can be.

Indeed, a team’s special teams can, for lack of a better word, truly make a team “special.”

Or not.

In the case of the Chicago Bears, however, they’ve been far above average in special teams and can thank their coordinator, Dave Toub, for their many successes.

Toub, in his seventh season in Chicago, has led the Bears to the No. 1 overall special teams ranking (according to the Dallas Morning News ranking system) two times and has appeared in the top-third for six straight seasons.

Toub has overseen four Chicago Bears’ specialists as Pro Bowlers in Johnny Knox (2009), Brendon Ayanbadejo (2006 and 2007), Robbie Gould (2006), and Devin Hester (2006 and 2007).

Think about that for a second.

The Pro Bowl generally includes four specialists a year—a field goal kicker, punter, return man, and a “coverage man,” if you will.

Toub has been responsible for six of those slots over the last six seasons, one-fourth of the total allotment of players chosen.

That’s saying something right there, folks.

Yes, he can’t be given full responsibility for their successes, of course.

Devin Hester is one of the NFL‘s best athletes, and part of me thinks that even I could guide him to two or three kick return touchdowns a season. (I’d simply tell him, much like Forest Gump, to “run, dummy.”)

And placekicker Robbie Gould is essentially a lucky find—he was working construction at the time of the Bears acquiring him, or so we’re told.

But there’s no denying Toub’s schemes and blocking patterns have worked amazingly well for the Chicago Bears.

And there’s no denying Toub’s impressive resume as a coach in the NFL.

With the Philadelphia Eagles, Toub’s units ranked No. 1 overall in two of his three seasons, and in 2006, Toub was named “Special Teams Coach of the Year” by his fellow NFL coaches.

The Bears lead the NFL with 17 kick return touchdowns over the last six seasons, and last year’s return men especially flourished.

Pro-Bowler Johnny Knox ranked second in the league with a 29-yard kickoff return average and the Bears had the third-best average starting point (30-yard line) for their offensive possessions.

What they did with those offensive possessions, well…that’s another story.

It’s not just their own returns that help the team, either, as the Bears are very stingy on their own kick coverage.

Since 2004, the Bears’ punt return coverage ranks second in the league with a minuscule 7.3 average return margin (and their kickoff coverage unit ranks 10th in the league).

But, oh, there’s more.

In terms of blocking field goals, there’s no one better than Dave Toub’s Chicago Bears, who lead the league with 18 blocked kicks since 2004.

That’s 54 points off the board in six seasons; you think the Bears’ defense likes that help?

Let’s re-examine our friend Robbie Gould for a minute.

Go ahead and impress your friends with this little nugget: who is the third most-accurate field goal kicker in NFL history?

That’s right.  It’s Robbie Gould.

As good as gold and better, Robbie has drilled 85.9 percent of his kicks through the uprights (134 of 156) over his career.

He doesn’t own the strongest leg (career long of 52 yards), but few have been more accurate in the NFL. 

Ever.

Take in all of these impressive accolades and you’re left with one very important point—the Bears special teams unit can be the difference between a 7-9 season (and no trip to the playoffs) and a 10-6 season (and a likely playoff appearance).

The Bears made numerous changes to their roster and pumped in some star power with running back Chester Taylor and all-world defensive end Julius Peppers, but it’s the kickers and return units that could ultimately decide the fate of the 2010 Chicago Bears.

It figures to be a make-or-break year for the Bears and head coach Lovie Smith.

On paper, the team looks like it can hold its own defensively, and appears to be able to put some points on the board with quarterback Jay Cutler‘s offense.

One area we know the Bears will excel in—the special teams game—at least provides hope that the Bears are among the league’s elite.

Now, if they could just get that offense going.

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