Chicago Bears Special Teams: Why They Are Truly Special
Published by Bryan Dietzler on November 10, 2010
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears
Any Chicago Bears‘ fan knows that the special teams units have been some of the best in the NFL over the past six seasons. Ever since Head Coach Lovie Smith came to Chicago, the Bears have put an emphasis on special teams and have had great success in games.
The success that the Bears have had on special teams can be directly attributed to their special teams coach, Dave Toub. Toub, who has extensive experience coaching special teams units in other parts of the NFL, brought a philosophy stressing the importance of special teams and how it can affect games. He taught his pupils to play as if their life depended on it and, for many of them, their careers have depended on it.
Toub’s coverage teams started out well covering punts and kickoffs, but the units lacked an explosive return specialist for both punt and kickoff returns. In the 2006 NFL Draft, the Bears must have been listening to the call for a highly regarded return specialist, because they drafted cornerback Devin Hester out of the University of Miami. We all know what Hester was able to do in this rookie season and beyond.
Armed with a strong return game, the Bears stormed into the 2006 season ready to play some great special teams. How did it turn out? Much better than anyone expected. Hester was electrifying returning punts and kickoffs. He even had the first ever kickoff return for a touchdown in the Super Bowl that season. The Bears special teams had arrived.
Return teams flourished the next season even though the Bears didn’t make the playoffs and then things went silent. Hester struggled on both punt and kickoff returns, because it appeared he was trying to do too much or, perhaps, because of his new role on offense. The coverage units remained solid, but the return game was suffering. Enter safety Daniel Manning and wide receiver Earl Bennett.
While both of these guys didn’t have the overall skill that Hester had, they were able to add some spice to the return game and get some return touchdowns to help the Bears win games.
This season, we have seen a resurgence in the return game, as Hester has already run back two punts for touchdowns and is poised to do more if given the opportunity. Teams are choosing to kick away from him and this is giving the Bears good field position, which is an additional advantage.
So when you think of good special teams units and how important those units are to helping football teams win games, you should think of the Bears special teams. They are a group that has managed to adapt over the last few years. Just look at the changes that they have had with their top special teams players. They lost Brendon Ayanbedejo and were able to adapt. They also lost Tim Shaw and have been able to adapt.
Chicago brings in players, not only to play in certain positions on either offense or defense, but to also be valuable additions on special teams. Guys like Brian Iwuh this year and Shaw last year, have always been key members of the special teams unit. The Bears spend a lot of time evaluating players for special teams and, as you can see, it has paid off.
Read more Chicago Bears news on BleacherReport.com
