Bears Blitz

Published by Bryan Dietzler on August 3, 2010
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears

Chicago has prided itself on having solid, if not spectacular, special teams since head coach Lovie Smith took over the team a few seasons ago, but it’s not all Smith’s doing.  His special teams coach, Dave Toub (a guy who will probably be an NFL head coach soon), has worked wonders with the talent that they have on the roster and has made the Bear’s special teams be an asset.

The Bears will bring back kicker Robbie Gould for another season.  Gould has been one of the most consistent kickers in the NFL over the past three years and is money almost all of the time.  He has improved the distance on his kickoffs and has helped the Bears keep their opponents deep on the other end of the field.  Look for Gould to have another great season with the Bears in 2010.

Brad Maynard may be getting older but his performance on the field isn’t showing any signs of declining and he’s been a master at putting opponents back in their own territory, giving the defense a chance to keep them out of the end zone.  He has misfired on a punt or two in each season (with the Bears) but he is still one of the better punters in the NFL and should remain with the team at least for the next two or three seasons, barring injury.

The Bears return teams have seen a lot of changes over the past few seasons.  Bears fans will remember the height of the return game, when Devin Hester was returning kicks and punts and making something happen on almost every play.  Once he went to play the wide receiver position more, he was used less on special teams and his value there diminished.  If the Bears ever realize that Hester was so much more of an asset in the return game then he is at receiver, their return game could blossom once again.

The Bears do have some decent players returning kicks (aside from Hester).  Both safety Danieal Manning and wide receiver Johnny Knox have played well in the kickoff game and should do well in 2010.  Manning may end up seeing more of a role on special teams if he doesn’t win the starting safety job (which is highly unlikely) while Knox may see some of his returns drop due to an increasing role on offense.

Hester should remain the punt return specialist, but look for the Bears to work in someone else like Earl Bennett or quite possibly D.J. Moore to help him out.  Bennett saw some success as a punt return specialist last season and could fit that role again this season.

Reserve linebacker Tim Shaw was brought onto the team to help fill the void that would be left by those special teamers that would have to fill in for Brian Urlacher after he was injured.  All Shaw did was lead the Bears in special teams tackles and finish the season on a high note against the Lions.  The Bears signed Shaw to a one-year contract and with a solid training camp, it’s almost certain that he will be back again in 2010.

Overall, the Bears still have one of the best special teams units in the NFL and will continue to do so as long as Toub can take the guys that are given to him and mold them into a strong unit.  However, this may be the last season that we see Toub in Chicago because of the current coaching staff’s instability.  We may see the entire coaching staff wiped out at the end of the season, and unfortunately, Toub would go with that group. 

Another possible scenario is that Toub could be called upon to be a head coach somewhere in the NFL next season.  He definitely has the talent to be a head coach in the league and there will be some teams out there that want to use his talents to run their team.

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