Nov. 01--With their off week almost finished, the Bears will head to the second half of their season looking for a spark. From anyone. From anywhere.
And that means the special teams units will look to make strides after an eight-game stretch that was mediocre at best.
In the final installment of our midseason review, we're zeroing in on a special teams group that has failed to make a major impact for the 3-5 Bears.
NFL rankings
--26th in field goals made (8).
--25th in kickoff return average (21.4 yards).
--28th in punt return average (6.3 yards).
--5th in kickoff return coverage average (20.2 yards).
--26th in punt return coverage average (11.5 yards).
Biggest storyline
As the preseason wound down, Bears general manager Phil Emery made an executive decision on how to assemble and fortify his special teams. It was a plan that emphasized building for the future, even if that meant taking some lumps in the short term.
The thought, Emery explained, meant taking a horde of younger players and parting ways with several proven veterans.
Eighth-year veteran Eric Weems was shown the door in August, a day after he lost a fumble on a kickoff return during an exhibition against the Jaguars. Craig Steltz, sidelined for nearly three weeks of training camp after offseason groin surgery, was cut Aug. 26. Jordan Senn, signed as a free agent in March for the special teams grit and leadership he showed with the Panthers, was shown the door during the final wave of cuts.
So now Emery has put things in the hands of coordinator Joe DeCamillis to do his best unifying and grooming a special teams group that's greener and less accomplished than generally preferred.
"It was definitely an organizational decision where we tried to go young at the start of the year, and we knew that there were going to be some rough spots," DeCamillis said. "But we also knew that with young players that are talented, they should improve."
Added Emery on Monday: "That's on me. And I still believe in what we're doing."
Emery's push is to take the young, talented players he has on the roster and catalyze their overall development by heightening their roles on special teams. He points to defensive end Cornelius Washington, safety Ahmad Dixon and cornerback Terrance Mitchell as showing strong potential.
Eventually, though, that potential will have to turn into results. And through eight games, it hasn't.
"Do they need to fit better?" Emery said. "Yes they do. ... We've had some really good moments. We haven't had enough of them."
Furthermore, the Bears' ongoing roster churn -- 62 transactions involving 30 players since Sept. 2 -- has created added challenges for DeCamillis and coach Marc Trestman, who have been pressed to integrate new players into their systems without any promise of whether those players will be around for three practices or four or five or more.
"That's a challenge that we have each and every week," Trestman said. "And I think that's part of what we're trying to do -- get to the point where we can move forward the three-practice guy to where he's practicing six, eight and 10 practices. That's just part of it."
What has gone wrong
Think of it this way: What's the biggest special teams highlight for the Bears?
On their 19 kickoff returns, only three have been taken out past the 25-yard line.
Of eight Santonio Holmes punt returns, the longest was a 22-yarder in Week 5, with the other seven returns averaging 4.0 yards.
DeCamillis' coverage units have created only one takeaway. And there have been 16 special teams penalties (including two that were declined) committed by 10 players, a sign that the bolts are just a little too loose in that phase.
The revolving door at kick returner has been dizzying, from Weems and Micheal Spurlock in the preseason to Senorise Perry, Rashad Ross and Chris Williams during the first eight games.
There was also the odd 79-yard punt return touchdown the Bears allowed to the Panthers' Philly Brown in Week 5, a play on which gunner Teddy Williams hit the Panthers return man right before the ball arrived. From there, 10 other Bears failed to either corral the loose ball or find Brown.
And Sunday in New England, the Bears' disastrous finish to the first half included a 42-yard punt return surrendered to Julian Edelman, an explosive play that gift-wrapped a one-play, 9-yard touchdown drive.
Silver lining
This season was never going to hinge on a rookie punter. But Pat O'Donnell has displayed progress in the last two months, showing why Emery used a sixth-round draft choice on him in May. O'Donnell was sharp in the Week 6 win over the Falcons, delivering five punts with solid distance, hang time and direction. O'Donnell averaged only 40.2 yards on those boots, but legendary return man Devin Hester managed only 10 punt return yards for the game.
O'Donnell averaged 53 yards on three punts the next week against the Dolphins and had a career-long punt of 61 yards Sunday against the Patriots with the wind at his back.
His 45.5 yards-per-punt average ranks 17th in the NFL. Now the rookie and his coverage team will aim to improve their 35.7 yards-per-punt net average.
Midseason MVP
We'll pass on this one. It's just too hard to find any Bear worthy of the designation. Willie Young and Lamarr Houston each blocked field goals. Dixon recovered a fumble in punt coverage that led to a Bears touchdown in the Week 3 win over the Jets. And rookie safety Brock Vereen leads the team with seven special teams tackles.
But none of that is honor-worthy.
Notable number
243: Robbie Gould's next field goal will be the 243rd of his career, tying Kevin Butler's franchise record and moving Gould into 39th on the NFL's all-time list. In his 10th season, Gould's perfectionist ways continue to impress. Said DeCamillis, in his second season working with the kicker: "Probably the biggest thing I didn't know about the guy is his competitive spirit. He really wants to be the best of all time. That's what drives him. ... He competes every single moment, every single play."
dwiederer@tribune.com
Twitter @danwiederer
