[CBFF] FW: Bears are No. 1 again (no joke)

[Phil DeNomme]

"The Bears were actually last in kickoff returns at 18.4 yards because there
were so many gimmicks used to keep the ball out of Hester's hands, but the
short squibs, kicks out of bounds and everything else added up to the best
starting field position at an average of he 33.7-yard line."

Another instance of where stats don't tell the whole story.  My ass Cribbs
is better than Hester.  Teams aren't scared to kick to Cribbs like they are
Hester.

-----Original Message-----
From: cbff-bounces at chicagobearsfanforum.com
[mailto:cbff-bounces at chicagobearsfanforum.com] On Behalf Of Tom Shannon
Sent: Monday, February 11, 2008 9:40 AM
To: post at chicagobearsfanforum.com
Subject: [CBFF] FW: Bears are No. 1 again (no joke)


Feed: Inside the Bears
Posted on: Sunday, February 10, 2008 9:10 AM
Author: Brad Biggs
Subject: Bears are No. 1 again (no joke)

The Bears are No. 1 again.
While far from that lofty position in the standings, the team ranked tops
again in the league in special teams in the rankings released today by
Dallas Morning News football writer Rick Gosselin.
Gosselin has been crunching the numbers since 1980 when he got the formula
from Frank Gansz, then the special teams coach for the Kansas City Chiefs
and later their head coach.
The teams are ranked from 1 to 32 in 22 categories ... getting one for being
the best and 32 for being the worst. The Bears wound up with 236.5 points,
5.5 ahead of San Diego. It's the second consecutive year Dave Toub's unit
has finished on top, in large part due to return man Devin Hester, who will
compete in the Pro Bowl later today along with special teamer Brendon
Ayanbadejo.
When Gosselin started back when he was working at the Kansas City Star,
there were only five or six full-time special teams coaches in the league.
In the 28 years since, it's developed into a specialized craft and his
rankings have taken off. Coaches used it to get pay raises now. Don't think
Hester won't look to use it himself.
The Bears led the league in scoring, starting field position following
kickoffs, blocked kicks (eight -- three by Israel Idonije) and kickoff
coverage. They were second in punt returns and field goals (31) and third in
punt coverage. They were also in the top five in opponent punting and
opponent net punting, in large part because of Hester. In all, the Bears
were in the top 10 in 14 of 22 categories.
The Bears were actually last in kickoff returns at 18.4 yards because there
were so many gimmicks used to keep the ball out of Hester's hands, but the
short squibs, kicks out of bounds and everything else added up to the best
starting field position at an average of he 33.7-yard line.

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