Bear Digest

Bears prepared for 'dirty' kicking from Raiders' Daniel Carlson

Analysis: The kicking and punting game is looking so unorthodox these days it might be wortwhile for teams to start hiring actual kicking coaches on staff to teach "dirty" kicking.
Gene Chamberlain|
Kicker Cairo Santos (left) and punter Tory Taylor are well equipped for the brave new NFL world of unorthodox kicking and punting.
Kicker Cairo Santos (left) and punter Tory Taylor are well equipped for the brave new NFL world of unorthodox kicking and punting. | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

It's a page of Bears lore, and probably not one fan like to recall.

The team actually had to hire Jamie Kohl as a kicking consultant in May of 2019 after Cody Parkey's release because of the difficulty of sorting through kicking candidates. Maybe they were just ahead of the game.

Not a lot of special teams coordinators are experts on the actual kicking of the football and perhaps it's not too long until actual kicking coaches will become part of all NFL coaching staffs because of the way the rule have evolved, especially kickoffs.

Bears special teams coordinator Richard Hightower this week started talking about a new type of kick and it's one created by the new kickoff rules. It's the "dirty kick."

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“We call them dirty kicks or dirty balls," Hightower said. "That's what all the special teams coach coaches call them. Those dirty kicks or knuckle kicks.

"It's still too early to tell, but we're expecting those from the Raiders. They do that. They've done that in the past."

It used to be kickers with big legs were wanted to kick off out of the end zone. One of those might have helped the Bears in the opener.

The new rules, though, make it more important to be able maneuver different types of kickoffs. Kickers like the Raiders' Daniel Carlson will try to knuckle a kickoff to make the ball tough to handle and give his coverage teams time to get down and force poor field position.

"Now, there's consequences with that," Hightower said. "You could have the landing zone penalties and some of that stuff where you could put your defense at the 40-yardline if you don't do it properly."

This is part of the new rule that a kick not reaching the 20 in the draws a flag. The accepted penalty puts the ball at the 40. The Bears already benefited from the rule once against the Lions when a kick in the fourth quarter hit short of the 20.

The Bears are not without their own version of knuckle or dirty kicks.

"I thought Cairo (Santos) did a phenomenal job of it last week where we mixed some of that stuff in to keep (KaVontae) Turpin off key and off balance," Hightower said. "He couldn't key us on some of that stuff. The main objective for Cairo last week was to make sure we do not allow Turpin to wreck the game. He did a phenomenal job with those knuckle kicks that you're talking about."

The penalty is rather steep for a kick not reaching the zone.

“I'm just saying there is risk to it," Hightower said. "I'm saying my philosophy is to use whatever wins the game. I'll use it if we need to use it. I will not use it if we don't think it'll help us win.

Cardinals kicker Chad Ryland found out the risky part on Thursday night. His kick landed short of the landing zone as the Cardinals got tricky. It meant Seattle got to start at its 40 and had an easier time driving in only a few seconds and completions to the winning 52-yard field goal.

"We can do anything at any time and our guys know how to do it all. We’re ready to rock and roll at any time.”

The Bears are actually equipped to use different types of punts, as well. Punter Tory Taylor is Australian and has experience with the Aussie rules 'punt-on-the-run' tactic to achieve lower, bouncing or trouble punts.

“That's something that he's done in his past in his career, he's done in his college career," Hightower said. "He has done it really since he was a little boy picking up, just running and kicking the ball.

"It provides a different element for us. Keeps some guys off balance for sure."

It's all enough to make the actual kicking much more complicated and force the need for a kicking coach on staffs to teach and reinforced the various techniques needed for different styles of kicks.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.