Bears Taking Special Teams Secrets into Weekend

The Bears have special teams secrets this week against the Indianapolis Colts.

Coordinator Chris Tabor spent much of his Thursday conference call talking about who will replace Tarik Cohen as the punt returner, without saying who it will be. And neither he nor coach Matt Nagy are divulging much about the chance Eddy Pineiro could return to kick this week, although he is eligible to return from injured reserve if his groin injury has healed.

The big question is about punt returner.

In the past the Bears turned to wide receiver Anthony Miller as a backup to Cohen, who has been lost for the year due to a torn ACL. Miller did it twice at the end of Sunday's game, but there are plenty of reasons why he couldn't do it regularly.

"Well, we have a lot of guys that we have been training and guys have been getting catches," Tabor said. "We are still working through all of that.

"But Anthony is a guy that just overall as a football player that when the ball is in his hands, he can make special things happen."

This was about as vague as Tabor could get on the topic. It seemed he might be leaning toward Miller but wouldn't commit or reveal it.

Miller can make things happen, but the Bears have sent him to a surgeon after each of the last two years due to shoulder injuries and one occurred on a punt return.

When Miller wasn't so essential in the offense as a rookie it made sense. However, now he has become their No. 2 receiver.

Miller was near midfield on both punt returns against Atlanta. On one he called fair catch and the other he scratched out a 6-yard return and drew a late-hit penalty for 15 extra yards.

"I was real proud of him coming in handling field position on short notice," Tabor said. "But at the end of the day we have to make sure we have the football at the end of the play."

At least Cordarrelle Patterson was making it easier to find out who will perform the task, by process of elmination.

It won't be him. Kickoffs are his thing, although he left open the possibility he would be willing to try in an emergency.

"I don't return punts, man," Patterson said. "That's not what I've been doing. Like I told coach Tabes, if you need me to go out there and try to catch a punt, I'll do it to my best ability to try to catch a punt.

"That's not something I've been doing my career. I've been returning kicks my whole life. Whatever you need, I got yah."

Ted Ginn Jr. has been a punt returner before but not any time in recent years, while Darnell Mooney has practiced it with the Bears. Javon Wims also has been tried there in the past at practices and Patterson suggested before Thursday's practice that the Bears look at him.

Eddie Jackson returned two punts in his career, but putting their former All-Pro safety back for punts after paying him $58.4 million doesn't seem to make much sense.

As for the kicking situation, Cairo Santos has missed two big kicks this season and the Bears have stuck with him. He missed a 46-yarder against the Falcons and a 50-yarder the week before against the Giants at Soldier Field.

"Well, No. 1 he understands that how important those are to make," Nagy said. "He realizes that when you're indoors, and I think it was a 46-yard field goal, that we've got to make those every time.

"And so, there's nothing that I do or we jump down his back or yell at him and scream at him. He understands that. He's a true professional. He knows that. He's not trying to miss it. But at the same point and time, I was probably more upset at the time that we were kicking a field goal—attempting one—than to miss, just because it was that early in the game."

Pineiro hasn't been removed from IR, and Nagy was asked if he could confirm Santos is kicking again.

"I can't confirm that right now, but I mean, like with practice and everything, as of now that's where we are at in regards to Cairo," Nagy sad. "I can't confirm anything though."

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