Chicago Bears Stat of the Day: Punting Is Still a Thing

Probably the most unheralded MVP of the Chicago Bears defenses between 2001 and 2010 was none other than punter Brad Maynard.

His savvy directional kicking was often key in pinning opponents back deep in their own territories, allowing the defense to be more aggressive in forcing turnovers. His finest hour may have been his second-to-last game with the team in January of 2011. In a playoff victory over the Seattle Seahawks, Maynard dropped two key punts inside the five-yard line that killed Seahawk drives before they began. It was disappointing when he departed the next season.

Especially because Bears punting has sagged in productivity since he left. His replacement Adam Podlesh was inconsistent and now their new young gun Pat O’Donnell continues. Four seasons into his NFL career and fans are still waiting for “Megapunt” to finally take that next step towards the top of the league that his considerable talent demands.

So far? Not so much.

Chicago Bears punting remains frustratingly mediocre

There have been good moments of course, but O’Donnell has the mind-numbing tendency to kill his momentum the following week. He’s basically the Jay Cutler of punt, which is incredibly ironic. The fact that the Bears haven’t made a significant move to at least give him competition makes it even worse. Especially given his numbers from last year. He ranked 22nd overall and was disappointing across the board.

• 44.0 yards per punt (25th)
• 39.9 net yards per punt (27th)
• 24 punts inside the 20 (19th)
• 5 punts inside the 10 (13th)
• 31 fair catches (3rd)

These days O’Donnell seems better at demonstrating how good he is off the field with trick shot videos like that. He still hasn’t found a way to break down his game to more of a science. The inconsistency is maddening and big reason why the Bears defense has been left high and dry in a number of key situations the past few seasons. John Fox shouldn’t be the only man on the hot seat going into this 2016 season.

Punting may not be the most glamorous job in the world, but if Bears fans want to get back to great defense then it’s one that needs to be handled properly.