Oct 20, 2013; Nashville, TN, USA; Tennessee Titans running back Darius Reynaud (25) carries the ball against the San Francisco 49ers during the first half at LP Field. Mandatory Credit: Don McPeak-USA TODAY Sports
Adding to the special teams mix, the Bears brought in return specialist Darius Reynaud to take a shot at return duties for the recently dismissed Eric Weems. From the Bears’ press release:
"Reynaud has appeared in 48 games with Minnesota (2008-09), the New York Giants (2010), Tennessee (2012-13) and the New York Jets (2013), returning 102 punts for 985 yards (9.7 ypr) and two touchdowns and 104 kickoff returns for 2,347 yards (22.6 ypr) and a touchdown. In 2012, Reynaud led the NFL in total kick return yards (1,650 – 1,240 kickoff and 410 punt) and tied for the NFL lead in total kick return touchdowns (three – two punt and one kickoff) and punt return touchdowns (two). That season he finished second in the league in kickoff return yards (1,240), fifth in punt return yards (410) and third in punt return average (13.2 ypr)."
You’ve got to give the current Bears administration credit. They see the same things we see and they aggressively make moves to fix issues. After Thursday’s effort, they said they were not satisfied with the return game and made moves to correct the situation by cutting Weems and bringing in Reynaud. Time will tell if it’s the right move or the wrong move, but they’ll leave no stone unturned.