The Chicago Bears are helping rookie punter Tory Taylor to handle the notorious treacherous wind in Soldier Field that has caused wacky things in the past.
The Chicago Bears selected punter Tory Taylor in the fourth round of this year’s NFL Draft. It was a surprise move that made Taylor the highest-drafted punter in a decade. Taylor has a very strong leg that helped the Iowa Hawkeyes win the 2023 Big Ten West division and get ranked 22nd in the nation despite having one of the worst offenses in college football.
Taylor will need that big strong leg once the 2024 season begins. He will face windy conditions and likely snowy days that will frustrate many players. That is just at his new home turf, Soldier Field. The wind there is notorious for causing some wacky things to happen over the years.
Coming from Iowa Taylor is used to tough weather conditions. However, Soldier Field is something different. The wind does not blow in one direction there. It just swirls. You do not know if you have an advantage from one moment to another. You can test to see where it is blowing as you leave the sideline to get to the field and by the time you are on the field it is blowing somewhere else.
The Chicago Bears hope that Tory Taylor is as dynamic at the professional level as he was in college. Many times he was able to flip the field to help his offense. That is crucial in the pro game. If he can pin his opponents deep in their territory the Bears’ defense can attack the opponent’s offense and either get a safety or force a quick punt, giving the talented Chicago Bears offense a short field to play with.
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Taylor was his usual effective self last week against the Buffalo Bills. He punted twice, each time getting the ball near the Bills’ 10-yard line. One went out of bounds at the 11. The other one landed on the six. However, poor coverage and tackling allowed the Bills to get an extra 15 yards.
Chicago Bears special teams coordinator Richard Hightower learned early in his career to have his specialists prepared for the winds. He takes the players on excursions with different wind patterns so the players get a feel for them. He recently did that with this year’s team. The purpose is not to have them get into a situation they are not prepared for.
You never want a player to be in a situation that he hasn’t been in on game day. That’s wrong.
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The upcoming game against the Cincinnati Bengals will give Taylor his first opportunity to punt at Soldier Field in a game situation. Hightower is looking forward to seeing how Taylor handles the wind if it gets bad.
Obviously, he doesn’t have a feel for a stadium in a competitive live situation. So that’s going to be exciting to see.
The Chicago Bears might have gotten a player in Taylor who can quickly become a fan favorite. He enjoys himself on the field and always shows excitement. Additionally, he does not have the body one usually expects from a punter. He measures 6-foot-4 and weighs 225 pounds. The average punter measures 6-foot-1 and weighs 208 pounds.
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That is about the size of the average linebacker. The average linebacker is 6-foot-1, 242 pounds. It will be interesting to see how he hits punt returners when they get close to him. Getting hit by a linebacker is certainly different from an average punter.
The Chicago Bears formed a roster that is talented in all three phases of the game (offense, defense, and special teams). This looks to be a very fun and popular team if things fall into place. One of the most popular players could be Tory Taylor.
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