Hightower on new kickoff in HOF game, Taylor's performance in camp |
LAKE FOREST, I.L. - The Chicago Bears' Hall of Fame victory against the Houston Texans offered special teams coordinators around the NFL the opportunity to watch the NFL’s new kickoff rule in action.
While no kickoffs were returned for touchdowns, Bears’ special teams coordinator Richard Hightower learned a lot from the game. “It happens really fast. I took away that angles are really important. Body types are really important and really, I think (head coach Matt Eberflus) even said it, we’re going to try some different things. He’s heavily involved with the kickoff and kickoff return. We talk about it almost every other day or every day really,” Hightower said. “Talked about it today, talked about it yesterday and just took away that guys with length, guys like (wide receiver) Collin Johnson, what a hell of a play he made for the first time, being part of history. Just took away that it happens really fast.” Wide receiver Tyler Scott was the starting kick returner in the Hall of Fame game and was hit pretty hard by the Texans during his returns. Some thought Scott should not have returned the kick, but having Scott return it provides valuable insight for Chicago regarding the strategy of when to and not to return kicks because while the new rule incentivizes returning the kickoff, there are still times when it would strategically be better not to do so. “Our plan was to return all kicks. We want to get an evaluation on everyone and our plan was to return all the kicks no matter where they were. So, he did a really nice good there and then, I think it’s just we’re all still learning on the kickoff. I didn’t feel like there were any more collisions on the play than it normally is,” Hightower said. “I think it’s a lot cleaner. I think it’s got a chance to be a lot more dynamic and we all just got to figure it out. We only got one game sample. We only got a couple of kickoff returns. So, it’s too early to judge.” The Hall of Fame game also put both the Bears and Texans in a unique situation - playing a team in the preseason they will also face in the regular season. In fact, the two teams play against each other in week two of Sunday Night Football on Sun. Sept. 15 (7:20 p.m./NBC). So, even though the Bears want to figure out the new kickoff rule, they also could not reveal everything they want to do because they will be playing that same team again in a little over a month. “It’s a delicate balance, honestly. We’re trying to figure it out, and we’re diving head first into figuring it out,” Hightower said. “Obviously, we have things that we’re not going to show just like other teams are not going to show, granted we’re playing them in week two. So, I’m sure we were both very vanilla on both sides, and it should be good going forward.” For Chicago, special teams will be interesting to watch regarding kickoffs and punts. The Bears chose to spend their fourth-round draft selection on punter Tory Taylor out of Iowa, who was a unanimous All-American last season with the Hawkeyes. Hightower has watched Taylor develop from early in the spring to now in training camp and is excited for him to maximize his potential throughout his NFL career. “What I’ve seen from him is just growth every day… First of all, he’s a phenomenal teammate, and he’s a really good person. So, even if he wasn’t a football player, he’d be a guy, I think, that guys would hang out in the locker room, and then being an elite talent only adds to that, and he’s always trying to get better,” Hightower said. “One thing is clearly evident with Tory Taylor is he (doesn’t) give a damn about anything but winning and that’s how I think. So, that’s why I really love this kid, and he wants to work on his craft every day so that he can put (the team) in a position to own the field. That’s how he thinks … He runs toward criticism. He doesn’t run away from it, and really, that’s something he probably got from Charles Tillman (because) Charles talked to us early on, and Charles told the rookies that … This kid takes a lot of notes. He got a chance to be really good. Now, it’s still early and we still got a lot of work to do … He’s really wired the right way.” Taylor did not punt in the Hall of Fame game. Instead, Chicago had their backup punter, Corliss Waitman, punting in that game, and he also did very well. Waitman has not played in a regular-season game since 2022, when he led the NFL in punts with 96. However, his performance against Houston puts the Bears in a comfortable position of having two reliable punters. “Corliss Waitman, he punted his tail off. He did a really nice job in that game and he had some really big time punts,” Hightower said. “I’d be remiss if I didn’t say how well he played. He held those guys (to) 4.5 yards per return. He had a big 52-yard punt … He also had a punt out of bounds, a 49-yard punt out of bounds on the sideline. So, we’re in a good situation right now.” The preseason is an opportunity for players to excel in all three phases of the game, as players such as Johnson and Waitman showed against the Texans. Not only did Johnson record the first tackle under the NFL’s new kickoff rule, but he also had two touchdown receptions. Seeing players like that succeed is part of why Hightower enjoys coaching. “That’s what I live for - two things. One thing is winning championships and the other thing is helping kids like Collin Johnson, (linebacker) Jack Sanborn, all those kids that start young,” Hightower said. “That’s what drives me as a coach and (assistant special teams coach) Coach (Carlos) Polk as a coach and all of the coaches that help our team. So, we just want them to keep making plays.”
