Thread: Bears to release Maynard and Manning

Here's some followup on the punter situation.

Scramble'11: Bears need a new punter

July, 25, 2011Jul 25
7:42
PM ET


By Kevin Seifert


We're only a few hours into the NFL's post-lockout world, but we're already getting answers to some key personnel questions we spent the offseason discussing.


Maynard

Here is one of the first. ESPNChicago.com cousin Jeff Dickerson has confirmed the Chicago Bears won't re-sign free agent Brad Maynard, their punter for the past 10 seasons. The team informed Maynard of the decision late Monday afternoon in a story first reported by the Chicago Tribune.

This move isn't entirely unexpected, but it's still a bit jarring to see a core member of a special teams juggernaut cast aside. Maynard is 37 and his performance dipped a bit in 2010, but age is relative when it comes to punters and place-kickers in the NFL. A reliable specialist is one of the most underrated comforts in football.

A snippet from our original discussion in March:

It's true that Maynard's 35.2-yard net average ranked 30th among NFL punters last season, but he did drop 24 punts inside the 20-yard line. Veteran savvy and experience are as valuable to kicking specialists as any position on the game, and Maynard's career total of 407 punts downed inside the 20 are the second-most in the NFL over the past 35 seasons.

Still, the Bears have made the decision to move on and assuredly have a priority list for replacements. They have longtime camp leg Richmond McGee on their roster, and ESPNChicago.com offers three veteran possibilities: Sam Koch, Adam Podlesh and Steve Weatherford. Negotiations can begin Tuesday at 10 a.m. ET. Stay tuned.

Sad but necessary Patrick. This is another article that mentions Steve Weatherford as a potential replacement.

Mannelly 'unbelievably sad' to see Maynard leave

• 

By Brad Biggs Tribune reporter 8:48 p.m. CDT, July 25, 2011


Pat Mannelly knew very well that Brad Maynard was a free agent and that could signal the end of his long run with the Chicago Bears.

But the long snapper did everything he could to block the possibility out of his mind. It became reality today when the Tribune reported the Bears have informed Maynard, 37, he is no longer in the team's plans.
"It's been 10 years we've worked together and you just never think it's going to end," Mannelly said. "It caught me off guard.

Any time you are a free agent, it can happen. But it's unbelievably sad to see him go. It's going to be difficult to find someone to fill those shoes as smooth as we operated with Robbie (Gould) and as good of a punter as Brad is."

Maynard figures to find a team interested in him, the Washington Redskins possibly among them.

"I have no doubt someone is going to go after him hard," Mannelly said. "I think he has a few years, maybe more than a few years remaining."

That puts the Bears in the market for a punter, as they have untested Richmond McGee under contract. Free agent Steve Weatherford is a serious candidate to replace Maynard.

bmbiggs@tribune.com

Twitter @BradBiggs

Copyright © 2011, Chicago Tribune
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Then I really hope the Bears are going after Jets' P Steve Weatherford. McGee and all the rookies are not the answer for our punting game.