Who were Bears' real workhorses?

Who were Bears' real workhorses?

By Brad Biggs, Chicago Tribune reporter

8:28 p.m. CST, February 11, 2012
Dave Toub was forced to wonder how it would shake out at this time a year ago when the Bears' top six tacklers on special teams all were headed to unrestricted free agency.

He's in a similar position again as five of the top eight core players, based on playing time, will be unrestricted or are already gone.

According to NFL-generated playing time statistics the Tribune acquired, Pro Bowl special teams performer Corey Graham was on the field for 412 special teams snaps, 85.1 percent of the time. That means Graham missed only three special teams plays all season, excluding Robbie Gould's 69 extra point and field goal attempts as Graham is not on the field for those.

Graham will be an unrestricted free agent as will cornerback Zack Bowman (325 snaps) and safety Craig Steltz (310). Linebacker Brian Iwuh (252) was waived after suffering a hamstring injury in November and wide receiver Sam Hurd (209) has been gone since his arrest on drug charges.

In reviewing complete playing-time statistics, here are some interesting tidbits:

• Defensive tackle Anthony Adams, re-signed to a two-year contract last summer, had his playing time drop sharply from 2010. Adams was on the field for 280 snaps — 302 fewer than he had in 2010 when he played 56.1 percent of the time.

• Roy Williams led all wide receivers with 600 snaps, though he fell short of a predicted 70 to 80 catches. He tied Johnny Knox for the team-lead with 37 receptions.

• Tight end Kellen Davis had his playing time more than quadruple. He was on the field for 727 snaps — 72.2 percent of the time. Conversely, his time on special teams dropped. He went from 309 snaps in 2010 to 57.

• Defensive end Israel Idonije has played a lot on special teams despite being a starter. He had 140 special teams snaps.

• When Danieal Manning and Chris Harris started all 16 games at safety in 2010 they combined for 1,750 snaps. The leader in snaps at the safety in 2011 was rookie Chris Conte with 593.

• Defensive tackle Matt Toeaina also saw his playing time dip with the arrival of Amobi Okoye and Stephen Paea. He had 390 snaps, 213 less than in 2010.

• The offensive players who played the most in the NFL were Saints offensive linemen Jermon Bushrod and Carl Nicks. They each had 1,152 snaps. Defensively, Cardinals safety Adrian Wilson, who played the entire season with a torn biceps tendon, had an NFL-high 1,134 snaps.


Playing time: Who were Chicago Bears' real workhorses? - chicagotribune.com