LAKE FOREST, Ill. – One of the hardest things for a specialist to learn while playing for the Bears is how to handle the wind at Soldier Field. Rookie punter Tory Taylor will have to face the challenge for the first time with fans in the stands when the Bears host the Bengals for their third preseason game on Saturday. But it won’t be the first time Taylor is exposed to the elements.
“You never want a player to be in a situation that he hasn't been in on game day,” said special teams coordinator Richard Hightower. “That's wrong.”
Hightower learned that philosophy from two coaches he worked under in Houston and Washington, Joe Marciano and Danny Smith. Throughout his time with the Bears, Hightower has made sure to take the kicking units to Soldier Field on excursions to get a feel for the wind patterns. This year is no different.
Taylor played college ball at Iowa, so he’s no stranger to playing in nasty weather. Soldier Field is a different beast however. The word used most often to describe the wind in the stadium is “swirling.” It doesn’t blow consistently in one direction. Gusts are different in one end zone compared to the other. So it was important for Taylor to get a feel for it before the game.
“Obviously he doesn't have a feel for a stadium in a competitive live situation,” Hightower said. “So that's going to be exciting to see.”
The Bears drafted Taylor in the fourth round of this year’s draft with the expectation that he would develop into a force who could help pin opposing offenses deep in their own territory. So far he’s shown that he’s up to the task. He had two punts against the Bills on Saturday and each landed near the 10 yard line. One went out of bounds at the 11-yard line. The second was fielded at the six-yard line, but poor tackling led to a 15-yard gain on the return.
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