Bennett’s punt return really special to Toub
NASHVILLE — A bright spot among the several special team breakdowns in the second preseason game was Earl Bennett’s 33-yard punt return.
“I thought Earl was excellent,” special teams coach Dave Toub said. “Every time we put Earl in on a special teams, he does something good. He always stands out to me.”
Bennett’s career punt-return average is a very respectable 10.7 yards, not that far behind Devin Hester’s 12.4.
Toub has also been impressed with punter Adam Podlesh’s holding on extra points and field goal attempts. That was a concern in the off-season since kicker Robbie Gould had never had anyone other than Brad Maynard as a holder.
“It’s no problem,” Toub said. “He’s got good hands, he’s solid. Brad Maynard was excellent; this guy’s very good.”
Bennett led all receivers with 6 catches for 89 yards vs. the Titans. He goes back a long way with quarterback Jay Cutler, who was already entrenched as the starter at Vanderbilt when Bennett was a freshman who caught 75 passes.
“I’ve known Earl for a long time,” Cutler said. “Earl hasn’t changed one iota since his freshman year at Vandy and probably never will. I just feel comfortable with him out there. He just does what he’s supposed to do. He’s just a football player. We need more of those in the locker room.”
Fighting it out:Wide receiver Johnny Knox has gotten most of his preseason snaps with the second team since losing his starting job to Roy Williams. But he managed to produce 3 catches for 32 yards in the first two games, while returning 4 kickoffs for 157 yards and 4 punts for 31 yards and handled the demotion well after some initial disappointment.#147;I expect him to handle it that way,#148; coach Lovie Smith said. #147;It#146;s pretty simple. We have a starting rotation. If you#146;re not getting the job done and you#146;re on top, the next guy is going to get an opportunity. Our players realize that. We let everyone know that. In time, they tell us who should start and who should play and all of that. As a football player, you have to be ready and just know, #145;I#146;m going to get my opportunity. I need to show everyone that I belong.#146;#148;Knox had 1 catch for 21 yards Saturday night.Sitting it out:Nose tackle Anthony Adams (calf) and weak-side linebacker Lance Briggs (bruised knee) missed Saturday night#146;s game and they might not play in the preseason finale Thursday night at Soldier Field against the Browns. It#146;s not an ideal situation, but coach Lovie Smith believes both will be 100 percent for the regular-season opener on Sept. 11.#147;They#146;ve been around a while,#148; coach Lovie Smith said. #147;They know what we expect, and they know the defense. They#146;re veteran players. But there#146;s a reason why we practice. We would love to have those players out here as soon as we can and hopefully before long we#146;ll get them out. We#146;re a better defensive team with those players, and I#146;m just banking on them being ready to go.#148;Tight end Kellen Davis (back), wide receiver Sam Hurd (ankle), running back Harvey Unga (personal) and defensive end Corey Wootton (knee) also did not play.Brian Iwuh started in place of Briggs, Matt Toeaiana filled in for Adams, and Matt Spaeth started at tight end. Running back Marion Barber left the game in the second quarter with a calf injury and did not return. Tight end Desmond Clark was carted off the field with a knee injury suffered after catching a short pass in the fourth quarter. He limped to the bus afterward but was walking without assistance.Bears 2011 scheduleAll home games in CAPSPreseasonAug. 13: Bears 10, Buffalo 3 at Buffalo, N.Y.Aug. 22: N.Y. Giants 41, Bears 13, at Newark, N.J.Aug. 27: at Tennessee, 7 p.m. FOXSept. 1: CLEVELAND, 7 p.m. FOXRegular seasonSept. 11: ATLANTA, Noon FOXSept. 18: at New Orleans, Noon FOXSept. 25: GREEN BAY, 3:15 p.m. FOXOct. 2: CAROLINA, Noon FOXOct. 10: at Detroit, 7:30 p.m. ESPNOct. 16: MINNESOTA, 7:20 p.m. NBCOct. 23: Bears vs. Tampa Bay in London, Noon FOXOct. 30: BYE WEEKNov. 7: at Philadelphia, 7:30 ESPNNov. 13: DETROIT, Noon FOX*Nov. 20: SAN DIEGO, 3:15 p.m. CBS*Nov. 27: at Oakland, 3:05 p.m. FOX*Dec. 4: KANSAS CITY, Noon CBS*Dec. 11: at Denver, 3:05 p.m. FOX*Dec. 18: SEATTLE, Noon FOX*Dec. 25: at Green Bay, 7:20 p.m. NBCJan. 1: at Minnesota, Noon FOX** Denotes time subject to change due to NFL flex scheduling