Toub says he owes a lot to Eagles coach Reid

Long before he became arguably the best special teams coordinator in the NFL, Dave Toub was a fired college coach looking for a job.

After 12 years at Missouri as the defensive line and strength and conditioning coach, Toub was let go along with the rest of the staff after the 2000 season.

Andy Reid, who had just completed his second season as the Eagles head coach, offered him a job. Toub was an offensive lineman at Texas-El Paso, and then became the strength and conditioning coach there for two years (1987-88), while Reid was the offensive line coach. After that they spent three years as assistant coaches at Missouri before Reid left to become as assistant coach with the Packers.

Nine years later, he gave Toub his first NFL job.

“He’s been the most important guy,” Toub said. “When our whole staff got fired at Missouri, he hired me and got me in the NFL back in 2001. I owe a lot to Andy.”

After three years as the Eagles’ assistant special teams and assistant defensive line coach, Lovie Smith hired Toub for his current position.

Competing against Reid will always be special for Toub.

“It seems like we play them every year,” Toub said. “But every time, it’s really good to see him, No. 1, and then to compete against him and his team and see all those guys, it’s a lot of fun.”

Monday night’s game in Philly also has the potential to be incredibly entertaining, considering the Bears’ Devin Hester is the best punt returner in the game, and the Eagles’ DeSean Jackson might be the second best. In his six seasons, Hester has an NFL record 11 punt-return touchdowns. Jackson, in his fourth season, has 4 punt-return TDs to go with 19 receiving touchdowns and 3 rushing scores.

In 2009, Jackson scored 8 touchdowns of longer than 50 yards, tying the NFL record held by Elroy “Crazy Legs” Hirsch and — wait for it — Hester.

“He’s very dangerous,” Toub said of the 5-foot-10, 175-pound Jackson. “You don’t have to go back far to find big-time returns. We showed the Giants return again, the one (last Dec. 19) where he dropped it then picked it up and ran it in for a (65-yard) touchdown and won the game (on the final play). He’s so dangerous, so explosive. He’s the most explosive returner we’ll face this year, and our guys are very aware of that.”

Opponents have allowed Jackson just 8 punt returns (and a total of just 42 yards) this season, and Toub says the Bears will try to follow suit.

“We’re going to try to kick away from him,” he said. “We’re going to try to move the ball (around). We’re not going to serve it up to him by any means, but we still need to cover. We need to get off our blocks, fan the field and make sure we stay in our lanes and gang tackle. We have to get a lot of guys to him. It’s not going to be just one guy; it’s going to be a team effort.”

Against the Giants, on Dec. 13, 2009, Jackson scored on a 72-yard punt return and also caught a 60-yard TD pass, playing one of his best games in prime time, much like Hester, who has scored 8 of his NFL-record 16 kick-return touchdowns in prime time.

Toub says he doesn’t have any scientific explanation on why Hester seems to shine brightest under the lights of national-TV exposure.

“I just hope he keeps it up,” he said. “You just never know when it’s going to happen. We’ve got to get the right kick to us, and guys have to block their guys. But on Monday nights, he just has a little more juice it seems like. He knows everybody’s watching; that plays a part in it. Everyone plays a little bit harder on Monday night.”

Throughout his Bears career, Toub’s special teams have been among the NFL’s best, but despite his best-laid return plans, sometimes success comes without a plan. It’s impossible to choreograph what Hester does as a return man.

Toub was asked if Hester ever follows the plan exactly as it’s drawn.

“Sometimes,” he said, chuckling. “But football is never exactly what you draw on the blackboard. Guys have to be able to think on their feet. Things change all the time. Devin just happens to be very good at it.”

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