Clutts finesses long-snapper role
Tyler Clutts’ deft touch in an awkward situation belied his surname.
“Do you mind if I put a shirt on?” he asked politely when a TV cameraman’s light shone on him in the Bears’ locker room following their 31-20 win over San Diego at Soldier Field on Sunday night.
The chiseled Clutts, 6-feet-2 and 260 pounds, had nothing to be embarrassed about, especially after he helped the Bears make a seamless transition with their long snappers during the middle of the game.
Bears head coach Lovie Smith and special teams coach Dave Toub called on Clutts, the team’s starting fullback, to long-snap after veteran Patrick Mannelly injured his knee on an extra point following Marion Barber’s 1-yard touchdown run late in the second quarter and never returned.
Clutts hadn’t long-snapped in a game since high school. The well-traveled 27-year-old had done only some short snaps when he played for the Utah Blaze in the Arena Football League.
Mannelly, who holds the franchise record for career games played (215), has been the Bears’ long snapper since 1998.
Clutts has been a Bear since Sept. 7 — four days before the team’s season opener against Atlanta, when the Fresno State product was signed off Cleveland’s practice squad.
“When Coach Toub came over and told me I was up, I got this, ‘Wait, wait, wait. What?’” said Clutts, smiling. “It caught me a little by surprise, but I just tried not to stress too much about it. Everybody did a great job. ‘Pod’ (punter Adam Podlesh) did a great job of just keeping me calm and confident.”
In a snap, Clutts was snapping.
“Tyler Clutts,” Smith said, “he didn’t go through training camp with us, has been a core special teams player for us, a great fullback. Tonight, having to become the long snapper ... that’s saying a lot for your fullback to do some of those things.”
Clutts fired off 4 long snaps and was flawless on each, including 3 PATs.
“It was one of those things where I tried to focus on everything else so I wasn’t psyching myself out mentally,” Clutts said. “I just went out and did it like I do in practice. I tried not to put too much pressure on myself.”
After his first snap, following Jay Cutler’s 4-yard TD pass to Kellen Davis with 20 seconds left before halftime, Clutts asked and got some advice from the ol’ pro Mannelly.
“They were blowing me up pretty good on the (PAT),” Clutts said of the Chargers. “I knew on punt they were going to come after me, just because it’s the backup long snapper. ... (Mannelly) gave me some tips for the field-goal snaps on how not to get blown up and driven back.”
If Mannelly can’t play Sunday at Oakland, Clutts, whose night included a 9-yard reception, is prepared to do whatever his coaches ask of him.
“My whole (college and professional) career, I’ve always been the No. 2 (long snapper),” said Clutts, who’s also had stints in the Canadian Football League (Edmonton Eskimos) and United Football League (Sacramento Mountain Lions). “After college is when I really focused on trying to get good at it or have it as a tool if called upon. I went to one special teams long-snapping camp.”
It was not Mannelly’s camp.
“Should have been,” Clutts said with a smile.