Golf experience helps make Mannelly's job in wind a snap

Long-snapper Patrick Mannelly uses his experience on the golf course to make adjustments on the football field when dealing with severe winds, such as the Bears experienced Sunday at Soldier Field and what they could face Monday night against the Vikings.

“I like to get out there early, and I kind of equate it to golf,” the 13-year veteran said. “If a guy's hitting a drive, and he's got to play the wind to get it in the middle of the fairway, how far left or right are you going to hit it? It's kind of the same thing with the snap, especially on a punt.

“With the winds we had (Sunday), and like the Green Bay game in '07, you have to figure out how far outside of the (punter's) framework you're going to aim it and then you have to play with it a little bit during pregame to figure that out. It's just getting out there early and just finding your target.”

Special effort:

According to coaches' review of game film, backup defensive back Corey Graham leads the Bears with 19 special-teams tackles. According to NFL statistics, Graham has 16 tackles, which is the most in the league.

But special-teams coordinator Dave Toub said there's more to Graham's game than making tackles.

“He's playing at a Pro Bowl level,” Toub said. “It's not only tackling, but his blocking. He gets his block every time, whether it's punt return or kick return. He's been great for us.”

It's all relative:

Midwest winter weather doesn't faze Israel Idonije, who grew up in Canada and played college football at Manitoba University.

“I've played in some harsh weather; blizzards where you can't see any lines, anything at all,” Idonije said. “But that's football in Winnipeg, Manitoba. I didn't think last Sunday was all that bad.”

Set on automatic:

Thirteen-year veteran long-snapper Patrick Mannelly was selected to the USA Football/NFL Players Association All-Fundamentals team.

Twenty-six players 11 on offense, 11 on defense and four on special teams were recognized for their sound technique.

Since being drafted by the Bears in 1998 in the sixth round out of Duke, Mannelly has played in a franchise-record 202 games and been nearly flawless at his specialty.

“He's the machine that makes the whole thing work for us,” Bears special-teams coordinator Dave Toub said, “The field-goal operation and the punt operation.”