The Chicago Bears lost to Minnesota on Sunday for several reasons. Caleb Williams’ injury was one. Too many penalties and brutally timed turnovers as well. However, one problem they weren’t expecting to have came on special teams. Chicago signed Beau Gardner as an undrafted free agent out of Georgia this offseason. The Pat Mannelly Award winner had a good training camp and was kept as their new long snapper, replacing Scott Daly. Just two weeks into the season, that decision is starting to look misguided.
After some trouble with high snaps in the week one win over Carolina, the same problem persisted against the Vikings. His first field goal snap was high and almost blocked. The second one was high and definitely blocked. It also didn’t help that the snaps were pretty slow, giving Minnesota that critical extra tick to get a hand on the ball. Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune made it sound like Gardner’s job is very much in question.
The snap on Cairo Santos’ 50-yard field goal was high, and holder Tory Taylor did a really nice job getting the ball down for a successful kick. The snap on the 23-yard attempt in the fourth quarter was a little high, and the operation was off…
…Gardner had a high snap in Week 1, and the Bears may be in a position where they need to consider a tryout or replacement…
…There’s no way the high snaps have gone unnoticed. Many things were off with the block.
He isn’t the only one worried about Beau Gardner.
Adam Hoge of CHGO provided even further context. Not only was the rookie’s snap on the blocked field goal high, but he also snapped it too early. The Bears had intended to use a different snap count to slow down the Vikings’ rush. The guys weren’t ready when it happened, giving the Minnesota defender a clear path to impede the ball. It is why fellow rookie Sam Roush looked so slow coming out of his stance.
My understanding is the Bears changed the snap count after the near-block in the first quarter and Gardner wasn’t supposed to snap it on the first hand flash on the second attempt. The tell is that Roush wasn’t the only one slow off the ball. Even Santos seemed surprised by the snap. The timing was completely off. Rodgers eyes are on the ball, so I’m not sure the snap count would have made any difference. It only seemed to confuse the Bears.
It will be interesting to see how long the Bears’ leash is with Gardner, who they pivoted to in the offseason because they felt he had better blocking/coverage upside than veteran Scott Daly.
If there is one thing we all know about the NFL, it’s that teams won’t suffer continued mistakes from players for very long. Being a 1st or 2nd round pick gives you a grace period. Teams are willing to let you work through the mistakes. The same can’t be said for undrafted free agents. Long snappers are far easier to replace than quarterbacks or pass rushers. Beau Gardner offers no viable reasons to keep him around. It’s not like his exit would hurt the team’s salary cap.
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The purge may not end with him, either.
There is a growing possibility that Roush may end up on the bench. He had a nightmare game on Sunday. Not only did his assignment get past him to block the field goal, but he also dropped two passes. One of them might’ve scored a touchdown. The Bears can’t keep leaving him in such important spots if that continues. Rookie center Logan Jones is also someone to watch. He had his own problems blocking on field goals, too. That center job is looking more and more available with Garrett Bradbury’s struggles. Yet the team won’t give it to the 2nd round pick if he can’t even do his job on special teams.
Needless to say, seats are on fire going into Monday Night Football against the Philadelphia Eagles. If Gardner and the others don’t figure out their stuff, the Bears will find somebody who will. They are not about to let a promising season get derailed because some rookies can’t do the simplest jobs correctly. Don’t be surprised if a long snapper is added to the mix this week, either to replace Gardner or at least serve as a reminder that he’s under the microscope.
