All the talk on Sunday in London was Caleb Williams. That wasn’t a surprise. The #1 overall pick delivered yet another un-rookie-like performance with four touchdown passes in a rout of the Jacksonville Jaguars. He has looked as good as any Chicago Bears quarterback has in a long time. Not only is he throwing the ball with confidence and accuracy, but he also has clear command before and after the snap. Few rookies can adjust protections and manipulate coverage as he did. However, he wasn’t the only one who put together a special performance. Rookie punter Tory Taylor did as well.
The Australian native decided to put on a show for his cousins in the UK with two massive punts that traveled 64 and 59 yards, respectively. His 61.5 average blew away the franchise record in a game of 57.5 held by Maury Buford since 1985. Keep in mind Buford was a four-year veteran at that point and it was at Soldier Field. Taylor did it in his sixth-ever game almost 4,000 miles from his home stadium. Such an impressive accomplishment for a rookie.
After a modest start in September, the 4th round pick turned up the juice over the past three games, averaging 52.54 yards per punt. That probably won’t hold for the rest of the year. Even so, it is a reminder of how talented Taylor is. People talk about his accuracy all the time, pinning teams inside the 15-yard line with unerring precision. They forget he has plenty of leg strength as well, launching 60-yard bombs when the situation calls for it. He is already a master of his craft. The only thing left was getting comfortable with the speed of the NFL level. That doesn’t seem to be a problem.
Ryan Poles got plenty of grief for “wasting” a precious draft pick on a specialist. The Bears GM was smart enough to know that having a good punter can tilt the game in your favor way more often than anybody wants to admit. Tory Taylor has already done that on multiple occasions.
