PRO CAREER: Enters his 15th NFL season all with the Bears and holds the franchise record for career games played in Chicago (215)... Tied with Doug Buffone (1966-79) and Bill George (1952-65) for most years of service in a Bears uniform (14) and will break record with an appearance during the 2012 regular season... 215 games played are the fourth most among active players with their current team, trailing Detroit's Jason Hanson (311), Tampa Bay's Ronde Barber (225) and Baltimore's Ray Lewis (222)... Only player from 1998 NFL Draft class to still be currently active with team that originally selected him... Has handled the snapping duties in all but nine games during his NFL career
PRO CAREER: Enters his 15th NFL season all with the Bears and holds the franchise record for career games played in Chicago (215)... Tied with Doug Buffone (1966-79) and Bill George (1952-65) for most years of service in a Bears uniform (14) and will break record with an appearance during the 2012 regular season... 215 games played are the fourth most among active players with their current team, trailing Detroit's Jason Hanson (311), Tampa Bay's Ronde Barber (225) and Baltimore's Ray Lewis (222)... Only player from 1998 NFL Draft class to still be currently active with team that originally selected him... Has handled the snapping duties in all but nine games during his NFL career... Contributed to Bears setting an NFL record for most consecutive unblocked punts (920) and games without a blocked punt (180) that covered 13 years and was snapped in 2003... Snapped every punt and kick (PAT and FG) attempt for Chicago from 1998-2000 and 2003-10... Has played in all 16 games 11 times in his career while pulling the trigger on 2,002-of-2,078 long-snap attempts during that time... One of the league's top coverage long snappers, notching 78 career special teams tackles, fourth-most by a Bear since 1995 (Brendon Ayanbadejo, 79; Corey Graham, 104; Adrian Peterson, 110).
CAREER TRANSACTIONS: Entered NFL as a sixth-round selection (189th overall) by Chicago in the 1998 NFL Draft... Signed 6-year contract extension with Bears (2/14/05)... Signed 2-year extension (12/27/10). SIGNED through 2012
2011 SEASON: Handled long snapping duties in 10 games, while being named special teams captain for fourth consecutive season... Collected 1 special teams tackles... Helped P Adam Podlesh set franchise record in net punting average (40.4) and K Robbie Gould to third best FG mark in franchise history (87.5, 28-of-32). GAMES PLAYED-STARTED: 16-0
PREVIOUS SEASONS: 2010 - Special tams captain played in all 16 games for the eighth consecutive year... Tallied 4 special teams tackles. 2009 - Played in all 16 games and was once again Chicago's special teams captain... Helped K Robbie Gould connect on 24-of-28 FG attmepts (85.7 percent)... Credited with 2 special teams tackles. 2008 - Saw action in all 16 games and was named Chicago's special teams captain... Bears K Robbie Gould posted the most accurate season in Bears history, connecting on 26-of-29 field goals (89.7%)... Also played a part in P Brad Maynard's NFL-leading 40 punts inside-the-20... Notched 1 special teams tackle. 2007 - Handled the long snapping duties in all 16 games... With his help, kicking game tied for first in the NFC and 2nd in the NFL with 31 field goals made and ranked 4th in the NFC and 7th in the NFL with 126 kicking points... Credited with 4 special teams tackles. 2006 - Competed in all 16 regular season contests and all 3 postseason games as the Bears long snapper... Helped Chicago to 143 kicking points in 2006 (32 field goals, 47 PATs), tops in the NFL... Assisted on 3 special teams tackles during the regular season... Added 2 special teams tackles in the playoffs. 2005 - Played all 16 regular season games and the Divisional Playoff, finishing the year with 5 special teams tackles. 2004 - Snapped every punt and kick attempt in all 16 games while tying for 5th on the team with career-high tying 11 special teams tackles... Tied career-high with 3 special teams tackles vs. PHI (10/3). 2003 - Performed as Chicago's long snapper in all 16 games and posted 1 special teams tackle... Recovered fumble on special teams in season opener at SF (9/7). 2002 - Served as Chicago's long snapper in 14 games, missing 2 contests due to injury, and ranked 6th on the team by equaling a career-high with 11 special teams tackles... Snapped all punt and kick attempts during Games 1-5 and 8-16; Inactive Games 6-7 due to knee injury suffered during bye-week practice... Tied career-high with 3 special teams tackles at BUF (9/29)... Inactive at DET (10/20) and at MIN (10/27) due to knee injury... Returned to lineup vs. PHI (11/3) and equaled career-high with 3 special teams tackles... Recorded 2 special teams tackles vs. NE (11/20). 2001 - Handled long snapping duties in 15 contests, missing first career game and ending his 51-game streak of snapping every Bears punt and kick attempt... Tied career-high with 3 special teams tackles vs. MIN (9/23) in his 50th NFL game... Suffered sprained ankle during the week leading up to game vs. ARZ (10/14) causing him to be inactive for the first time in his career... Returned to action at CIN (10/21)... Made postseason debut in Divisional Playoff vs. PHI (1/19/02). 2000 - Snapped every punt and kick attempt in all 16 games for the third consecutive year as the Bears did not have a single punt or kick block... Ranked 10th on team with 6 special teams tackles. 1999 - Snapped every punt and kick attempt in all 16 games while tying for 6th on the team with 8 special teams tackles... Set career-high with 3 special teams tackles at STL (12/26). 1998 - One of 4 rookies to play all 16 games for Chicago during the season, snapping every punt and kick attempt... Tied for 6th on team with career-high equaling 11 special teams tackles... Made NFL debut vs. JAX (9/6).
COLLEGE: Spent 5 years as the long snapper at Duke (1993-97) while starting on the offensive line for the last 2... Performed steadily at LT in 1997 as a fifth-year senior... Took a medical redshirt due to infected lymph nodes after playing 1 game during his senior season in which he was projected as a pre-season all-ACC selection... Established himself as one of ACC's best blockers while starting all 11 games at LG as a junior... Played all 12 games as long snapper and reserve DE as a sophomore, but switched to O-Line following the team's Hall of Fame Bowl appearance... Team's long snapper for all 11 games as a true freshman... Majored in history.
PERSONAL: Atlanta area Lineman-of-the-Year at Marist H.S. in Marietta, GA where he earned 3 letters in football and 2 in basketball... Played in Georgia-Florida all-star game... Began his instruction in the art of long-snapping at the age of 13 from veteran NFL coach and family friend Rod Dowhower (then of the Atlanta Falcons) whose son also attended Marist... Created personal website - www.longsnapper.com , - to provide personal information on himself and instruction on how to become a successful long snapper... The youngest of 2 sons of Jay and Patty... Brother, Bernard, played football at Notre Dame from 1988-92... He and wife, Tamara, the daughter of former Major League Baseball pitcher Tommy John, have 1 daughter, Tyler... State spokesman for American Lung Association's Athletes and Asthma program.
