CHICAGO – With all due respect to Vikings punt returner Marcus Sherels, even he admits he played perhaps the easiest part in one of the easier punt returns for a touchdown that you'll ever see at the NFL level.
"We got the punt we wanted and the blocking was great," said Sherels, whose 65-yard touchdown gave the Vikings a 7-3 first-quarter lead en route to a 23-20 victory over the Bears at Soldier Field. "So what I did, it was kind of easy."
Special teams coordinator Mike Priefer put that particular blocking scheme in this week. It was a return right with the Bears' gunner on that side double-teamed by safety Andrew Sendejo and rookie cornerback Trae Waynes.
Veteran cornerback Captain Munnerlyn, once the glamorous return guy in Carolina, single blocked the gunner on the other side. The blocking on both sides was so good that the nearest cover guy was 7 yards away when Sherels caught the ball.
"This is a role I've only done the past three weeks," Munnerlyn said. "But Prief asked me to do it. I was like, 'Man, I'm a punt returner, not a punt blocker.' But Prief knows what he's doing. I'm getting better at it each and every week."
It also helped that the Bears' Pat O'Donnell didn't get much hang time on the punt. That gave Sherels even more time to let the wall to his right form.
Sendejo had the key block that enabled Sherels to turn the corner. Safety Robert Blanton had a similar block a few yards upfield to create the angle Sherels needed to beat linebacker LeRoy Reynolds to the sideline.
"All we did," said Blanton, "was take what Prief drew up and execute it the way he said to."