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'{{BLP sources|date=November 2012}} {{more footnotes|date=November 2012}} {{Infobox NFL player |name=Eric Weems |image=EricWeems.PNG |image_size=200 |alt= |caption=Weems with the Bears in 2012 |currentteam=Chicago Bears |number=14 |position=[[Wide receiver]] / [[Return specialist]] / [[Special teamer]] |birth_date={{Birth date and age|1985|7|4|mf=y}} |birth_place=[[Daytona Beach, Florida]] |death_date= |death_place= |heightft=5 |heightin=9 |weight=191 |highschool=[[Seabreeze High School|Daytona Beach (FL) Seabreeze]] |college=[[Bethune-Cookman Wildcats football|Bethune-Cookman]] |undraftedyear=2007 |debutyear=2007 |debutteam=Atlanta Falcons |finalyear= |finalteam= |pastteams= * [[Atlanta Falcons]] ({{NFL Year|2007}}–{{NFL Year|2011}}) * [[Chicago Bears]] ({{NFL Year|2012}}–present) |status=Active |highlights= * 108-yard kick return vs Tampa Bay 12/5/10 and Green Bay 1/15/11 (team record) * 108-yard kick return vs. Green Bay 1/15/11 (NFL playoff record) * [[Pro Bowl]] ([[2011 Pro Bowl|2010]]) * First-team [[All-Pro]] ([[2010 All-Pro Team|2010]]) |statweek=11 |statseason=2013 |statlabel1=Receptions |statvalue1=27 |statlabel2=Receiving yards |statvalue2=240 |statlabel3=Receiving TDs |statvalue3=15 |statlabel4=Return yards |statvalue4=3,957 |statlabel5=Return TDs |statvalue5=2 |nfl=WEE551877 }} '''Eric Weems''' (born July 4, 1985) is an [[American football]] [[wide receiver]] and [[special teamer]] for the [[Chicago Bears]] of the [[National Football League]] (NFL). He played [[college football]] for [[Bethune-Cookman University#Athletics|Bethune-Cookman University]], and was signed by the [[Atlanta Falcons]] as an [[undrafted free agent]] in 2007. ==Early years== Weems attended [[Seabreeze High School]] in [[Daytona Beach, Florida]] and was a letterman in football and basketball. In football, as a senior, he was named the team M.V.P. and was an All-Area selection and an All-State selection. In basketball, he was an All-Area selection. ==College career== While attending [[Bethune-Cookman University]] in his hometown of [[Daytona Beach, Florida]], Weems was a stand-out wide receiver/A-back for the [[Bethune-Cookman Wildcats football]] team. He played under head coach [[Alvin Wyatt]] from 2003 to 2007. Weems left with his name in the records numerous receiving categories throughout his four-year career at Bethune-Cookman. In his senior year, he added special teams to his portfolio, serving as the kickoff and punt return specialist for the Wildcats. ==Professional career== ===Atlanta Falcons=== ====2007 season==== Weems saw action in the NFL for the first time in the season finale against the [[Seattle Seahawks]]. He did not post any stats. ====2008 season==== Weems' first career reception came with a 4-yard catch in the first quarter of the Falcons' week 12 match-up against the [[Carolina Panthers]]. Later in the same game, Weems provided a key block for a 7-yard [[Harry Douglas]] touchdown run. His first career fumble recovery came on a [[Minnesota Vikings]] muffed punt in week 16 of the 2008 season. ====2009 season==== [[File:Jenkins, Baker, Weems and Booker.png|right|thumb|Eric Weems with [[Sam Baker (offensive tackle)|Sam Baker]], [[Michael Jenkins (American football)|Michael Jenkins]] and [[Marty Booker]].]][[File:Eric Weems.jpg|left|thumb|Eric Weems in 2009.]] Weems won a job with the Atlanta Falcons as a punt returner in 2009 when wide receiver [[Harry Douglas]] was placed on the injured reserved list with a season ending knee injury. Weems ended up returning both punts and kicks as the season progressed. Weems scored his first career touchdown against the [[Dallas Cowboys]] in week 7 of the 2009 season, he caught a 30-yard touchdown pass from QB [[Matt Ryan]]. Weems scored his second career touchdown against [[the New York Giants]] in week 11 of the 2009 season, he had a 4-yard touchdown reception. On the night of November 16, 2009, Weems was arrested in [[DeKalb County, Georgia]] for suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol. Shortly afterward, Weems released a statement saying “Unfortunately, I was involved in an incident on November 17, 2009. I am embarrassed about the situation and I sincerely apologize to the entire Atlanta Falcons organization and our great fans.” No specific action was taken by the Atlanta Falcons or the NFL. Weems finished the 2009 season with 6 catches for 50 yards and 2 touchdowns. He also rushed 8 times for 53 yards, Weems returned 48 kicks for 1214 yards and 27 punts for 270 yards, Weems fumbled 3 times losing 2 of them, he also recorded 10 tackles. ====2010 season==== Weems caught a career high of 4 catches against the [[Pittsburgh Steelers]] in the first week of the 2010 season. He had his first career start as a wide receiver against the [[Arizona Cardinals]] in week 2. Weems returned his first career kickoff return for a touchdown against the [[Tampa Bay Buccaneers]] on week 13 of the season. The 102 yards was a franchise record for the [[Atlanta Falcons]]. He also returned his first career punt return for a touchdown against the [[Carolina Panthers]] on week 17 of the season. The 55 yards was a career high. Weems was selected to the [[2011 Pro Bowl]] as a special teams member. Weems Finished the 2010 season with 6 catches for 61 yards. He returned 40 kickoffs for a 1100 yards with one touchdown. Weems returned 18 punts for 230 yards with one touchdown. Weems also recorded 16 tackles on special teams. He was the only player in the NFC to return a kick and a punt for a TD. Weems had a notable contribution for the [[Atlanta Falcons]] in the 2010-2011 NFC divisional championship game against the [[Green Bay Packers]]. Early in the second quarter, Weems fielded a kickoff two yards deep in his team's own end zone and ran virtually untouched for 102-yard TD kickoff return. The 102-yard return was the longest play in NFL postseason history. ====2011 season==== Weems appeared in all 16 games with the [[Atlanta Falcons]], He made 2 starts at the wide receiver position. Weems caught a career high 11 catches for a career high 90 yards. Weems returned 24 kicks for 563 yards. He also returned 32 punts for 315 Yards. Weems also recorded 12 tackles on special teams. He did not score any touchdowns. Weems was selected as a first-team alternate for the 2012 Pro bowl as a special teams player. Weems returned 4 kickoffs for an average of 20 yards per kickoff and a long of 27 yards in the NFC wild card game between the [[Atlanta Falcons]] and [[New York Giants]]. He did not record any receptions in that game. ===Chicago Bears=== ====2012 season==== On March 14, 2012, Weems signed a three-year contract with the [[Chicago Bears]] as an [[unrestricted free agent]]. Weems played in all 16 games with one start at the wide receiver position. Weems caught 2 balls only for 27 yards. He returned 13 kickoffs for 231 yards and 1 punt for no yards. Weems fumbled once and recovered 2 fumbles during the season. He also made 8 tackles. The Bears finished the season with a record of 10-6 and did not make the playoffs. ====2013 season==== Weems appeared in all 16 games with the Bears. He recorded 1 reception only for 8 yards. Weems returned 5 kickoffs for 57 yards. Weems recorded 9 tackles in the season and forced one fumble. The Bears did not make the playoffs. ===Career Stats=== '''Receiving Stats {| class="wikitable" |- ! Year !! Team !! Games !! Receptions !! Targets !! Receiving Yards !! Yards per Reception !! Longest Reception !! Receiving Touchdowns !! First Downs !! Fumbles !! Fumbles Lost |- | [[2008 NFL season|2008]] || [[2008 Atlanta Falcons season|ATL]] || 6 || 1 || 1 || 4 || 4.0 || 4 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 |- | [[2009 NFL season|2009]] || [[2009 Atlanta Falcons season|ATL]] || 16 || 6 || 6 || 50 || 8.3 || 30 || 2 || 3 || 0 || 0 |- | [[2010 NFL season|2010]] || [[2010 Atlanta Falcons season|ATL]] || 16 || 6 || 6 || 61 || 10.2 || 18 || 0 || 3 || 0 || 0 |- | [[2011 NFL season|2011]] || [[2011 Atlanta Falcons season|ATL]] || 16 || 11 || 14 || 90 || 8.2 || 18 || 0 || 5 || 0 || 0 |- | [[2012 NFL season|2012]] || [[2012 Chicago Bears season|CHI]] || 16 || 2 || 4 || 27 || 13.5 || 18 || 0 || 2 || 0 || 0 |- | [[2013 NFL season|2013]] || [[2013 Chicago Bears season|CHI]] || 16 || 1 || 2 || 8 || 8.0 || 8 || 0 || 1 || 0 || 0 |- | Total || Total || 86 || 27 || 33 || 240 || 8.9 || 30 || 2 || 14 || 0 || 0 |}<ref name=ESPN>{{cite web|title=Eric Weems Stats|url=http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/stats/_/id/10770/eric-weems|publisher=ESPN Internet Ventures|accessdate=7 February 2014}}</ref> '''Returning Stats''' {| class="wikitable" |- ! Year !! Team !! Games !! Punt Return Attempts !! Punt Return Yards !! Punts Returned for Touchdown !! Punts Fair Caught !! Longest Punt Return !! Kickoff Return Attempts !! Kickoff Return Yards !! Kickoffs Returned for Touchdown !! Kickoffs Fair Caught !! Longest Kickoff Return |- | [[2008 NFL season|2008]] || [[2008 Atlanta Falcons season|ATL]] || 6 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 1 || 19 || 0 || 0 || 19 |- | [[2009 NFL season|2009]] || [[2009 Atlanta Falcons season|ATL]] || 16 || 27 || 270 || 0 || 14 || 28 || 48 || 1,214 || 0 || 0 || 62 |- | [[2010 NFL season|2010]] || [[2010 Atlanta Falcons season|ATL]] || 16 || 18 || 230 || 1 || 19 || 55 || 40 || 1,100 || 1 || 0 || 102 |- | [[2011 NFL season|2011]] || [[2011 Atlanta Falcons season|ATL]] || 16 || 32 || 315 || 0 || 19 || 42 || 24 || 563 || 0 || 0 || 37 |- | [[2012 NFL season|2012]] || [[2012 Chicago Bears season|CHI]] || 16 || 1 || 0 || 0 || 1 || 0 || 13 || 231 || 0 || 0 || 27 |- | [[2013 NFL season|2013]] ||[[2013 Chicago Bears season|CHI]] || 16 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 1 || 0 || 5 || 57 || 0 || 0 || 19 |- | Total || Total || 86 || 78 || 815 || 1 || 54 || 55 || 131 || 3,184 || 1 || 0 || 102 |}<ref name= ESPN /> ==References== {{Reflist}} ==External links== *[http://www.ericweems14.com/ Official Website] *[http://www.atlantafalcons.com/roster-players/eric-weems/ Atlanta Falcons bio] *[http://www.chicagobears.com/team/roster/Eric-Weems/39cfbe75-380a-4ab0-8d5d-4422ed8ed3bf Chicago Bears bio] {{Chicago Bears roster navbox}} {{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. --> | NAME = Weems, Eric | ALTERNATIVE NAMES = | SHORT DESCRIPTION = American football player, wide receiver, return specialist | DATE OF BIRTH = July 4, 1985 | PLACE OF BIRTH = Daytona Beach, Florida, United States | DATE OF DEATH = | PLACE OF DEATH = }} {{DEFAULTSORT:Weems, Eric}} [[Category:1985 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:American football wide receivers]] [[Category:American football return specialists]] [[Category:Atlanta Falcons players]] [[Category:Bethune-Cookman Wildcats football players]] [[Category:Chicago Bears players]] [[Category:Sportspeople from Daytona Beach, Florida]] [[Category:Players of American football from Florida]] [[Category:Undrafted National Football League players]] [[Category:Seabreeze High School alumni]]'