The Chicago Bears kicker position hit a low point on Tuesday when all three remaining members missed their designated kicks from 42 yards at the end of minicamp practice. Head coach Matt Nagy did not seem pleased by the results. Sure enough, just 24 hours later the team announced that Chris Blewitt had been waived. Suddenly it’s down to two.
Nagy insists the move was not intended as a message to Eddy Pineiro or Elliott Fry. Blewitt’s standing on the team had already been slipping. However, he did admit during his press conference after Wednesday’s practice that it may have been received that way. One can’t say it didn’t work. All reports were that both Fry and Pineiro looked much sharper during their designated kicks.
It isn’t a big shock these are the two men remaining. Fry is by far the most experienced kicker who started the competition back in May, having logged time in the AAF. Pineiro is the young talent the Bears traded for from Oakland. It feels like if the team does make a choice, it would’ve been from this pair.
Chicago Bears kicker competition will get interesting at training camp
The Bears coaching staff has not eased up on any of these guys since practices began. They’ve found all sorts of ways to test their mental focus on every single kick. Recently it’s been “August Silence” on the field and now they’re throwing in timeouts called on the field. A great way to simulate actual game situations. One other element may come into play at the end of July.
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Fan noise.
Bears fans will be attending training camp practices like always this year. It wouldn’t be a surprise at all if the coaches tried to use their presence as a way to apply further pressure on Fry and Pineiro. Silence won’t be possible, so just go the other way. Use thousands of rabid fans to make as much noise as possible. If nothing else, it will only make the competition more interesting.
