BOURBONNAIS — When Panthers backup Joey Slye made a 55-yard area aim in opposition to the Bears on Thursday evening, Eddy Pineiro questioned whether or not his coach had a wandering eye.
Pineiro is aware of that he and Elliott Fry are competing with one another — but additionally with each different potential free agent and commerce goal — for the Bears’ beginning kicker job. But nonetheless, to see it in particular person at Soldier Field?
“That kinda sucks,” he stated after the ultimate coaching camp follow at Olivet Nazarene University on Sunday. “You sit there and go, ‘Damn, he just banged a 55-yarder.’
“You’re wanting on the coaches and are like, ‘Oh, don’t consider something.’”
The Bears haven’t but. But there’s loads of preseason left.
Pineiro and Fry began coaching camp on hearth and had been the feel-good story of “Family Fest” at Soldier Field. They’ve cooled off since. Fry missed three kicks Sunday, whereas Pineiro missed two.
Pineiro completed coaching camp 47-for 56, whereas Fry went 48-for-59.
“We both have gotta be better,” Fry stated.
The Bears have stated they wouldn’t hesitate to make a transfer — both on waivers after reduce day or by way of a commerce — ought to Pineiro and Fry underwhelm earlier than Week 1.
A commerce may need turn into the extra probably choice Sunday when Chandler Catanzaro retired and left the Jets with a gaping gap at placekicker. The Jets have the NFL’s third waiver place this offseason, so they’d get their selection of kickers waived on reduce day lengthy earlier than the Bears do at No. 24. A commerce, then, could be the one means for the Bears to ensure an improve.
Targets aren’t laborious to search out. Of the six NFL kickers that scored no less than 10 factors in Week 1 of preseason video games, three are on the mistaken aspect of their very own kicking derby.
Or, relatively, three had been.
On Sunday afternoon, the Vikings traded a reported fifth-round choose for the Ravens’ Kaare Vedvik. Stuck behind the good Justin Tucker, Vedvik made all 4 area targets he tried Thursday, with the longest coming from 55 yards out. Tack on two additional factors, and his 14 factors had been probably the most amongst any NFL kicker.
While the Bears are labored the margins searching for their subsequent new kicker, credit score the Vikings for making a daring commerce. He figures to interchange veteran Dan Bailey, who made 21-of-28 makes an attempt final season.
Playing behind Graham Gano, Slye went 3-for-Three on area targets, together with a 55-yarder, and made two additional factors. The Colts’ Cole Hedlund, who’s competing with the ageless (but additionally 46 years outdated) Adam Vinatieri, went 3-for-Four on area targets with a protracted of 44.
Pineiro went 1-for-2 within the preseason opener, hooking a 48-yarder and making a 23-yarder. Fry made the Cody Parkey Kick — 43 yards, into the north finish zone, after a timeout — in his solely try.
“It’s not just me vs. Elliott — it’s me vs. all 32 teams,” Pineiro stated. “You’re competing in opposition to everyone. It’s not simply us. I’m fairly certain there are different guys doing effectively proper now. …
“The smartest thing I can do to reply that query is, ‘Make all my field goals and try to do the best I can so that won’t occur.’ But it’s what it’s. Whatever occurs, occurs. I perceive that it’s a enterprise.”
Pineiro put it merely — “Do good or you’re gonna get cut,” he stated — whereas Fry stated he’s not eager about the league’s different kickers.
“You gotta focus on what you can control,” Fry stated. “It’s one of those things where if you come in and make kicks, you shouldn’t have a problem.”
Do the Bears have an issue but?
More than seven months after Parkey’s double-doink, their unconventional strategy to discovering Parkey’s substitute has but to supply a solution.
Rather than signal a confirmed veteran, they’d 9 kickers check out throughout rookie minicamp. They additionally talked to retired Colts punter Pat McAfee about kicking area targets; he advised the “Dan Patrick Show” on Friday that he would have achieved it, too, had his proper knee not swelled up in an airplane when he was…