Chicago Bears: Kicking competition starts off on the right foot

With training camp in full swing for the Chicago Bears, a lot of attention is on the kickers. They didn’t disappoint in their first two days and we now have a great competition going.

The Chicago Bears started training camp last week and the players are getting in the swing of things. Of course, one of the biggest storylines at training camp is the kicking situation. Usually, not many people pay attention to the kickers attempting their field goals. This year is different. After bringing in a city full of kickers hoping to replace Cody Parkey, the goat of last year’s playoff game, the Bears whittled it down to two.

Even though the team has the two kickers, Eddy Pineiro and Elliott Fry, many believe that the one who wins the job isn’t on the roster yet. They believe that these two players don’t have the experience to play on a team competing for a Super Bowl. Don’t tell that to them, however.

The kickers started their days on Saturday and Sunday. Fry led it off and hit 9 of his 10 attempts, including a 60-yarder. Pineiro wouldn’t be left behind, though. He hit 7 of his 8 attempts. When the coaches wanted him to attempt the same 60-yard attempt that Fry hit, Pineiro said no and had them put the ball back. He then went and hit a 63-yard attempt.

This is what Pineiro said, per NBC Sports:

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"“You know you gotta come out and try to do better than the next guy. The goal is being better than the next guy. (Fry) said 60 yesterday, alright, I’m going 63. I’m not going 60.”"

That sounds like a competition. Of course, nothing is won yet. They both had great days and the competition continues. Here is what Fry said, via ESPN:

"“You expect it, this is the NFL, you don’t expect guys to come out and miss,” Fry said. “Eddy had a great day on Sunday. I had a great day on Saturday. We just go from here.”"

This is a great start for the kickers. However, they need to do more in order to really make the coaches feel good. Early on during the minicamps, the kicking was bad. When the eight were kicking, six of them missed the 43-yard field goal attempt that Parkey missed in the playoff game. This great start is a good sign, though.

Head coach Matt Nagy decided to go with rotation for the kickers. One kicker will play one day while the other plays the next day. That helps each player perform with a rested leg and it allows the kicker to feel all the attention on him.

Pineiro felt it on Sunday after watching Fry have a great day, and he knew he had to one-up him. Now it’s Fry’s turn to outdo Pineiro. We’ll see who becomes the first man to blink.

Hitting field goals during camp without having players go after you is one thing. These two have to do the same during the games. The Bears begin their preseason games on Aug. 8 at Soldier Field. Let’s see how each kicker does when the lights are on.