NEWSLETTER
Kicking in Florida has its perks.
The weather is temperate. Sunshine is plentiful. And there is ample space to work on your craft.
But when it comes to preparing for the 2020 season, place-kicker Eddy Piñeiro and punter Pat O’Donnell are taking a different course. One that comes with a bit more of a challenge.
In speaking with reporters via Zoom, Piñeiro said he has been working with O’Donnell two to three times per week. This makes sense, seeing that the pair of south Florida products probably live near each other in Miami area. During the workouts, Piñeiro said the two put together a game-plan and try to simulate in-game situations. And to really drive home the point, Piñeiro and O’Donnell have taken their workouts somewhere that bumps up the difficulty level.
Here’s Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic with the deets:
From our Zoom with Eddy Piñeiro, the Bears kicker said he’s added weight (179 to 187). 3 times a week, he kicks with Pat O’Donnell at Moore Park in Miami, which he calls “the windiest park” in the area. They have a set plan each session and try to simulate in-game situations.
— Kevin Fishbain (@kfishbain) June 9, 2020
Piñeiro has been kicking at Moore Park in Miami, which he describes as “the windiest park.” That might not seem like much, because as I pointed out earlier, kicking in Florida seems to be an ideal place to get a workout in. But that Piñeiro and O’Donnell are working at a windy park makes sense as a place for them to try and re-create game situations. I mean, I shouldn’t have to explain to any Bears fan reading this that navigating Soldier Field’s winds as a kicker can be a different adventure every quarter. And while there is no way to precisely simulate those weather factors, I think choosing to kick in what he calls “the windiest park” around is worth a shot.
When training camp kicks off later in the summer, Piñeiro will be faced with a different set of challenges than he did at this time last year. Instead of being one of two competitors in an open competition for a job that was obsessively covered by anyone and everyone in the sports media realm, Piñeiro will step foot into Halas Hall as the favored incumbent hoping to keep upstart challenger Ramiz Ahmed off his heels.
With that in mind, it will be a different dynamic for Piñeiro. No wonder he is stepping up his practice game.
