Team work makes the dream work and the Chicago Bears are working together in order to get Cody Parkey back on track:
#Bears kicker Cody Parkey, punter Pat O'Donnell, long snapper Patrick Scales and STC Chris Tabor will head down to Soldier Field tonight to practice field goals. Same could happen tomorrow night.
— Adam Jahns (@adamjahns) November 14, 2018
Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times reports the Bears’ place kicker, long snapper (Patrick Scales), punter/holder (Pat O’Donnell), and Special Teams Coordinator (Chris Tabor) will move their practice to Soldier Field tonight. Sure, they’ll battle traffic and some bitter temperatures, but it’s all for the greater good of the team so I imagine everyone involved believes this is worth it. Besides, there’s nothing wrong with a little mid-week road trip to spice up the work week. So who’s responsible for the snacks and the tunes in that group?
After missing just six kicks in 30 games from 2016 to 2017, Parkey has missed five in nine games with the Bears. Most of his misfires have come at Soldier Field, where he is just 5 of 8 on field goals and has two missed extra points. On the road, Parkey is 8-for-10 and a perfect 12-for-12 when tacking the point after touchdown.
The Bears maintained their support for Parkey in the wake of his worst game as a pro and are now going the extra mile (technically, it’s 39 miles from Halas Hall to Soldier Field) in order to get their kicker better acclimated with his surroundings. It can’t hurt and it could help. I still don’t understand why this isn’t standard operating procedure, but I suppose it’s one of those better late than never situations.