Recently (as in earlier today) acquired Bears kicker Eddy Piñeiro is new to our radar, but at least he comes highly recommended:
On Eddy Piniero: His college kicking coach @KornblueKicking texted me "He. Is. The. Man." Strong leg, "has the mental edge." Thinks Piniero is "perfect" for the Bears' situation.
— JJ Stankevitz (@JJStankevitz) May 6, 2019
A strong-legged kicker with a “mental edge” who is “perfect” for a team in search of a kicker? Sure, sign him up and throw him into the fray. The Bears surely aren’t leaving any stone un-turned in their quest to quench their thirst for a reliable place-kicking option. Now, let’s check out some highlights!
I feel as if a good place to start is with an 81-yard boot in practice from May 2017:
https://twitter.com/EddyPineiro/status/859515891217817600
Holy smokes! That’s impressive. An 81-yard kick is almost two 43-yarders, but would still be just worth three points. But hey, three points is better than zero points … right!? And to successfully nail that kick while wearing pads is important. No, it’s not the same as kicking in a game situation. HOWEVER, how often have we seen kickers in casual apparel drain long field goals in a practice setting, only to not have the juice when the pads are on. There is value in practicing how you play, so color me impressed here.
Now that we have established his practice leg looks solid, what does the game film look like:
Well, that certainly plays!
It’s worth noting that Piñeiro worked with Jamie Kohl of Kohl’s Kicking Camps when he was training for the NFL Scouting Combine and preparing for the 2018 NFL Draft. Yes, that is the same Jamie Kohl was the Bears hired as a kicking-game consultant over the weekend. With that bit of context out of the way, let’s check out his workout regimen:
Alright, so the guy has a leg. And some experience winning a competition, after taking down incumbent Giorgio Tavecchio during the Raiders’ training camp showdown last summer. A groin injury kept Piñeiro from being “the man” in Oakland, but that could turn out to be a blessing in disguise if he is healthy and able to impress a coaching staff that just had eight guys kicking for a pro job in camp over the weekend.
Trading with the Raiders worked wonders for the 2018 Bears. So who’s up for history repeating itself?