Does Anybody Want to Win the Bears’ Kicking Competition? And Other Bullets

Jun 12, 2019

Nothing like a push notification during a morning meditation session to announce Chris Blewitt’s departure to throw your day for a loop. Oh well, let’s get on with our day.

The Bears announced five coaches will join Matt Nagy’s staff as part of the Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship. Aman Anand (Penn State), Reggie Garrett (Maine), Tony Gilbert (Central Florida), Jody Owens (Briar Cliff), and Roy Roundtree (Michigan) have been tabbed to join the reigning NFL Coach of the Year this week. Best of luck to all of the up-and-coming coaches, but especially to Aman Anand, who is working with the special teamers.

And with that, we transition to the latest news in the Bears’ kicking competition:

We still don’t have a kicker……………….

— Earl B. Bennett (@EarlBBennett) June 12, 2019

In the latest episode of “As the World of Bears Kickers Turns” we find that the team waived kicker Chris Blewitt earlier this morning. His departure leaves Elliott Fry and Eddy Piñeiro as the only kickers on the roster … for now.

The move came less than 24 hours after this happened:

In discussing the three straight misses, Nagy was as close to being at a loss for words as he ever gets.

“You can’t have that. We’re going to figure this thing out, but 0-for-3 today? No good.”

— Rich Campbell (@Rich_Campbell) June 11, 2019

I feel like Nagy and the front office sent a pretty clear message that they were not happy with yesterday’s performance from their kickers. And if Blewitt had to be the sacrificial lamb that helped get the point across loud and clear, then so be it.

Maybe the Bears wanted to test their kickers’ mettle by seeing how they bounced back after missing kicks? After all, we saw Cody Parkey spiral at times when things went south. But I hardly doubt this is what the powers that be had in mind.

Does anyone want to win this thing? Seriously. The Bears have searched far and wide for a kicker to replace Cody Parkey, whittling what was once an eight-person competition at rookie minicamp down to two. And neither has kicked in a regular season NFL game. Fry has the most recent sample of professional success, having thrived in the now-defunct Alliance of American Football. Piñeiro is viewed as a kicker with a ton of upside, mostly due to his strong leg. And yet, the Bears have nothing cooking in their kicking department.

It’s maddening, but it’s just June. And there are still avenues open that the Bears could use to get better. Part of me wants the team to travel down those paths sooner, rather than later. Get the guy, move on, and allow us to focus on a team that returns a healthy chunk of players who were key contributors on a 12-win division champion.

On the other hand, I’m almost ready to embrace what will no doubt be a circus-like atmosphere at training camp. If you thought the obsession over watching Mitch Trubisky grow as a rookie was intense, a potential kicking competition when it’s the team’s biggest weakness is going to be a spectacle. Get your popcorn ready and meet me out in Bourbonnais!

OK, let’s allow some words from Eddie Jackson to provide us with a clean slate:

View this post on Instagram

The chase is on. #ChasingGreat

A post shared by Chicago Bears (@chicagobears) on Jun 11, 2019 at 6:31pm PDT

Chasing greatness. I love it. No matter what’s happening anywhere else on the field, the Bears have one goal in mind entering the 2019 season. Everything that is being done moving forward is with the idea of winning a title. And it’s good that this squad knows that talk is cheap. Last year, they were hungry to prove doubters wrong — and there were plenty to choose from at this time in 2018. But finding motivation when you’re being showered with love can be a challenge. So with that in mind, I’m totally here for the “Chasing Greatness” campaign. Go get it!

The choice is simple if you ask me:

.@dallascowboys or @ChicagoBears:

Who is closer to winning the NFC title?

📺: @NFLTotalAccess pic.twitter.com/3TuzFwAif7

— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) June 12, 2019

Roomba, men’s shaving gear, and much more are your Deals of the Day at Amazon today.

That’s pretty neat:

Thank you @chicagobears for showing my 9 year old son some love. He couldn’t contain his excitement when he saw @mtrubisky10 I’m just dad to him and he doesn’t care that I played but it’s a big deal when can be around the current players. To all those signed his hat, THANK YOU. pic.twitter.com/Kji0Mz0l49
— Charles Tillman (@peanuttillman) June 12, 2019

Ex-Bears GM Phil Emery looks different:

Former Bears GM Phil Emery still grinding for the Falcons pic.twitter.com/Fr9T4AoC3d

— vaughn mcclure (@vxmcclure23) June 11, 2019

I know Craig Kimbrel needs time to build up his arm strength after missing spring training and the first two months of the season, but I want the guy in the Cubs bullpen now:

Obsessive Craig Kimbrel Readiness Watch: Another Bullpen, Live Batters Soon https://t.co/fNPonYv8O2 pic.twitter.com/H9anEn1XWm

— Bleacher Nation (@BleacherNation) June 12, 2019

The rumor mill is spinning and the Bulls are along for the ride:s

The Lonzo-Bulls Rumors Are Not Dying Down https://t.co/0f8DiAueRB pic.twitter.com/KqPZjQXqCK

— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) June 11, 2019

written by

Luis C. Medina

Luis C. Medina, who you can find on Twitter at lcm1986, has been covering the Chicago Bears at Bleacher Nation since 2017. Since then, he has written about 3 head coaches, 5 play-callers, and 11 starting quarterbacks. Previously, Luis wrote about the Cubs and MLB at BN (2015-16) and worked in the Chicago Tribune sports department (2011-16). He also co-hosted a Cubs postgame show, Outside the Ivy, in 2019.

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