NEWSLETTER
Bears kicker Eddy Piñeiro opened up a window of honesty in expressing where he would have preferred to kick last Sunday.
In a story by ESPN’s Jeff Dickerson, Head Coach Matt Nagy’s response to a question about Piñeiro’s comments were a bit vague and unsettling:
“We have a communication process that we believe in and that we use. There’s going to be a lot of scenarios as we go. There’s so many different situations, whether — what time is on the clock, what’s the down and distance, where’s the ball at, etc. At that point in time, where we were, we felt really good about Eddy, in a lot of ways, making that kick.”
So if Piñeiro has a preference, and there’s a “communication process” in place, then the head coach should know what the deal is. And since the quarterback is an extension of the head coach, he should also know what’s up. And yet, Mitch Trubisky’s answer regarding the situation left something to be desired.
“Whatever he needs me to do, I do,” Trubisky said. “What did you see happen on the field? That’s what we talked about.”
Much like Nagy’s response, Trubisky’s thoughts on the matter brought no clarification to the situation.
At least Special Teams Coach Chris Tabor has his head in the right place:
#Bears ST coach Chris Tabor: "First of all, I'd prefer Eddy make the kick. . . To me, there's no story. I know what the narrative is". When asked about the left hash comment from Pineiro.
— Zack Pearson (@Zack_Pearson) October 31, 2019
"It doesn't matter. We practice all the hashes, we practice the middle kicks." – #Bears HC Chris Tabor on if kicking from a certain hashmark matters.
— Zack Pearson (@Zack_Pearson) October 31, 2019
In the end, Tabor’s perspective is the best.
Piñeiro practices from all hashes and everywhere on the field. Therefore, he should be expected to be successful on makable kicks when called upon. That is his job in the most literal sense. This isn’t to downplay his preference, but as it is in life, there are times in a game where you have to do something off-script, off-the-cuff, and from a spot where you would prefer not to be in. That’s just how things go.
And in the end, I respect Tabor’s preference over everyone else’s — just make the kick.
