Rivera: Timeout name was to assist Bears check kicker
CHICAGO — The Chicago Bears’ much-publicized kicker search obtained a lift from an unlikely supply on Thursday night time.
Panthers head coach Ron Rivera, who performed linebacker for the Bears from 1984 to 1992, admitted after Carolina’s 23-13 preseason victory at Soldier Discipline that he deliberately referred to as a timeout earlier than Chicago’s Elliott Fry tried a 43-yard subject aim to assist his former workforce higher consider the rookie kicker.
“You realize what’s humorous, I did that to assist the Bears as a result of they’re in a kicking contest,” Rivera stated.
Bears coach Matt Nagy denied that he and Rivera had been in cahoots, however nonetheless expressed gratitude.
“No, it wasn’t deliberate, however I am form of glad he did it,” Nagy stated with a smile.
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Fry’s 43-yard kick, which he efficiently transformed after the timeout, holds nice significance.
It was from that precise 43-yard distance and course — into the north finish zone — that former Bears kicker Cody Parkey had the notorious double-doink missed kick on the finish of the Bears’ bitter house playoff loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in January. The workforce launched Parkey, who had eight missed kicks in 2018, within the aftermath of the postseason defeat and spent the whole offseason in search of an acceptable substitute.
Nagy went so far as to have kickers purposely try subject objectives from 43 yards in entrance of the whole workforce through the offseason program, plus different motivational methods, due to the symbolism connected to Parkey’s failed kick.
“You might really feel it,” Nagy stated about Fry’s make. “You might sense it, from all of the followers, and I seemed over and I stated — after the completion down the center, after which they noticed it, and I am so used to seeing — like my math is admittedly good proper now. I can determine actual fast how far a subject aim kick is from the spot of the ball, so I noticed it was 43. Am I proper? Yeah, then Coach Rivera pops a timeout, too.”
Fry and fellow Bears kicker Eddy Pineiro have spent most of coaching camp alternating days that they kick.
Fry was the clear winner on Thursday night time, hitting the vital 43-yarder and a PAT.
Pineiro missed vast left on a 48-yard try however later transformed a 23-yard chip shot.