Kicking Kompetition

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Mikefive
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And all the continual bad name jokes go riding off into the sunset.
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G08
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Wow I thought he had a shot...

I like Piñeiro for his leg but damnit, we need fucking accuracy.

I forget who it was, maybe Tabor, but he said Fry kicks a really straight ball. I like that in a kicker; I always hated how Parkey's kicks would fade or draw. Even on extra points it made me hold my breath.

Issue with Fry I have read about is overall leg strength. I'll be down at camp sometime this year and I'll keep an eye out.
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The Marshall Plan
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It was just bad optics having a kicker named Blewitt.

Meanwhile the Robbie Gould situation continues to be interesting....

http://sportsmockery.com/2019/06/robbie ... eel-to-it/
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wab
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G08 wrote:Wow I thought he had a shot...

I like Piñeiro for his leg but damnit, we need fucking accuracy.

I forget who it was, maybe Tabor, but he said Fry kicks a really straight ball. I like that in a kicker; I always hated how Parkey's kicks would fade or draw. Even on extra points it made me hold my breath.

Issue with Fry I have read about is overall leg strength. I'll be down at camp sometime this year and I'll keep an eye out.
Fry has kind of been my dark horse since the beginning. I think Pineiro has the inside track, but I don't think it'll be an easy decision.
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Mikefive
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If you were betting, would you take Piniero, Fry or somebody else? Pretty even odds each way it seems.
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Mikefive wrote:If you were betting, would you take Piniero, Fry or somebody else? Pretty even odds each way it seems.
So tough to say at this point... I love a strong leg, especially in our stadium, but there is something to be said about a kicker whose kicking mechanics lend to a straight kick.

Gun to my head... I think Piniero wins it but that's just me being enamored with his upside.

That being said, wouldn't surprise me if it's Fry or someone who isn't even on our roster yet.
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Mikefive
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The more I think about it, I'm now leaning toward Fry. Piniero has a strong leg, but that happens because of torque. And torque on that plant foot on grass instead of artificial turf (in college) can be problematic. If Fry is more accurate, but not as long, I think Nagy would take that. But Fry had his most recent success all indoors, so grass is a change for him.

Who the he!! knows?
Mikefive's theory: The only time you KNOW that a sports team player, coach or management member is being 100% honest is when they're NOT reciting "the company line".

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Bears' minicamp kicking competition off to a bad start
The minicamp phase of the Chicago Bears' kicking competition got off to a poor start, and one of the contestants is already out.

The team announced Wednesday that they waived Chris Blewitt, one of the three kickers in minicamp competing for the job.

During Tuesday's session all three kickers -- Blewitt, Eddy Pineiro, Elliott Fry -- missed kicks from 40-plus yards, back-to-back-to-back.

"Whatever went through your mind went through my mind," Nagy said after practice, via the Chicago Tribune.

The most common thought going through Bears fans minds was likely a picture of Robbie Gould and daydreams about what it was like before the team foolishly parted ways with the kicker three years ago.

love Nagy's response

don't love the position he is in with the kickers
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G08
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Mikefive wrote:The more I think about it, I'm now leaning toward Fry. Piniero has a strong leg, but that happens because of torque. And torque on that plant foot on grass instead of artificial turf (in college) can be problematic. If Fry is more accurate, but not as long, I think Nagy would take that. But Fry had his most recent success all indoors, so grass is a change for him.

Who the he!! knows?
Agreed. What Pineiro needs to master is how to still kick with power but not rely on such a heavy plant foot to generate torque. I'm clearly a psychopath so I went and found his pre-season kicks with the Raiders last season, and I was -- I guess relieved? -- to see that he wasn't kicking with 100% power for all his kicks.

https://youtu.be/cXxmV5xb-wA?t=1522" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

https://youtu.be/cXxmV5xb-wA?t=3067" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

https://youtu.be/cXxmV5xb-wA?t=5156" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

https://youtu.be/cXxmV5xb-wA?t=9659" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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The Marshall Plan
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Mikefive wrote:If you were betting, would you take Piniero, Fry or somebody else? Pretty even odds each way it seems.
Somebody else. Pace goes all in when there’s a weakness. Traded up for Biscuit. Traded for Mack. Redid almost the entire WR group in one offseason. This will be no different. If he has to trade for Robbie Gould and pay him record money, he will. I don’t doubt Pace’s desire or ability to fix problems on this team anymore. Just in terms of how visible the kicker situation is, Pace has to fix it.
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[Biggs] Eddy Piniero and Elliott Fry ended final minicamp practice with each making field goals from 45 yards. “It was awesome finishing the way we did,” Matt Nagy said. Saved the team from conditioning running.
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The Marshall Plan wrote:
Mikefive wrote:If you were betting, would you take Piniero, Fry or somebody else? Pretty even odds each way it seems.
Somebody else. Pace goes all in when there’s a weakness. Traded up for Biscuit. Traded for Mack. Redid almost the entire WR group in one offseason. This will be no different. If he has to trade for Robbie Gould and pay him record money, he will. I don’t doubt Pace’s desire or ability to fix problems on this team anymore. Just in terms of how visible the kicker situation is, Pace has to fix it.
Eventually you run out of picks and/or cap space though...
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Nagy/Pace are going to go for accuracy, so that's why I'm leaning towards Fry. It also wouldn't surprise me if the kicker that starts the season isn't the kicker that ends the season.
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malk wrote:
The Marshall Plan wrote:
Mikefive wrote:If you were betting, would you take Piniero, Fry or somebody else? Pretty even odds each way it seems.
Somebody else. Pace goes all in when there’s a weakness. Traded up for Biscuit. Traded for Mack. Redid almost the entire WR group in one offseason. This will be no different. If he has to trade for Robbie Gould and pay him record money, he will. I don’t doubt Pace’s desire or ability to fix problems on this team anymore. Just in terms of how visible the kicker situation is, Pace has to fix it.
Eventually you run out of picks and/or cap space though...
There are ways. Bring in 10 guys. Even a kicker like Gould can be had for a very lower round draft choice and we still have a bunch of them next year.

The lifelong fan meatball in me says trade for Gould. But whatever, we can't have a playoff come down to that bullshit again. With the way this offense is, we really shouldn't have to worry about the 50 yard FG all that much. Just get somebody who is automatic from 45 yards and in. If that's Fry, then its Fry.
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The Marshall Plan wrote:
malk wrote:
The Marshall Plan wrote:
Mikefive wrote:If you were betting, would you take Piniero, Fry or somebody else? Pretty even odds each way it seems.
Somebody else. Pace goes all in when there’s a weakness. Traded up for Biscuit. Traded for Mack. Redid almost the entire WR group in one offseason. This will be no different. If he has to trade for Robbie Gould and pay him record money, he will. I don’t doubt Pace’s desire or ability to fix problems on this team anymore. Just in terms of how visible the kicker situation is, Pace has to fix it.
Eventually you run out of picks and/or cap space though...
There are ways. Bring in 10 guys. Even a kicker like Gould can be had for a very lower round draft choice and we still have a bunch of them next year.

The lifelong fan meatball in me says trade for Gould. But whatever, we can't have a playoff come down to that bullshit again. With the way this offense is, we really shouldn't have to worry about the 50 yard FG all that much. Just get somebody who is automatic from 45 yards and in. If that's Fry, then its Fry.
I just meant, particularly with regards to Gould, that Pace can't keep going out and doing whatever it takes to solve a problem.

From a pure business perspective, enough kickers have come out of nowhere that we should do what we've done, offer who we think is the best 4 years for $4m with no guarantees beyond year one and then keep going until it works out. Salary has no correlation to success with kickers so there's little point paying them. The once scenario being if you have a good one when you're solidly in your window then resigning at that point is worthwhile.

It's crazy that Parkey is 21st all time in FG%, just half a point behind Vinatieri. There's a not small part of me that thinks that, in any given season, you have Justin Tucker or it's dumb luck. Gould had poor years in 2005 and 2014, Gostkowski 2006 and 2010, Dan Bailey has fallen off a cliff the past two years, Vanderjagt had 2002 and 2006 (but followed up 2002 with a perfect year, 37 of 37 in 2003). That's the top 5 ever (excluding Lutz's three years for sample size).

Even someone like Vinatieri with a 22 year career had five years over 90% and 7 under 80%.

Now that's really basic analysis but it does seem to indicate that that killer sub 80% year could come at any time.
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wab wrote:Nagy/Pace are going to go for accuracy, so that's why I'm leaning towards Fry. It also wouldn't surprise me if the kicker that starts the season isn't the kicker that ends the season.
The concern I have with Fry is that I've heard reports detailing how some of his kicks would fall short, if not well-short, of the goal posts. That worries me because it ties into concerns over his leg strength, and again in Chicago you need to cut through the teeth of the wind at times.

I'm hoping Pineiro is lights out in camp and carves out a stellar 12-14 year career in Chicago.
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After watching Parkey play the wind lottery and limp-dick his kicks with all the strength and power of a styrafoam cup, I'm cheering for Pineiro, since at the very least he plugs the fuck out of his kicks in the general direction of the uprights.
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https://twitter.com/maddogradio/status/ ... 86688?s=21" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Cohen reveals that Nagy shows the team the final seconds of the playoff loss to keep it fresh, so they never forget that hurt.
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https://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/video ... nts-winner" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Gould: “It’s a complicated situation. The way I’ve kind of approached it is, I want to spend time with my family. And I let my agent handle it, and if anything comes up that I have to make a decision or be in the know, he’ll call me and let me know. But right now there’s nothing to really know, and I’m just enjoying being home and being in Chicago. I’m at a point in my career where my family is what’s going to dictate the decisions that I make.”
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Robbie really is going to force his way back here, isn't he?

David Kaplan reports the Bears don't have interest but who the hell knows...
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G08 wrote:Robbie really is going to force his way back here, isn't he?

David Kaplan reports the Bears don't have interest but who the hell knows...
If the Bears say they have interest, it weakens any negotiating position they have.
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it might even technically be tampering if the bears say they have interest?
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It is..a team cannot solicit and probably best not to even mention Gloud. Fans..sure..Team officials..nope..
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UOK wrote:After watching Parkey play the wind lottery and limp-dick his kicks with all the strength and power of a styrafoam cup, I'm cheering for Pineiro, since at the very least he plugs the fuck out of his kicks in the general direction of the uprights.
Yeah, I think that's what annoyed me about a lot of Parkey's kicks from 45 and in most. Especially the one that ended our season. He tried to baby it through the uprights. There was no wind... aim it down the middle and kick the f'ing thing. You watch the best in the game - from 40-45 their kicks are ROCKETING through the uprights.
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Eddie Pinero's kicks on video are jaw dropping. I hope he can translate them to the NFL and be our guy. it would be nice to have a kicker that "can" nail it from 55-60 if needed.
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Good, the Gould drama is over. He re-signs with 9ers. This can be put to bed.
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Homeboy got paid... good for him.
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Hub Arkush said Piniero's leg is outstanding, kid was banging 60 yard field goals with ease. He thinks he will win our competition for what it's worth.

Also, sounds like we are tweaking some mechanics for these guys and that may explain some of the misses... Pace said it's like tweaking a golf swing.
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I keep hearing similar stories on radio. Piniero definitely has a strong leg, but his accuracy is inconsistent. Fry is pretty accurate, but has a weak leg and from time to time will miss hit kicks in the high 40's, leaving them short.
Mikefive's theory: The only time you KNOW that a sports team player, coach or management member is being 100% honest is when they're NOT reciting "the company line".

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I want the kid with the cannon for a leg.
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