Bears Using Special Tactic For Kicking Competition.
The Chicago Bears and general manager Ryan Pace decided to skip the idea of making any big trades or free agent signings for a new kicker this offseason. Instead they've tried to create a little kicking competition between some relatively unproven unknown kickers. Chris Blewitt, Elliott Fry and Eddy Pineiro are battling it out for the position and we probably won't know the winner until after training camp. During practice this week, head coach Matt Nagy and special teams coordinator Chris Tabor have implemented a special rule for the kickers. When any of the kickers come on the field to show what they've got, the rest of the team has been requested to remain silent. The two coaches have labeled it "Augusta silence" in reference to the golf tournament. «It just randomly happens that at some point in practice, it could be in the middle of a drill, offense and defense, they just have to leave and they go to the side of the field and we put (a kicker) out there,» Tabor told reporters. «And it's a pressure-packed situation — (the kicker) might not know when it's coming, so, therefore, how does he handle adversity?«… And then it's just — it's quiet.»While it doesn't recreate a game situation, the deadly silence does kind of recreate the pressure of a game situation. «Obviously you can never re-create the pressure in the game out here, but it's the closest thing you can get,» Fry said. «In all the situations, whatever they are, we're just focused on making the kick and trying to block everything out.»
What do you think of the technique?
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