Another Practice, Another Unnerving Way the Chicago Bears Pressure the Kickers

The Chicago Bears kickers probably had no idea what they were getting themselves into when they signed with the team. They knew the position was wide open and there would probably be a competition. It's unlikely they had any inkling of just how merciless that competition would become. Say this for the Bears coaching staff. They don't do things half-assed.

They want to make sure whoever the next guy is, he has to have the mental toughness to handle kicking in high-pressure situations. Something Cody Parkey obviously couldn't. This team expects to compete for a championship and they're not going to let that mission be derailed by a kicker who isn't up to the task. So they've been getting creative with their ways of ratcheting up the tension.

At rookie minicamps they had teammates watch as each kicker got one kick from 43 yards out. Then they shifted to a kick-until-you-miss battle where the loser forced either the offense or defense to do extra up-downs. Upon shifting to OTAs, it was reported they added new goal posts that were narrower than regulation ones. These of Arena League width. The idea is to narrow their focus.

One would think they'd be out of ideas at this point, right? Not even close.

Chicago Bears kickers had a new enemy in practice: silence

Special teams coordinator Chris Tabor revealed that one method they've begun to throw at the kickers is something he calls "Augusta Silence." It's where each kicker goes out for their kick. However instead of facing the usual chirps and calls from teammates or coaches, they're greeted with total quiet. Not a word or a peep from anybody.

The idea being that such a thing is actually more unnerving than being yelled at. Why? Players are used to that.

"I do. I am used to people yelling at me. You know? I'm used...my wife and my daughters were yellers. I'm used to it. So when it is quiet out there, it is a different feeling. Nags and I have talked about it. It's different."

He's not wrong. Football players are used to noise. So when somebody gets hit with utter quiet instead? That can throw a man off his game. This is precisely the intention. They want to see how the kickers can handle sudden changes in the environment and situation. Whomever among Elliott Fry, Chris Blewitt, or Eddy Pineiro handle it best will no doubt get positive marks towards their ultimate goal.