Chicago Bears could pick up kicker on the Slye
Who will be the kicker for the Chicago Bears when the season opens up next month? An interesting option could be emerging.
When the Chicago Bears took the field on Thursday night to take on the Carolina Panthers at Soldier Field, all eyes were on team’s kicking situation. Fans knew that the starters were unlikely to play much, if at all, so the two main storylines were how David Montgomery would look, and how would the kickers respond to their first real test — even if just a preseason game.
It didn’t take long for the first victim — errr — kicker to get tested. With 1:55 left in the first half, Eddy Pineiro lined up for a 48-yard field goal. The snap and hold were pure, but Pineiro pulled it left. The groans and even a smattering of boos were audible on television. Welcome to Chicago kid.
His competition, Elliott Fry, fared much better. Fry connected on the team’s only extra-point attempt as well as a 43-yard field goal facing the North end zone, which was the same distance and direction as Cody Parkey‘s double-doink.
However, the best kicker on the field last night didn’t play for the Bears — at least not yet. Panther’s kicker Joey Slye was 3/3 on his field-goal attempts of 42, 55, 29, as well as both extra points. As well as he played, there is virtually no chance, barring an injury to Graham Gano, that Slye makes the team.
Could he be an option for the Bears? Quite possibly. The Bears may have their eyes on Kaare Vedvik of the Baltimore Ravens, but the Ravens, at least for the moment, are looking for a trade partner. They could wait until he’s eventually released as well, but they could run the risk that another kicker-needy team jumps ahead of them and pulls the trigger on a trade.
If so, Slye possesses the one quality the Bears seem to value in the kicking game is a strong leg. Slye has that. Even in college, he was known for having a strong leg, and he showed that off in securing a spot in Panthers camp when he connected on a 66-yarder.
Where he was deficient in college was with his accuracy, which is obviously a critical component for a kicker. But Slye has worked on that diligently since his college career ended, and has seemed to improve drastically. He had no trouble with his three kicks last night, as each one was right down the middle.
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While Panthers coach Ron Rivera admitted he called a timeout to ice Fry in an effort to help the Bears evaluate their kicking situation, perhaps the biggest favor he did them Thursday night was showcasing Slye.