In 2019, former Bears kicker Eddy Pineiro embarrassed Matt Nagy’s coaching staff by admitting after a missed game-deciding 41-yard field goal that he didn’t want the ball on the left hash mark for the boot against the Chargers at Soldier Field.
History is repeating itself in a sense under Matt Eberflus, except this time it wasn’t a missed kick that cost them the match was at Pineiro. It was the Packers’ Sunday block.
And it wasn’t the kicker that conceded anything. It was coach Matt Eberflus, who said after the match that he had decided not to take the ball closer than a 46-yard try when he had a timeout in hand.
Eberflus made it clear that he had not taken into account Cairo Santos’ preference for a hashmark on the winning kick attempt. Although he didn’t really need that. He should have known already.
Santos has made it clear in the past that he prefers the right hash, and Eberflus was asked by CHGO’s Nick Moreano on Wednesday if there was any thought about putting it there as his kicker on the previous running play.
The Bears released Eddy Pineiro, who is now the most accurate kicker in NFL history.
They also let go of Robbie Gould. They can’t keep talent.#ChicagoHistory pic.twitter.com/cfg1vgvPRO
— History of Chicago (@Chicago_History) November 18, 2024
After all, Eberflus had meticulously staged this situation at the last step by letting the clock run.
“That wasn’t the case,” Eberflus said when he thought about it. “There wasn’t that.
“We feel good about our decision there.”
Bears special teams coordinator Richard Hightower will be talking to the media on Thursday and his take on the subject will no doubt be interesting. Most likely, he will dive on the grenade in front of his head coach.
.@leilarahimi is so cynical about the Bears’ leadership that she could see how the organization pushed itself to keep Matt Eberflus even with a 6-11 season.
Naturally, @dan_bernstein And @Mharrisonair I almost lost it.
Listen to the full segment: pic.twitter.com/5PBrwM0cte
— 670 The Score (@670TheScore) November 20, 2024
Two former members of the Bears field goal operation were stunned to learn that Eberflus had not thought this through.
“What I don’t understand is why we’re not talking about putting the ball on the right hash when Cairo kicks all of its extra points and most of its field goals when they get into those situations,” said former Bears kicker Robbie Gould . told Bears Den on Marquee Network.
.@RobbieGould09 on Cairo Santos’ blocked kick from the left hash.
Watch ‘Bears Den’ – Tuesdays at 6! pic.twitter.com/UVNLuX6efh
— Marquee Bears (@BearsMarquee) November 19, 2024
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Gould’s long snapper, Patrick Mannelly, told Holmes and Spiegel on the Score that this was a “blatant” error on the part of Eberflus or possibly Hightower.
“That’s coaching 101,” was Mannelly’s immediate response when told what Eberflus said in response to Moreano’s question.
Matt Eberflus is the worst situational coach I have ever seen. pic.twitter.com/EOfSvGK0Gw
— intelligent gangster (@G_ROB_80) November 17, 2024
“So you’ve gone through this scenario two or three to four times throughout the entire offseason and regular season, so when you do that, the special teams coach stands next to the head coach and the OC and he asks – should ask – Okay, what’s our kick line today with this wind, because Halas Hall can be windy.
So it will be a different kick line if you go for the field goal. Which hash line would Cairo prefer today? That is always discussed. “I played 16 years in the NFL and was fortunate enough to experience a lot of game-winning kicks, missed kicks, game-blocked kicks, whatever. That’s always discussed as soon as you get the ball back. The (special teams) coordinator has to go to the head coach and the OC click and say, ‘listen, here’s the kick line, north or south, wherever you’re going in Soldier Field or a dome or wherever Cairo prefers it on the right hash.” “
TIGHT VICTORIES REMAIN UNSPECIAL ABILITY FOR MATT EBERFLUS’ BEARS
CALEB WILLIAMS TRYES VIKING PROTECTION FROM BEAR ROBBERY
THE LAST THING BEARS NEED RIGHT NOW IS D’ANDRE SWIFT’S PICK INJURY
There was certainly time. Eberflus had that timeout in the bag and the clock was about 30 seconds and ticking, but he was only in second place. They could have run the ball to the right, but they ran it in such a way that it wasn’t placed on the right hash.
.@PatrickMannelly takes issue with Matt Eberflus’ “egregious” coaching in not getting the ball to the right hash for Cairo Santos.
Mannelly is frustrated that Eberflus isn’t implementing what the Bears have been working on every day in training camp and in practice.
Listen: pic.twitter.com/G0dhdq0Nho
— 670 The Score (@670TheScore) November 20, 2024
The only aspect of the complaining that isn’t taken into account here is that it wasn’t a missed kick. It was blocked. Of course that makes a difference, but who knows? If Santos gets more comfortable with the right hash, maybe he’ll get more direct lift on the kick, or pull it in a bit to avoid the interior mess the Packers have created.
Eberflus was asked Wednesday whether he supported the league’s assessment of whether they thought the Packers got away with some illegal tactics by hitting long snapper Scott Daly or by stacking players and pushing them down the line, or something else that could have led to defeat. block.
#Bears Head clown Matt Eberflus on whether there was any thought to move the ball to the right hash for Santos’ final FG attempt. #ClownShow pic.twitter.com/lcQOkRlD6I
— Barroom network | Aldo Gandia (@BarroomNetwork) November 20, 2024
However, he said the competition will not be available to teams again until later in the day on Wednesday.
Twitter: BearsOnSI
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