As reporters swarmed Bears kicker Eddy Pineiro at Halas Hall on Thursday, teammates jabbed locker neighbor Ted Larsen about the media bypassing him to talk to the kicker.
“Hey,” Larsen fired back. “Eddy leads the team in points.”
That’s true, but it’s a touchy subject. Pineiro was the only one who scored in the Bears’ season-opening loss to the Packers and said, “It doesn’t feel good. We want to score touchdowns.”
Nonetheless, the night was a milestone for Pineiro. He got through his first game with the Bears, his NFL debut, without incident and made good on the only kick they gave him: a 38-yarder from the right hash that drew a roar from the sold-out crowd at Soldier Field.
Pineiro survived the Bears’ bizarre kicker derby and has begun shifting into a more normal workplace experience.
“For kickers, you’re always gonna feel pressure... [but] I feel like a lot has calmed down,” he said.
Pineiro did not say much about coach Matt Nagy bypassing a 51-yard field goal in favor of going for it on fourth-and-10, a controversial decision. His only comment was that he was ready to do his job if needed.
He is excited, though, about the prospect of kicking in mile-high altitude in Denver on Sunday. Pineiro has never kicked there, but knows the ball travels farther and is eager to test it.
“I heard the ball flies up there, so it should be fun,” he said.
