Few men know more about what it’s like to kick in Chicago than Kevin Butler. He’s the longest-tenured kicker in Bears history, beating out Robbie Gould by just five games. He helped the team win the Super Bowl, but has never minced words about what life was like. He loved the city and the fans, but “Butthead” hated kicking at Soldier Field. So much so that when the Bears’ kicker search began months ago, he advised Gould not to return when rumors began heating up about a possible reunion.
Kicking in Chicago is tough. Maybe tougher than any other place in the NFL.
It’s hard to argue with him. Everything from the ever-changing grass to the constant gusts coming off Lake Michigan. There are plenty of things working against a kicker in that stadium. Thus the question must be raised. Can Eddy Pineiro, winner of the 2019 competition over the past four months, handle this arduous job? Butler offered his unflinching opinion to Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic.
Butler said it’d be “foolish” of Piñeiro to not practice at Soldier Field as much as he can, but he’s confident in the new Bears kicker.
“I think Eddy is certainly a proven kicker,” he said. “I’ve watched him for his years at Florida. Strong leg. He works really hard at it. … Him coming from Florida, he knows what kicking in big games is like. He knows how to prepare. I like what they’ve done and I think he’ll do a good job.”
Kevin Butler seems hopeful due to Pineiro’s wise approach
Last season, one of the biggest shocks dropped on Bears fans was when Cody Parkey revealed he didn’t practice at Soldier Field. His reason? The commute was too long. Not until he missed four kicks against Detroit was he finally convinced (forced) to begin making the trek down for practice at the stadium. It was utterly baffling that a guy who had to kick in that place at least eight times a year didn’t even bother to practice there.
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As everybody knows, it came back to bite him on that fateful 43-yard miss in the playoffs.
Pineiro didn’t need long to realize he had to practice at Soldier Field. As often as possible. In just two preseason games, he missed twice there. One was a 48-yard attempt and the other a 33-yard extra point. Those two kicks came close to costing him his job. Thus he declared without much hesitation that he’d be in the stadium quite a bit every week to learn its intricacies as quickly as possible. Something Butler had to do many years ago and Gould did after him.
