On Tuesday, the first day of Bears minicamp, head coach Matt Nagy stopped practice about halfway through. It was time to put the team’s three kickers under a test he calls, “Augusta silence.”
All eyes on the kickers. Reporters, Bears alumni, coaching staff, 90-man roster staring at the three specialists. It was silent, as quiet as a golfer sizing up a putt for par. Doink, wide right, wide left. Each kicker missed his attempt in a different way from 42 yards out—0-3. One of the three, the one with the best headline potential, Chris Blewitt, was sent packing the next morning.