Bears coach Matt Nagy likes his kicker’s new nickname: Eddy “Dinero.”
After making three field goals, including a 53-yarder at the gun Sunday, Eddy Pineiro deserves to be called “Money.”
“The players love him, and he’s got that swag,” Nagy said Monday after the 16-14 win over the Broncos. “That’s who we are as a team, and, supposedly, he’s got a new nickname now, too.”
After the Bears boarded their plane Sunday night, Pineiro thanked Nagy for the opportunity to make the team — and win the game.
“His personality is infectious,” Nagy said. “Just because, when you say a likable guy, we all know when you have somebody that’s just a good person, they smile all the time, they thank you and please all the time, they’re very gracious, they’re very humble. That’s who he is as a person.”
Burton will ramp up
Tight end Trey Burton played 43 percent of the Bears’ offensive snaps in his first game of the season, but Nagy said his workload should ramp up in the coming weeks.
“It’ll take a little bit of time,” Nagy said. “It’s the fact of him just getting into game shape. He’s been out of it so long. If you expect him to go into Denver there and play 60-70 plays, that’s not happening.”
Burton had two catches for five yards against the Broncos. He hurt his groin in late August, an injury the Bears claimed was unrelated to the groin problem that cost him the wild-card game and needed offseason surgery to repair.
Nichols likely won’t go on shelf
Nagy doesn’t expect defensive lineman Bilal Nichols to go on injured reserve after he hurt his right wrist in the second quarter. Nagy said the team should know more about Nichols — who was in a cast after the game — by the middle of the week.
The Bears were impressed by Nichols’ rookie season and started him alongside Eddie Goldman and Akiem Hicks in each of their first two games. Roy Robertson-Harris would figure to take his place if he misses time.
McManis tough to scratch
Nagy said it was difficult to make special-teams stalwart Sherrick McManis a healthy scratch.
“It’s not easy because he’s such a good player on special teams and he gives you value with depth on defense,” Nagy said. “And what he has done with us, the person part, those conversations when you have that with him are never fun.”
McManis typically plays the outside edge rusher position on the field-goal block team. Cornerback Buster Skrine jumped offside from that position on the Broncos’ missed extra point. Skrine said the snapper twisted the ball before he snapped it.
“That’s another interesting situation for us to learn from,” Nagy said.
About that rule ...
Nagy said the NFL’s rule to bring the two-point conversion up to the 1-yard line after the offside call was “unique” and hinted that perhaps the league could re-examine the rule after the season.
“I don’t think it happens very often,” he said “Now that it happened, maybe they’ll check it out and see.”