Bears’ special-teams coach: Kicker derby was to avoid ‘the definition of insanity’

With his starting kicker finally on the roster, Bears special-teams coordinator Chris Tabor defended the methods that eventually produced Eddy Pineiro.

The team held a nine-kicker derby during rookie minicamp and ramped up the pressure during OTAs but had a more conventional training camp.

“You say ‘unconventional,’ and what I would tell you is, I mean, if you think about it, we’re trying to find a kicker,” Tabor said Monday. “And if we would just do the same thing over and over again and expect different results, I think that’s the definition of insanity.”

Speaking for the first time since Aug. 1, Tabor said he was “proud” of the Bears’ process, even the three-day rookie minicamp.

“There have been some guys that have been brought in on teams after a one-day tryout and they are no longer there,” he said. “So to bring in a bunch of guys over a three-day tryout and see how they hit the ball and those type of things, to me, that made a lot of sense.”

Tabor said cutting Elliott Fry after two preseason games “gave us a two-week window to see if [Pineiro] would be able to step up to the challenge — and, knock on wood, he has.”

NOTE: There were no surprises on the Bears’ first injury report of the season. Tight end Trey Burton was limited in practice with a strained groin, and tackle Rashaad Coward sat out with an elbow injury suffered two weeks ago.