Tabor obliged, and Fry hit the kick from 60 yards through a wind and over the bottom crossbar, drawing the loudest cheer of practice at Olivet Nazarene. It had Tabor walking off the field with a smile and coach Matt Nagy seeing light at the end of the tunnel in this ongoing competition.
"It was a pretty good day for our kicker," Nagy said with a smile of his own after practice.
Related
Saturday was Fry's day as the Bears' kicker in practice. On Sunday, it will be his competition in Eddy Pineiro getting those opportunities.
The Bears plan to alternate their kickers each day of practice throughout training camp, using the approach as their latest move to create pressure on Fry and Pineiro.
Fry was 9-for-10 on his field-goal attempts, the lone miss being his first attempt. He settled in and made the rest of his kicks.
What impressed Nagy was how Fry embraced his day in the spotlight under the Bears' designed pressure.
"We don't care about weather, we don't care about what's scripted for that practice," Nagy said. "Whatever happens for that day, that kicker can prepare and understand that today is his day.
"You think about a free-throw contest when you're at a basketball camp, and you got to wait for seven other people to shoot -- you get one shot and seven more. Being in a rhythm.
"He got in a rhythm and he did great."
Extra points
-- The Bears practiced before a crowd of 8,385 fans at Olivet Nazarene, something that Nagy noticed as he arrived to the field. Many of those folks were waiting outside the gates well before practice would begin.
"I don't even know how to put it into words how much that means to us on just who our fans are, what our city is all about," Nagy said. "It literally gives you goose bumps.
"Thank you."
-- Rookie receiver Riley Ridley was sidelined from the Bears' morning practice with the hamstring issue that he had experienced a day earlier. Nagy referred to the injury as a "week thing" but added, "I'm not overly concerned."
-- Sacks in training camp result in plays whistled early. Star edge rusher Khalil Mack was disruptive to the Bears' offense Saturday.
"I'd like him to just keep ruining our drills," Nagy said. "I'm OK with that."
-- The Bears will hold their first practice in full pads in Bourbonnais on Sunday morning.