Bear Digest

Report: No Apologies from League for Bears on Blocked Kick

According to a Sun-Times report, the Bears did not receive an apology from the league for an official's mistake on the blocked field goal, as it was deemed entirely legal.

Gene Chamberlain

Cairo Santos looks on in disbelief after the game-winning field goal attempt was blocked.
Cairo Santos looks on in disbelief after the game-winning field goal attempt was blocked. / Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images
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The Bears couldn't get even the small amount of satisfaction a league apology would bring.

According to a report by Jason Lieser of the Sun-Times, the NFL told the Bears the field goal block by Green Bay at the end of Sunday's 20-19 Packers win was entirely legal.

Karl Brooks blocked Cairo Santos' 46-yard field goal and there had been concern by the Bears Brooks and another Packers lineman had hit long snapper Scott Daly too soon after his snap. Daly did end up on the ground, as did guard Larry Borom.

The Bears submitted video of the kick but it would not have changed anything had the NFL actually agreed with them and found something illegal happened on the play. They simply would have received an admission of an officiating mistake and have a nice day.

"Yeah, we just saw them making direct contact with him right away and we'll turn that in as well," Eberflus said on Monday, a day after the loss.

With that, he also admitted they needed to block better on the play, adding, "But again, we just got to be firmer in the execution there."

Afterward, the Packers said they noted from film that Santos' longer kicks come out at a lower trajectory so they went for the block.

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"Yeah, I don't have an issue with Cairo, I don't have an issue with our field goal protection team," special teams coordinator Richard Hightower said. "I feel like the result of the play, of that play was not our desired result.

"But I have faith and confidence in our unit and I am looking forward to them operating in that situation again when it's presented. We've kicked over 160 kicks here, our process has been good when it comes to field goal. The result was not what we wanted. It was not what we wanted and that starts with me. And it ends with me. It has to do with nobody else."

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

BearDigest.com publisher Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.