The Chicago Bears' decision to kneel the ball before Eddy Pineiro's missed field goal in Sunday's one-point loss to the Los Angeles Chargers took an eyebrow-raising twist Tuesday.
Mitchell Trubisky's kneel put the ball on the left hash, but was that the kicker's preferred location?
"It's just the aiming points," Pineiro said Tuesday, via the Chicago Tribune. "I mean the left hash is going to be a different kick than (from) the right hash. And it's going to be a different kick in the middle."
The kicker was asked if he wanted the ball on the left hash to attempt the pressure-packed boot.
"Ummmm," he said. "I didn't. But, I mean, it is what it is."
Pushed as to whether the middle of the field would have been his preference in that situation, the kicker shrugged: "I guess. I don't know."
The kick slid just wide left. Those few feet could have made the difference between a win or a loss.
Pineiro seemed to realize that his small but notable admission could create more grief for his head coach, who has been fending off questions about the decision to kneel.
"You just got me on that one," he said. "Damn."
It's unclear whether the kicker expressed his preference of where he'd like the ball at that moment, in that situation to coach Matt Nagy. Whether he did and was ignored or did not, Pineiro's admission added another excruciating detail for a Bears fan base lamenting what could have been once again.