Panthers Coach Ron Rivera Reveals Awesome Reason He Iced Bears' Kicker in 2nd Quarter

Last night was officially the first preseason games of the year, so really teams are just playing young guys and seeing what they have. For coaches, you kind of just go through the motions.

Not Carolina Panthers head coach Ron Rivera.

With seconds remaining in the first half, Rivera decided to call a timeout as Chicago Bears kicker Elliot Fry was getting ready to attempt a field goal. He iced the kicker in a preseason game. He wasn't just trolling the Bears, Rivera admitted after the game he was trying help them out.

I asked Rivera about icing the kicker in the second quarter and he very transparently admitted he did it to help the Bears. He knows they’re trying to find a kicker.
— Jourdan Rodrigue (@JourdanRodrigue) August 9, 2019

As we know, former Bears kicker Cody Parkey missed a field goal in the playoffs last year, ending their season in heart-breaking fashion. Rivera, who played and coached for the Bears, decided to help head coach Matt Nagy out and see if their new kicker has the chops to be their starter.

It was certainly surprising to see Rivera put some extra pressure on the Bears' kicker, but now that we know why, it's a pretty cool reason.

Icing the kicker ... in the preseason? ?

There's a good explanation.https://t.co/QqFVXd5E02
— For The Win (@ForTheWin) August 9, 2019

I don't know many instances where a coach in any sport did the other team a favor in this way. Hopefully, Fry doesn't come through in the clutch against Carolina this season.