In a surprising and shocking move by the Chicago Bears on Sunday, 11-year veteran kicker Robbie Gould was released from the team, but was that the right move?
Good as Gould. That’s what he is known to all Chicago Bears fans. In his eleven year tenure with the Chicago Bears, Robbie Gould was known for being that clutch placekicker. Always coming through when needed and a guaranteed points-on-the-board kind of guy. In a six-pack of seasons, he made every attempted kick without a miss. Gould made the Top-10 throughout his career for points scored, extra points made, extra points attempted, field goals percentage, total field goals made and attempted.
There is no question Gould made his mark in the NFL. As a Chicago Bear, his extra point percentage remained a steady 100 percent from 2006-12. The next few years, his percentage dropped and it became evident in the 2015 season that something was amiss in Gould’s clutch performance. In the first three weeks of the 2015 season, Gould made every kick, even kicking a 50-yarder in Week 1 and a 51-yarder in Week 3. But it was the game against the Oakland Raiders in Week 4 that seemed to rock Gould’s confidence. On his first field goal attempt, his kick was blocked by Denico Autry. That is a rarity in Gould’s world.
He was able to shake that off and hit three more field goals, one which was a nice 54-yarder in the fourth quarter. For the most part, it seemed like an anomaly. The next time Gould missed a field goal was in Week 8, which was a 51-yard attempt. Granted, he had completed a 55-yard attempt in the first quarter against the Minnesota Vikings. Gould was able to make the following field goal without concern. Again there was little apprehension as Gould was making the most of his attempts. However, if Gould had made that kick, the Bears would have been tied with the Vikings and given another chance to make a play.
The following games, the Bears had to fight to get points on the board. Against the San Diego Chargers, Gould missed a 47-yard field goal in the first quarter and again missed a 34-yard field goal in the third quarter. If Gould had made those two kicks, the Bears would have been six points ahead with a score of 28-19 instead of 22-19. However, the game against the San Francisco 49ers would have put the Bears in a 5-8 record in Week 13. If Gould had made the two field goals in that game and there would have been no need for overtime. By Week 17, Gould had missed an additional three field goal attempts.
During the offseason, Gould was trying to fix whatever issues he had with his kicking last season. In the April for the Chicago Tribune, reporter Dan Wiederer stated that Gould was packing on the pounds in an effort to begin kicking earlier than usual to work on kicking techniques. He met with strength coaches, trainers, and team nutritionist at Halas Hall to build more strength and added durability.
However, all that hard work didn’t pan out for Gould, as he missed several field goals in preseason. That left the Chicago Bears no choice but to find a kicker who could put the points on the board. The Bear released Gould on Labor Day weekend and signed Connor Barth. Gould has been a Chicago Bears for 11 seasons, while Barth has been on six teams prior to signing with the Bears. When you look at the stats for 2015, Gould stood a little bit higher than Barth. What stood out on Barth is that he was a consistent 100 percent on 20-29 and 30-39 yards. The kicks that count. If Gould could not make those, then the Bears had to find someone who could.
What is haunting is what Gould said in his interview with Wiederer, “That’s what I’m here to do. I’m here to win. I’m here to play football. I’m here to make kicks and do the things that I know that I can do. And I don’t want to be a player where when I leave the organization, whether it’s on my own or down the road when contracts expire or whatever, who has the regret that I didn’t win a Super Bowl as a Chicago Bear.”
As dedicated as Gould was in his heart, it did not reflect the production needed during the preseason. No one can ever question Gould’s heart and love of the Chicago Bears franchise, but it is a business and the Chicago Bears are putting the pieces in place that will win games. Gould says he’s not bitter and neither should Bears fans. The goal is to win games and return to the Super Bowl and that’s the bottom line. Who knows, he may just be called back if the need arises.
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