Chicago Bears: Cashing In on a Gould-en Oppurtunity

Robbie Gould should certainly thank Paul Edinger for the opportunity.

Edinger found his way into the league as a rookie in 2000. He was a 6th round pick out of Michigan State and immediately established his identity in the NFL with his "corkscrew" style. He hit 21/27 FGs and 21 XPs as a rookie and showed people that he can play. After 3 more successful seasons, Edinger had a fallout in 2004 where he had a career-low 64 points and made only 62.5% of his field goals. The Bears parted ways with him and he signed with Minnesota and had a solid '05 campaign, but has not kicked in the NFL since.

The Bears hoped to bolster their kicking game by bringing in veteran Doug Brien, who missed 2 game-winning FGs in the '04 playoffs for the Jets. In his 3 games as a Bear, Brien made only 1 of 4 FGs, and the team decided to part ways with the savvy vet; enter Robbie Gould.

Now, let's set something straight. Gould was an undrafted free agent coming out of Penn State. He was signed and cut by both the Patriots and Ravens and didn't make it to training camp. Figuring his dream at the NFL was over, he returned to his hometown to be a construction worker for a family friend. Fortunately, the Bears came calling and were in need of a kicker. Gould stepped in Week 5 against Cleveland and kicked a FG and XP. His breakout moment was against the Saints in Week 9, when he hit a 28-yard FG in the waning minutes to send Chicago home as victors.

Gould established himself as one of the best young kickers in the NFL in 2006, scoring the most points for the Bears and being anointed the "offensive MVP". Gould was lights out, hitting 32/36 FGs and scoring 47 XPs. He was named to the Pro Bowl and All-Pro teams. His 49-yard-game-winning-FG in the divisional playoffs against the Seattle Seahawks showed how clutch he was and now moved himself into the elite category of kickers in the NFL.

Despite one of the most porous offenses in the league and many defensive/ST TDs, Gould still managed to produce at a high level in 2007, kicking 31/36 FGs and 33 XPs. Once again, he made the Pro Bowl, completing the Special Team trifecta of Brendan Ayanbadejo and returner Devin Hester.

So, I guess the real question is, Is Robbie Gould legitimate enough to be paid as the league's best kicker?

I would have to say absolutely. Given the fact that if he makes his 1st FG in 2008, he will become the 3rd most accurate placekicker in NFL history, I would have to say so, especially considering the fact that he is entering his 4th NFL season.

He is a bonafide kicker who is not fazed by the game or the lucrative contract. From The Daily Herald's article on May 12, Gould says, "[The contract] won't stop me from being a competitor. I want to continue to be more consistent on field goals and get my kickoffs longer. I want to make every field goal. I want to let my teammates know they can count on me." It sounds as though Robbie Gould is zoned in on making every kick this year.

You can bank on that, because Gould is as good the gold he's getting paid with.