Robbie Gould knows a thing or two about kicking in Chicago. He did it for a decade. Releasing him is still viewed as one of the biggest mistakes Bears GM Ryan Pace made in his tenure. Gould also knows about kicking under pressure in the playoffs. His 49-yard bomb to send them to the NFC championship in January 2007 remains the best kicking highlight in franchise history.
All of that experience taught him how to read the ebbs and flows of a game. To understand when it’s likely going to come down to a field goal late and having to be ready for it. That knowledge served him well in January of 2018. Many people didn’t know Gould was actually present for that Bears-Eagles game in the wild card round. Where it gets crazy is he realized what was getting ready to happen before anybody else did. He knew it was going to come down to Cody Parkey. In the middle of the 3rd quarter.
He told the story on the Pat McAfee Show and it’s both amazing and painful.
"I did watch the game I was actually at the game" 👀@RobbieGould09 witnessed the Double Doink 1st hand #PatMcAfeeShowLIVE pic.twitter.com/zBcquHDOPT
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) March 4, 2021
That is simply insane. Gould not only knew what was coming but knew it a full quarter and a half before it actually happened. That is some incredible foresight. Everybody knows the story from there. The Bears led 15-10 late in the 4th quarter before Philadelphia scored on 4th down to take a 16-15 lead. A good return and some nice Mitch Trubisky passes later, Chicago set up Cody Parkey for a 43-yard attempt.
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There was nothing to be concerned about regarding the situation. It was within the guy’s range. There was no wind to speak of and it wasn’t that cold for January in Chicago. A professional kicker should make that kick nine times out of 10. Unfortunately, Parkey had struggled all season, and having that amount of pressure on him was asking for trouble.
Everybody remembers the rest.
Robbie Gould is still beloved but thankfully no longer missed
As he continues his successful run in San Francisco, the Bears have finally found closure at the kicker position. Journeyman veteran Cairo Santos came out of nowhere last season to deliver the best year a Chicago kicker has ever had. Of the 69 total kicks including field goals and extra points he attempted, he made 66 of them. He was on the money all season long and seemed to establish himself as the Bears kicker of the future.
Barring something unexpected, he should get a contract extension before the start of free agency. Then the team can finally shift their focus away from kicker for the first time since Robbie Gould locked that job down. What’s amazing is Santos’s rise was quite similar to his. Arrived in town as an emergency option because the established guy was injured.
Stepped in, performed well, and basically stole the job by the end of the year.
At 29-years old, Santos should have plenty of good years ahead presuming he stays healthy. If the kid can handle kicking in Chicago, he’ll do just fine. Like Gould did. Sometimes it just takes finding the right guy with the right head on his shoulders.
Suffice to say a lot of bettors lost a ton of money on that Parkey kick. It probably wouldn’t have been nearly as bad if they’d used PointsBet. They are partnered with the Chicago Bears. If you want two risk-free bets up to $2000, just use the promo code Mockery and make yourself some cash.