Thread: Robbie Gould Answers Questions From Fans...........

June 15, 2012 Gould answers questions from fans

By: Larry Mayer | Last Updated: 6/15/2012 10:07 AM


Bears kicker Robbie Gould answers questions from fans exclusively on ChicagoBears.com:

What is the best thing about being a Chicago Bear?
Kris V.
Palmyra, Pennsylvania


RG: “The best thing about being a Bear is just being in a city with a great tradition not only from a football standpoint but also from a fan standpoint. It’s one of the best places to play and it’s one of the best organizations to be a part of.”


If you could play another position for the Bears, what would it be ?

Clair M.
Rosebud Sioux Tribe, South Dakota

RG: “Any position I can score a touchdown.”


I know that you have said you like it when an opposing coach calls a timeout to try to ice you. How do you control your emotions and compose yourself before you kick when the pressure is that extreme?

Dean O.
Carrollton, Ohio


RG: “I always have fun when I kick. I’m always laughing, I’m always joking around. I’m always pretty loose. So when a coach calls a timeout, I look at it as being able to have an extra kick to judge the wind and the conditions.”


Do you ever see yourself making a 60-yard field goal?

Justin P.
Chicago


RG: “I have the leg strength to kick a 60-yard field goal. It’s just a matter of having the opportunity, and that doesn’t come very often if ever. Do I see myself kicking one? Sure, but I have to have the opportunity to do it first.”


Is there any truth to kickers needed the “laces out” like in “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective?”

Sitha H.
Springfield, Illinois


RG: “There is a science to kicking a football. If the laces are faced towards you, the sweet spot of the ball is not exposed, so the ball is not going to travel as far. That’s why they always talk about ‘laces out, Finkle.’”


What is your thought process as you line up to kick? Is it a complete clearing of your mind or do you try to focus on a few specific things?
John B.
Bedford, New Hampshire


RG: “I focus on a spot behind the upright, whether it’s somebody in an orange jacket or a sign, anything that sticks out. Other than that, I just trust my technique and I trust that it’s going to go right to left or left to right.”


What is the most memorable field goal in your career?

Kevin
Libertyville, Illinois


RG: “Probably the Seattle Seahawks playoff game-winner.”


What’s your golf handicap and are you the best golfer on the Bears?

Raj P.


RG: “My handicap is a 2.2 and I’m not the best golfer. Adam Podlesh is a scratch golfer.”


What would it mean to you to surpass Kevin Butler as the Bears’ all-time leading scorer and is that one of your goals?
Brad V.
Salisbury, North Carolina


RG: “That is one of my goals. It would mean a lot to me, having played in an organization as long as Kevin Butler did with the success he had as a kicker. But unfortunately that’s outside my control because I don’t think I have enough years right now under contract to beat his scoring record. Hopefully the organization will reward me with a new contract at some point and I’ll have the ability to break his record down the road.”


Do you pay attention to your statistics and where you stand on the list of most accurate kickers of all time?

Joe C.
Eastampton, New Jersey


RG: “I always look at numbers, whether it’s during the season or after the season. You always want to be the best player to ever play the game at your position, and I think kicking in the NFL is no different. So do I look at them? Absolutely. I know I have a lot more kicks in my career. But you always want to go out there and have success and be competitive and challenge yourself.”


Is it true that when you first got the call from the Bears to come in for a tryout, you thought it was friends pranking you so you hung up on them?

Alex D.
Northfield, Illinois


RG: “Yes, that’s true. I got a call from [executive assistant] Robyn Wilkey. She said, ‘We want to bring you in for a tryout.’ In order to find me where I was working, you’d have to really dig or call my agent and my agent never called me to say the Bears were going to call. My mom or dad never called me to say the Bears were trying to call me. At the end of the day, I thought it was a prank. I kept hanging up on her. Little did I know it was actually a tryout.”


What was your favorite NFL team growing up?
Libby R.
Lansing, Iowa


RG: “The New England Patriots.”


When that rare moment comes where you miss a field goal you normally would make, what mental adjustments do you make to get back on track?

David R.


RG: “You’re only as good as your next kick. You can’t worry about the one you just missed or the one you just made. It’s always about looking forward as a kicker and finding out what kick is going to be next, whether it’s an extra point or a 50-yard game-winner.”
I am a season-ticket holder and have watched you warm up many times before games and was wondering how you came up with kicking the ball from the corner of the end zone. I’ve never seen anyone else do that.

Michael


RG: “It’s a drill that [assistant special teams coach] Kevin O’Dea brought to Chicago when he was here in 06. We’ve done that drill to draw a straight line because kicking’s all about kicking in a straight line. It’s helped me and I’ve done it since ’06.”


What was the best tackle you’ve made to stop a big kickoff return?

Jack L.
Wheaton, Illinois


RG: “It was against Eddie Drummond in Detroit my rookie year one, because he was a former teammate [at Penn State] and two, not only did I end up on my back but he also did too.”


Do you think you'll retire as a Chicago Bear?

Zach H.
Virginia Beach, Virginia


RG: “I don’t know that. That’s out of my control. Obviously there are a lot of situations that go into that. Would I like to? Absolutely. But my contract’s up in two years and hopefully they reward me with a contract.”


What is the longest field goal you have ever made, including practice?

John B.
Naperville, Illinois


RG: “In a game 57 yards and in practice probably 65.


What stadium is the hardest to kick field goals in?
Guillermo D.
Baltimore, Maryland


RG: “Soldier Field, because of the weather. It sits next to a lake and the wind is always blowing, and there’s never anything that’s consistent or constant about it.”