When word leaked that a kicker had arrived via trade, fans were ecstatic. The Chicago Bears Robbie Gould reunion had finally happened. Those hopes were quickly crushed though. Instead, GM Ryan Pace had executed a minor deal to acquire Eddy Pineiro from Oakland, a former undrafted free agent from Florida. His connections to Bears kicking consultant Jamie Kohl made it an obvious move.
The Bears seem content to head into training camp with Pineiro, Chris Blewitt, and Elliot Fry as the main contenders in their kicking competition. It’s not a terrible array. All are young and have credibility on their track records. Still, there are some who believe the team merely has cold feet. They don’t want to make the obvious move to bring Gould home.
Why? Maybe it’s a fear of the asking price from San Francisco. Perhaps Pace doesn’t want to openly admit his mistake of cutting the veteran back in 2016. Though in fairness he already did that a few weeks ago. Either way, this is not a move that can be pulled off easily.
Chicago Bears Robbie Gould trade far safer option expert says
Dan Hanzus of NFL.com believes the team is tempting fate with this current approach. They’re much better off dealing for Gould. His credibility alone speaks for itself. Never mind his long track record of success in Chicago.
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“Perhaps Ralph Waldo Emerson would change his mind about luck if he saw The Double Doink. Cody Parkey‘s crushing miss in January’s playoffs is still living with the Bears. Strangely, Matt Nagy helped to ensure that at rookie camp when he had all the kickers in attendance line up from 43 yards out, the same distance from which Parkey yakked against the Eagles in their Wild Card Game.
Naturally, only two of the eight kickers converted from that distance. (Talk about your all-time backfires.) They might have to pay a relative premium, but it makes too much sense for GM Ryan Pace to call Niners GM John Lynch about Robbie Gould.”
This argument is nothing new. Gould is a dream fans have clung to since it was first revealed he wanted out of San Francisco. Thus far the 49ers haven’t budged in their willingness to entertain offers. Things were made even worse when the kicker put his Chicago home up for sale. Everything pointed to him staying out west. Then he simply bought a new one.
Hope remains alive. Crazy things can happen, but it seems the Bears are going to let this competition play out.
