Gould is gone

['TD']

I lost a lot of respect for him after running his mouth on the radio during the whole Brandon Marshall thing.

 

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/footb...0904-story.html

[Connorbear]

Best kicker in Bears history.

 

Thanks for everything, Robbie.

 

Peace

[madlithuanian]

I second that...

 

Thank you Mr. Gould.

 

While I will always personally like Kevin Butler better, Robbie kicked ass.

 

Best kicker in Bears history.

 

Thanks for everything, Robbie.

 

Peace

 

['TD']

Enter Connor Barth....

 

An ex Bronco, cut from the Saints, who woulda thunk it....

[ASHKUM BEAR]

Enter Connor Barth....

 

An ex Bronco, cut from the Saints, who woulda thunk it....

Gould wasn't worth his weight anymore. Tough decision because he had a good fan base but after missing game winners last year and missing kicks in preseason, it was time to move on. Hope he saved his wealth, that 4 million pay cut will suck and now we will be in a kickers n carousel

[AZ54]

http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/robbie-...-barth-to-fill/

 

The timing of this is a bit odd a day after final cuts but I imagine they wanted to wait and see who was available beforehand.

[Stinger226]

http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/robbie-...-barth-to-fill/

 

The timing of this is a bit odd a day after final cuts but I imagine they wanted to wait and see who was available beforehand.

I suspect they keep him until they seen someone they liked, but I dont have a problem with this, he had a lousy preseason and was definity not as good last year for us. If i remember we lost two games because of him last year.

[adam]

I appreciate everything he did for the franchise, but I feel like this decision is about a year and a half late. We save a good amount of cap space, so some other moves could be coming.

 

From 49 and under, Barth is more accurate and a lot more accurate in the last few years. Gould only made 75%of his FG attempts in 2014 and 84.6% last year.

[ASHKUM BEAR]

I appreciate everything he did for the franchise, but I feel like this decision is about a year and a half late. We save a good amount of cap space, so some other moves could be coming.

 

From 49 and under, Barth is more accurate and a lot more accurate in the last few years. Gould only made 75%of his FG attempts in 2014 and 84.6% last year.

Also note that Conner Barth played 5 games with Denver in 2014, so he has some experience with long snapper Aaron Brewer and Coach Fox.

[ASHKUM BEAR]

Also note that Conner Barth played 5 games with Denver in 2014, so he has some experience with long snapper Aaron Brewer and Coach Fox.

So much for that thought. ...Bears just release Aaron Brewer and re-sign Patrick Scales as long snapper. Sure gets confusing right now

[DABEARSDABOMB]

Best kicker in Bears history.

 

Thanks for everything, Robbie.

 

Peace

Echo these sentiments. He has hit some huge kicks for us in the past and was really very good (especially given how tough it is to kick at Soldier field). I hope Barth is good, but I think we are actually going to regret this move (not for cutting Gould but for not being more pragmatic and finding a better long-term fit if we were going to go down this path).

 

By the way, Gould had a higher kicking percentage then Barth lats year, hit more kicks over 50 yards and more kicks over 40 yards too. In fact, Gould hit more kicks from 50+ yards then Barth hit from 40+ yards last year.

[adam]

Echo these sentiments. He has hit some huge kicks for us in the past and was really very good (especially given how tough it is to kick at Soldier field). I hope Barth is good, but I think we are actually going to regret this move (not for cutting Gould but for not being more pragmatic and finding a better long-term fit if we were going to go down this path).

 

By the way, Gould had a higher kicking percentage then Barth lats year, hit more kicks over 50 yards and more kicks over 40 yards too. In fact, Gould hit more kicks from 50+ yards then Barth hit from 40+ yards last year.

Barth is better 40 and in recently and 49 and in for their careers. Gould is just much better at 50+. To me this is not necessarily even an upgrade as it is a salary dump with a little, if any drop in performance.

[DABEARSDABOMB]

Barth is better 40 and in recently and 49 and in for their careers. Gould is just much better at 50+. To me this is not necessarily even an upgrade as it is a salary dump with a little, if any drop in performance.

I think we got worse in Barth. Last year Gould was better than Garth. Flat out and he did it in our stadium and has been here for ever. I'm all for cutting players when the time has come, but you do for because you have a better player in mind or have someone who you think can develop into the better player longer term. This just doesn't fit that bill and I'm not worried about the cap space much because we won't use all of it we have this year. Bottom line, if we didn't think Gould was good enough, we should have moved on from him in the off-season not right now. Nothing has really changed since the off-season when it comes to a guy like Robbie.

 

We are getting a guy who was worse a year ago and hasn't dealt with the winds at Soldier Field (not an easy place to kick).

[Connorbear]

I think we got worse in Barth. Last year Gould was better than Garth. Flat out and he did it in our stadium and has been here for ever. I'm all for cutting players when the time has come, but you do for because you have a better player in mind or have someone who you think can develop into the better player longer term. This just doesn't fit that bill and I'm not worried about the cap space much because we won't use all of it we have this year. Bottom line, if we didn't think Gould was good enough, we should have moved on from him in the off-season not right now. Nothing has really changed since the off-season when it comes to a guy like Robbie.

 

We are getting a guy who was worse a year ago and hasn't dealt with the winds at Soldier Field (not an easy place to kick).

 

Hub Arkush said he was at a practice a couple of weeks ago where Robbie was continually missing wide right. He said he had never seen him struggle like that before.

 

Peace

 

[AZ54]

I think we got worse in Barth. Last year Gould was better than Garth. Flat out and he did it in our stadium and has been here for ever. I'm all for cutting players when the time has come, but you do for because you have a better player in mind or have someone who you think can develop into the better player longer term. This just doesn't fit that bill and I'm not worried about the cap space much because we won't use all of it we have this year. Bottom line, if we didn't think Gould was good enough, we should have moved on from him in the off-season not right now. Nothing has really changed since the off-season when it comes to a guy like Robbie.

 

We are getting a guy who was worse a year ago and hasn't dealt with the winds at Soldier Field (not an easy place to kick).

 

How many extra points has Barth missed? In all honesty I think that's the death knell on Gould. It's not so much the extra point missed but the fact he is not getting the height off his kicks, or at least not consistently. IMO something changed and father time has caught up to his leg. I don't know that Barth is an upgrade but I imagine his price fits the performance a lot better. Gould will end up somewhere so we'll see how their seasons play out.

[Alaskan Grizzly]

This article below outlines some of the concerns I've posted in other strings. Why cut Gould when they did? Why release one long snapper (who actually had some time with our 'new' kicker) for the other long snapper that was released a few days ago (Scales)? Some of you have reminded me time and again that our team is doing a younger generation renaissance. And when I asked before why we'd cut ties with the likes of Slausen, its because "he's not athletic enough" or he "doesn't fit the scheme" or "he's too old". Guest what? Sitton and Slausen are the same age. And from the looks of things, similar build. And here's another piece of information to the good of Slausen: we know he's played Center before. Sitton? Maybe. Instead they want to essentially force the new guy, Whitehair, into a situation at center that he has no measurable experience at. And what's more, one week before the regular season. As the article points out there are many players going into this week with HUGE question marks over their heads. I hope for the sake of our team, Pace isn't making a worse mess of things.

 

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/colum...905-column.html

[Connorbear]

In the long run, I don't believe Barth will prove to be a better kicker that Robbie. I think we will see a new kicker in a couple of years.

 

Peace

[Stinger226]

I think we got worse in Barth. Last year Gould was better than Garth. Flat out and he did it in our stadium and has been here for ever. I'm all for cutting players when the time has come, but you do for because you have a better player in mind or have someone who you think can develop into the better player longer term. This just doesn't fit that bill and I'm not worried about the cap space much because we won't use all of it we have this year. Bottom line, if we didn't think Gould was good enough, we should have moved on from him in the off-season not right now. Nothing has really changed since the off-season when it comes to a guy like Robbie.

 

We are getting a guy who was worse a year ago and hasn't dealt with the winds at Soldier Field (not an easy place to kick).

The problem is Fox doesnt trust Gould, so he was looking for a good reason to get a different kicker. He missed two extra points in the last preseason game. Fox went to Pace and asked, can we get a new kicker now? He is the second highest paid kicker in the league and probably ranked around 15- 20. It was just time to go. They dont think this is a SB type team this year so time to change to the future and grab back 2.9 mil. It is easy to see why this happened.

[DABEARSDABOMB]

This article below outlines some of the concerns I've posted in other strings. Why cut Gould when they did? Why release one long snapper (who actually had some time with our 'new' kicker) for the other long snapper that was released a few days ago (Scales)? Some of you have reminded me time and again that our team is doing a younger generation renaissance. And when I asked before why we'd cut ties with the likes of Slausen, its because "he's not athletic enough" or he "doesn't fit the scheme" or "he's too old". Guest what? Sitton and Slausen are the same age. And from the looks of things, similar build. And here's another piece of information to the good of Slausen: we know he's played Center before. Sitton? Maybe. Instead they want to essentially force the new guy, Whitehair, into a situation at center that he has no measurable experience at. And what's more, one week before the regular season. As the article points out there are many players going into this week with HUGE question marks over their heads. I hope for the sake of our team, Pace isn't making a worse mess of things.

 

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/colum...905-column.html

I agree with you, there are some items popping up that are concerning. Similar to Emery, he started out like roses and then we started to see major kinks in the armor. I'm not there yet with Pace, but there have been some moves done that leave me scratching my head (then again, Ted Thompson in GB does things that have you scratch your head too). I am committed to giving these guys time, but I think all of your appoints above are extremely fair Alaska.

[adam]

This article below outlines some of the concerns I've posted in other strings. Why cut Gould when they did? Why release one long snapper (who actually had some time with our 'new' kicker) for the other long snapper that was released a few days ago (Scales)? Some of you have reminded me time and again that our team is doing a younger generation renaissance. And when I asked before why we'd cut ties with the likes of Slausen, its because "he's not athletic enough" or he "doesn't fit the scheme" or "he's too old". Guest what? Sitton and Slausen are the same age. And from the looks of things, similar build. And here's another piece of information to the good of Slausen: we know he's played Center before. Sitton? Maybe. Instead they want to essentially force the new guy, Whitehair, into a situation at center that he has no measurable experience at. And what's more, one week before the regular season. As the article points out there are many players going into this week with HUGE question marks over their heads. I hope for the sake of our team, Pace isn't making a worse mess of things.

 

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/colum...905-column.html

Well in regards to Slauson and Sitton. Sitton is a Pro-Bowler and was not expected to just become available out of nowhere. Grasu's injury also was not expected.

 

In regards to the kickers, Pace said the timing was tied to Barth becoming available, that is why they had no one in camp competing against Robbie. He said if someone from their list came available, they would explore those opportunities. Again, I think the move from Gould to Barth will be marginal at best (kickoffs slightly better, more accurate inside 40) with a huge cap difference. The LS came down to the Kicker. Different Kicker, different LS.

[adam]

I agree with you, there are some items popping up that are concerning. Similar to Emery, he started out like roses and then we started to see major kinks in the armor. I'm not there yet with Pace, but there have been some moves done that leave me scratching my head (then again, Ted Thompson in GB does things that have you scratch your head too). I am committed to giving these guys time, but I think all of your appoints above are extremely fair Alaska.

You are comparing Pace to Emery? Emery was all talk. Pace is not afraid to make moves, which is something we are not used to. I don't see any major issues with these moves.

 

So if the Packers cut Sitton before we cut Slauson, and we signed Sitton and subsequently cut Slauson, would anyone care? They would all say it was a great move to upgrade the O-Line. So as of today, we are in that exact situation.

 

For the Kickers, Gould was shaky the last two years and missed some during the preseason. The team had their eye on potential low cost replacements who could perform at or above his level and they made the switch. If we are complaining about Kickers, they I think our team is in pretty good shape.

 

For the Long Snapper, from what I have read, it comes down to the Kicker preference, so Robbie may have wanted one guy and then once he was released, the Bears went back to who Barth may have been more comfortable with. Again, if we are talking about LS's, then we are in good shape.

 

 

[Pixote]

A lot of teams are making moves at this time of year, just like every year, that make you scratch your head a bit.

 

Look at Tompson in GB cutting a Pro Bowl OG less than a week before the start of the season.

 

NEP cut their starting center and now one of their starting OG.

 

The Saints cut Barth to keep Forbath, then cut Forbath to pick up an unproven rookie from BAL, W Lutz

 

So although it looks crazy, it is certainly not anything new.

 

I am puzzled by some of the moves myself but I am reasonably sure they are truly convinced it is for the best and not just Cap related.

 

Only time will tell, I will just sit back and enjoy the season.

[ASHKUM BEAR]

Well in regards to Slauson and Sitton. Sitton is a Pro-Bowler and was not expected to just become available out of nowhere. Grasu's injury was not expected.

 

In regards to the kickers, Pace said the timing was tied to Barth becoming available, that is why they had no one in camp competing against Robbie. He said if someone from their list came available, they would explore those opportunities. Again, I think the move from Gould to Barth will be marginal at best (kickoffs slightly better, more accurate inside 40) with a huge cap difference. The LS came down to the Kicker. Different Kicker, different LS.

Couldn't have said it better.

My take on it. Slauson was not a fit on the style they wanted to run and they had Grasu and Whitehair in the wings until injuries hit. With Gould, they gave him the benefit in camp to keep his spot after a few costly misses last season. He was showing signs that the misses would be carried on this season. Do you live with that or not? They are not going to carry two kickers on the roster, so they are trying Barth. If he doesn't work expect a short leash on him too. Who knows, Gould may be back if Barth fails. Last, Brewer supposedly was not improving on his night life from what I read on a few tweets and they opted to go back to Scales. Hard to say if it had to do with the K's preference.

[Alaskan Grizzly]

Well in regards to Slauson and Sitton. Sitton is a Pro-Bowler and was not expected to just become available out of nowhere. Grasu's injury also was not expected.

 

In regards to the kickers, Pace said the timing was tied to Barth becoming available, that is why they had no one in camp competing against Robbie. He said if someone from their list came available, they would explore those opportunities. Again, I think the move from Gould to Barth will be marginal at best (kickoffs slightly better, more accurate inside 40) with a huge cap difference. The LS came down to the Kicker. Different Kicker, different LS.

 

Cause and effect Adam. Not necessarily literally. Slausen leaves; they think Grasu is the answer. Oops. So they go and get Sitton and move a guy, whose never played Center (ever - that we know of). And one week before the start to the season no less.

 

A few years ago they draft White, hoping he could become the next #1 or 2 receiver and oops, he goes down with an injury. Right around the time this takes place they let BM walk and boom, AJ is our #1 WR. And apparently not happy about any of it. To make matters worse who were the rest of the guys on the WR roster during that time? Oh yeah, Eddie Royal was one of them. Oops.

 

This LS mystery is just a small piece of the pie. Aaron Brewer, who was on the roster when Gould was cut and about the time Barth was signed and actually played with Barth in Denver for a short time. Alas, they release him and bring back Scales. ???? Isn't the kicking game (FGs and XPs) all about timing and routine and familiarity? How much timing and routine and familiarity can they get in one week? Just doesn't make sense given the circumstances.

[Stinger226]

This article below outlines some of the concerns I've posted in other strings. Why cut Gould when they did? Why release one long snapper (who actually had some time with our 'new' kicker) for the other long snapper that was released a few days ago (Scales)? Some of you have reminded me time and again that our team is doing a younger generation renaissance. And when I asked before why we'd cut ties with the likes of Slausen, its because "he's not athletic enough" or he "doesn't fit the scheme" or "he's too old". Guest what? Sitton and Slausen are the same age. And from the looks of things, similar build. And here's another piece of information to the good of Slausen: we know he's played Center before. Sitton? Maybe. Instead they want to essentially force the new guy, Whitehair, into a situation at center that he has no measurable experience at. And what's more, one week before the regular season. As the article points out there are many players going into this week with HUGE question marks over their heads. I hope for the sake of our team, Pace isn't making a worse mess of things.

 

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/colum...905-column.html

You always question everything. Until they actually play some games , how do you know how this all turns out. What I like is if they screw up, they wont keep a guy for sake of looking bad. They rebuilding our team and they will make some smart moves and some mistakes, that is just the way it is.