yup, both those designations go to 1 player.
the kicker.
the guy who trots onto the field for typically less than a dozen plays a game (depending on whether he does kickoffs)..... usually for less than a total of 1 minute of playing time in a game that lasts 60.
however, this is the guy who often ends up being the team's high scorer for the season.... assuming he does his job and is good at getting the ball between those yellow uprights.
the Chicago Bears are my team. although I enjoy watching pretty much all NFL teams, I am a Bears fan at heart.
Thru the years, we've been blessed with some really good kickers.
Kevin Butler and Robbie Gould are likely viewed by most Bears fans (including this one) as the 2 best we've had.
Butler was with the Bears for an amazing 11 seasons and still ranks as the all-time Bears high-scorer with 1,116 points. (note: Bears all-time great Walter Payton "only" had 750.)
Gould is the current Bears kicker, with the 2013 season being his 9th with the team. As of now, Gould has scored more than 990 points and, get this, is the 2nd most accurate kicker in NFL history! This season, he upp'ed the Bears record for longest field goal (58 yards), beating his old record of 57. Just today, in a weird game and a bizarre situation, he attempted a 66 yard'er that would have been an all-time NFL record for longest field goal. Kicking a football.... 66 yards!! (he was just a few yards short unfortunately.)
All right, enough stats. Back to my point....
These guys.... these kickers.... oftentimes have the outcome of the game resting on their shoulders.... or foot.
A missed extra point after a touchdown can dramatically shift coaching strategy come 4th quarter crunch-time.
A field goal that sails wide can result in the opposing team having a 2-score lead. This REALLY impacts the game plan.
And how often have we seen a game come down to the wire, only to be won (or lost) on a last-second field goal attempt.
I tell you what... these guys are key!! (some might argue even more key than the quarterback??)
Many of them -- especially those in the top tier, like Gould -- make a salary in the millions. But no where close to the salary that the 1st string quarterback makes.
And the kickers are a much quieter bunch. For the most part, they are no where near as flamboyant as the QB's and running backs.
They aren't seen as the face of the franchise.
They aren't viewed as a star player.
But they are.
And with Robbie Gould, his star power shines even brighter from my viewpoint because of these recent news items....
"Chicago Bears kicker Robbie Gould has had a busy week. He kicked a game-winning field goal on Sunday, hosted a fundraiser for Illinois tornado victims on Monday and went to Coal City, Ill., to assist the Red Cross cleanup efforts on Tuesday."
"Just as Gould was overlooked heading into the 2005 NFL Draft, he realized there are people in the community around him who are being overlooked every day. In 2011, he took action and founded 'The Goulden Touch,' a charitable organization that works with individuals and organizations in need around the Chicago area."
"During the Bears’ bye week (Oct. 27), Gould greeted hundreds of runners at the Run for the Gould 5K and Kids Dash in suburban Kildeer. And on Nov. 12, the Goulden Touch will partner with the United Way North-Northwest to host a bowling event titled 'Strike Gould.'"
In looking online, I found that these are 4 primary goals/purposes of Robbie's "The Goulden Touch" organization:
- Education – kicking ahead with academic excellence
- Social service – kicking hunger
- Medical research – kicking the unknown
- Health and wellness – kicking ahead with healthy lifestyles
How very cool.
A guy who's not much of a household name outside the circles of Chicago Bears fans, fantasy footballers, and NFL die-hards.
A guy like that.... with a heart of Gould.
Golden yellow, just like the goalpost uprights he views thru his radar each week.
Out for now.....
Matt