Relax Bears fans, at least we can kick

James Ayello
Staff Writer
Stuffed. Matt Forte’s attempt to convert on 3rd and 2 is denied like Michael Vick at a dog shelter. The Chicago offense has once again fallen short of a first down and getting into the red zone. As a Bears fan, I’ve heard some rumors about the red zone, although I’m not completely certain what it is since the Bears treat it like they do traffic signals: red means stop.

Not to worry though; as fans of this team, we know this is the kind of situation the Chicago Bears excel in. Chants of “M-V-P” ring out in Soldier Field as number nine glides onto the turf. Good call, Lovie. Lock up those three points. They are as “good as Gould” we fans like to say. Thank God our offensive line couldn’t get more push on third down, or we would be in danger of exploring the red frontier.

We all know what awaits us there: trouble that resurrects fond memories of Curtis Enis and Cade McNown. That being the case, we’ll stay behind the 20-yard line, where we’re comfortable, prepared to ride Robbie Gould’s foot to three points.

This is the kind of situation that Bears fans appreciate because quite simply, it’s the best we can do. The biggest problem with Bears fans is we, as a whole, expect to improve every year. This is a mistake. With free agency ongoing and the draft weeks away, Bears fans are becoming more and more anxious about the potential moves that Jerry Angelo and his staff are planning to make to improve the team. They want to know if we will add a big-name free agent to shore up our secondary or add a stud through the draft to fill the hole at left tackle. These are going to be the same disappointed souls that get so upset at the final game of the year that they run onto the field just to prove they spent more time on it than Chris Williams did.

Some fans say they want change for the Bears in the form of a wide receiver. Not me. I’ve learned to enjoy what we already have: a kicking game.

I’ve seen what happens when we try that, and so has Jerry Angelo. I’ve not forgotten David Terrell and Mushin Muhammad. Fans want to see playmaking? They want a point-scorer? Gould rains threes on opponents like Steve Kerr. He scored 119 points last year. That’s good enough to lead the Bears' second-leading scorer (Forte) by 48 points and place him 10th in the entire NFC.

I know that some Bears fans want to trade for Denver’s Jay Cutler because they are worried about the accuracy of Kyle Orton. Fans wants accuracy? Look no further than Robbie Gould. He’s got a career accuracy rate of 86% going 110-128 on his attempts. If kickers were rated in the same fashion as passers, Robbie Gould would be posting numbers “Good Rex” could only dream of.

I’ve heard many fans are concerned about whether Angelo’s big money players will eventually live up to those huge contracts they signed last offseason, but who cares? Since Robbie signed his contract, his stats have done nothing but improve annually and he is a Pro Bowl candidate every year. And at 27, Gould is nowhere near losing his talent, let alone the ending his career.

So relax Bears fans and look on the bright side, because although our beloved team may have holes in just about every position, the kicker is not one of them. If that doesn’t help, be glad you’re not a Lions fan.