If Barth sucks, we cut him and try the next. We could try a UDFA too. It's just a leg for the Moment if we want to see it that way
Yep, just keep bringing them in until you find the next Robbie.
FWIW, Pace just said in his presser that they waited until Barth was available to decide to move on from Gould. I strongly suspect that Barth was Fox's choice.
I agree they should have addressed this earlier, but in fairness I think they kept hoping Gould would be okay for at least this season. But the guy ended up looking pretty bad. Do you pay an extra $3-million for a guy who will probably lose games for you this year? Obviously no. It is a bad situation they found themselves in.
Ultimately Pace's neck is on the chopping block if he doesn't build a winner here. He probably has this season, and next season, to show significant improvement with the team. If he doesn't, then he'll probably be shuffled out the door.
We've only seen 1 season of his team's performance so far. Season 2 begins in a week. But fans are fickle and will 2nd guess his every move and be calling for him to be fired if he doesn't deliver the goods. So I'm willing to watch and see how these moves pan out.
The man doesn't strike me as being stupid. He undoubtedly has a vision - and a plan to achieve that vision - and some existing players didn't fit that plan.
I am okay with that - if - he builds a winner here. If not, then I'll be wanting to move on from him. But for now I am hoping and trusting he has the gears to get us where we need to go.
I think I give Pace a little more slack than you. The guy is new at his position and is bound to make a few mistakes. As long as he learns from them, I'm good. I like what he's done so far with so little to work with.
I just want to see steady improvement. It's not like I want the guy fired if we don't win a super bowl in a couple years. But on the other hand I do want to see significant improvement. My personal (maybe goofy) expectation is that the 2017 season will showcase a solid team. To me, solid team, is a team that can beat the better teams, not just the trash teams of the NFL. And it's not a team that stumbles into the playoffs and gets killed. It is a team that looks like it belongs in the playoffs. If the team is still 3rd or 4th in the division in 2017, then I have a real problem with that. There has to be steady, marked improvement over the 3 Pace seasons (2015, 2016 & 2017), or I will be disappointed.
Kevin Butler and Robbie Gould were special players who survived careers in a brutal stadium. So special that I would be surprised if we can find a replacement next year that can be either of their equals. I think you have to lower the expectation-bar a bit. We all know that Soldier Field is a hell hole to kick in. This isn't one of those climate-controlled domes here. It is brutal for a kicker.
I'll be fine if they can just fine a young kicker with good-but-not-great talent. If we do land something great again, hey, all the better. But it probably won't happen.
I keep reading stuff like this being posted here and kinda wonder what all the drama is about. I go to a lot of games at SF and I can tell you from personal experience that the "winds" aren't this big issue everything seems to think they are most of the time. The east side of the stadium (where I sit) has a large wall of skyboxes that tower high above. Look at it some time. That high wall of boxes blocks the prevailing breeze off the lake. Fact is, unless its a particularly windy or stormy day, there really doesn't appear to be wind-conditions in the "bowl" of the field/stadium that are any different or more difficult than any other outdoor arena in the league has. In the early season when sitting in the sun, there's been games when I WISHED there was a better breeze cuz it got kind of hot.
I think you guys might be recalling the old SF stadium which had a much different layout and much more wind exposure. We aren't the only franchise that plays outdoors at home. We also aren't the only one that plays outdoors at home in a city that can get cold later in the season. Green Bay, Denver, Seattle, New England, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, even Tennessee off the top of my head all play outdoors in cities that are hardly "warm" in December.
Kevin Butler and Robbie Gould were special players who survived careers in a brutal stadium. So special that I would be surprised if we can find a replacement next year that can be either of their equals. I think you have to lower the expectation-bar a bit. We all know that Soldier Field is a hell hole to kick in. This isn't one of those climate-controlled domes here. It is brutal for a kicker.
I'll be fine if they can just fine a young kicker with good-but-not-great talent. If we do land something great again, hey, all the better. But it probably won't happen.
I keep reading stuff like this being posted here and kinda wonder what all the drama is about. I go to a lot of games at SF and I can tell you from personal experience that the "winds" aren't this big issue everything seems to think they are most of the time. The east side of the stadium (where I sit) has a large wall of skyboxes that tower high above. Look at it some time. That high wall of boxes blocks the prevailing breeze off the lake. Fact is, unless its a particularly windy or stormy day, there really doesn't appear to be wind-conditions in the "bowl" of the field/stadium that are any different or more difficult than any other outdoor arena in the league has. In the early season when sitting in the sun, there's been games when I WISHED there was a better breeze cuz it got kind of hot.
I think you guys might be recalling the old SF stadium which had a much different layout and much more wind exposure. We aren't the only franchise that plays outdoors at home. We also aren't the only one that plays outdoors at home in a city that can get cold later in the season. Green Bay, Denver, Seattle, New England, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, even Tennessee off the top of my head all play outdoors in cities that are hardly "warm" in December.
I don't claim to be an expert, but I have been to games that were brutal at SF. One game, my son and I were in the end zone seats at the south end on an extremely windy day, and a field goal attempt hooked and curved so badly that the ball missed the net and went into the stands. We've been to two games with wind gusts between 30 and 40 MPH (and one was a brutal cold day). Now maybe we just had the misfortune to go to some of the worst games weather-wise... with my luck that may have been the case :-)
I keep reading stuff like this being posted here and kinda wonder what all the drama is about. I go to a lot of games at SF and I can tell you from personal experience that the "winds" aren't this big issue everything seems to think they are most of the time. The east side of the stadium (where I sit) has a large wall of skyboxes that tower high above. Look at it some time. That high wall of boxes blocks the prevailing breeze off the lake. Fact is, unless its a particularly windy or stormy day, there really doesn't appear to be wind-conditions in the "bowl" of the field/stadium that are any different or more difficult than any other outdoor arena in the league has. In the early season when sitting in the sun, there's been games when I WISHED there was a better breeze cuz it got kind of hot.
I think you guys might be recalling the old SF stadium which had a much different layout and much more wind exposure. We aren't the only franchise that plays outdoors at home. We also aren't the only one that plays outdoors at home in a city that can get cold later in the season. Green Bay, Denver, Seattle, New England, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, even Tennessee off the top of my head all play outdoors in cities that are hardly "warm" in December.
I don't claim to be an expert, but I have been to games that were brutal at SF. One game, my son and I were in the end zone seats at the south end and a field goal attempt hooked and curved so badly that the ball missed the net and went into the stands. We've been to two games with wind gusts between 30 and 40 MPH (and one was a brutal cold day). Now maybe we just had the misfortune to go to some of the worst games weather-wise... with my luck that may have been the case :-)
LOL, JABF I was at the Dallas game a few years ago when McCown and Jeffery beat the Cowboys at night. It fell to -9 by the end with -22 wind chill. I ran inside to use the john and when I came back my 1/3 full cup of beer had frozen over. I was literally able to turn it upside down without spilling a drop. There were only 7 people left in our entire section by the end. "War stories"...
But, that is exceptional. And windy days happen in the above cities too. I really don't see SF as any more difficult a place to kick FGs than any other outdoor stadium beyond the sun belt. Gostkowski is probably the best K in the NFL right now and he plays outdoors in a city that's as cold if not colder than Chicago and Gillette Stadium is OPEN on one side!
I don't claim to be an expert, but I have been to games that were brutal at SF. One game, my son and I were in the end zone seats at the south end and a field goal attempt hooked and curved so badly that the ball missed the net and went into the stands. We've been to two games with wind gusts between 30 and 40 MPH (and one was a brutal cold day). Now maybe we just had the misfortune to go to some of the worst games weather-wise... with my luck that may have been the case :-)
LOL, JABF I was at the Dallas game a few years ago when McCown and Jeffery beat the Cowboys at night. It fell to -9 by the end with -22 wind chill. I ran inside to use the john and when I came back my 1/3 full cup of beer had frozen over. I was literally able to turn it upside down without spilling a drop. There were only 7 people left in our entire section by the end. "War stories"...
But, that is exceptional. And windy days happen in the above cities too. I really don't see SF as any more difficult a place to kick FGs than any other outdoor stadium beyond the sun belt. Gostkowski is probably the best K in the NFL right now and he plays outdoors in a city that's as cold if not colder than Chicago and Gillette Stadium is OPEN on one side!
That's good to know. I don't go to very many games, so, to be honest, I really couldn't say. I trust your judgement on that.
Yep, just keep bringing them in until you find the next Robbie.
FWIW, Pace just said in his presser that they waited until Barth was available to decide to move on from Gould. I strongly suspect that Barth was Fox's choice.
Just hope he knows what he's getting. This isn't a dome, and this isn't Denver w/that mile high air. Chicago isn't a great place to be a kicker.
On the peculiar timing of the release of Gould, which came Sunday night, a day after the Bears had submitted their initial 53-man roster
“We’ve signed Connor Barth. So, for us, it was just (a situation) where if a specific player becomes available and we know that we’re able to acquire that player, then this is something we need to entertain or discuss. So that’s kind of how it played out. When we knew this guy would be available for us, it made the switch a possibility.”
FWIW, Pace just said in his presser that they waited until Barth was available to decide to move on from Gould. I strongly suspect that Barth was Fox's choice.
Just hope he knows what he's getting. This isn't a dome, and this isn't Denver w/that mile high air. Chicago isn't a great place to be a kicker.
This is a frustrating move to me (at least at this late stage) but trying to move past my emotions regarding what I perceive as shitty treatment, at least Barth's first game will be in Houston so the elements shouldn't be a major factor. He's gonna need perfect conditions given that he's got a week to get comfortable with the LS, holder and STeams units as a whole.
Since the details of how Long's and Sitton's deals are structured haven't been published yet this is only a speculation and the authors personal opinion not a fact although he wants to present it as such. He also fails to include Long's extension and it's cost at all. I hate it when people do that
QUOTE;"Prior to Long’s deal, the Bears were sitting on $21-plus million in free cap space, so they’re flush from a financial perspective. The quick signing of Sitton has led some to speculate that Gould’s release was purely financially driven. But it wasn’t. His performance simply hasn’t matched his pay grade."
I won't argue that Robbie's production wasn't below expectations based on his salary and I never have. But to say his cap cost was not a factor without knowing the 2016 cap cost of these two deals is also nothing more than an opinion. Once those numbers are known it may be a fact but it isn't yet or if it is then the author should document it. He didn't even include the bigger of the two deals at all so I'm guessing he lacks that info too.
The first year cap hits for Long and Sitton could have eaten up half or more of that excess especially if these deals are significantly front ended and given the cap excess that would make sense. Between the two they received $40 mil in guarantees spread over one 3 year deal and one 4 year deal. That could easily account for $10 mil of 2016 cap or more so without that knowledge it's just speculation on the part of Dan Durkin. Simply saying it doesn't make it so.
Was it more than just money as he titles his piece. Yes, of course it was but saying money and cap played no part in it at all is also inaccurate based on what we know so far. We saved $3 mil in cap space less what less what we pay Barth and his cap hit. If the 2016 cap cost of the Long and Sitton deals chewed through much of that $21 mil excess. And now that all player salaries count towards the cap not just the top 51. There's at least some reason to believe Robbie was a cap casualty too.
Now I'm done with this for my part. I'm not weeping over it but I still believe we could do far better than a guy who in every way has been an historically worse PK than Robbie Gould. That bothers me far more than worrying about where Robbie's next meal will come from. For all I know he'll be happy to retire and start working on becoming a golf pro. He's pretty close to being a scratch golfer I understand.
