Kickers on the same tee
Gould, Vinatieri share great respect for each other
''The outcome of this game could come down to Gould,'' Bears coach Lovie Smith said before saying the same of other special-teams standouts, such as rookie return specialist Devin Hester and veteran punter Brad Maynard.
But certainly Gould, whose season-long 49-yard field goal was the game-winner in the Bears' 27-24 overtime victory against the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC divisional playoffs.
Meantime, this Super Bowl offers two bonuses for Gould. It will be the first for Gould, a 24-year-old second-year player, and the fourth for his admitted mentor, Vinatieri, 34, a living legend and an 11-year veteran who played his first 10 seasons with the New England Patriots.
Now, for the record, Vinatieri, perhaps taking Gould's compliments as a not-too-subtle hint that he is a little long in the tooth, doesn't profess to being any kind of mentor to Gould during the years Gould spent watching him as a fan and during the few weeks he spent in the Patriots' 2005 training camp as an undrafted free agent trying out before they cut him.
''Let me clear up that misconception,'' Vinatieri said. ''Robbie Gould is a fantastic kicker, and he was a fantastic kicker before he even arrived at the Patriots. Any time that people said that I helped him out of this or that, he and I had a lot of conversations when he was in camp in New England, and maybe more so because [when] he was growing up as a kid, he was a Patriots fan. So he watched a lot.
''Like I said, he was a great kicker when he was there. He and I talked a lot about preparation and little things that I don't think never one time did I feel like a teacher and him a student. I think we more talked as friends and learned things from each other. I'm the type of guy that I'll watch other kickers and I'll watch all my peers. I remember being a younger kid watching guys like Gary [Anderson] and Morten [Andersen] and Nick Lowery ... and just studying them because I wanted to learn any little thing that I could from them.
''If Robbie said [I am his mentor], he is just being kind. If we learned anything it was we just kind of became friends over the few months that we were there together. I can't take any credit for him.''
Well, it was never a matter of Vinatieri taking credit for helping Gould evolve from the not-so-great kicker who was cut by the Patriots and the Baltimore Ravens. Gould took a construction job until a tryout with the Bears resulted in him being their starter the last two seasons. He leads the NFL in scoring this season with 143 points on 32-for-36 field-goal kicking and 47-for-47 extra-point conversions. Vinatieri, who had 113 points on 25 field goals and 38 extra-point conversions this season, never had to take any credit. Gould just gladly gave it to him. He still does.
''I would never change what I said,'' Gould said. ''Adam's a great guy. If he doesn't think he taught me a lot, I'd say he was wrong. He may not have [taught] me much verbally. But just watching him and how he prepares mentally and everything like that, you can definitely learn a lot from a guy like that. So for him to say no, he's probably staying humble. Everyone can learn a lot from him, no matter who it is. Any young kid. I'd sit here and tell him the same thing. I'd tell him that he was my idol growing up. I learned a lot from him. I appreciate it, and I'm looking forward to kicking against him in the Super Bowl.''
One tip Gould got from his idol was to ratchet his approach to the ball from three steps to two. It not only economized on energy but streamlined and quickened his kicking rhythm. Shaving a split second off the kicking process means that much less time for the defense to counter for a block or finger-tip deflection.
''That helped me a lot,'' Gould said. ''The numbers kind of speak for themselves. Look at my numbers in college and my numbers as a professional. There's a big difference in the consistency [and efficiency] that I've had, and that's the biggest difference.''
Another thing is how Vinatieri goes about his craft mentally and emotionally.
''Just his mental focus and his mental preparation for everything,'' Gould said. ''He's so confident that he know every kick he does can go through the uprights. Who else would you want to have kicking for you? The guy's had 22 game-winning field goals. So when the game's on the line, in big-time games, AFC Championship Games and Super Bowl games, I wouldn't want anybody else.''
But as much as Gould is a fan of Vinatieri, he is also a competitor. He would love to have the game to come down to his toe or Vinatieri's. And if it's Vinatieri kicking with the game on the line?
''I'm on the sidelines hoping that the wind's blowing real hard,'' Gould said. ''It's going to be fun. It's going to be a shootout. Their offense is great, their defense is tough and I think we're just as great as they are.''
The Bears' offense scored 427 points, just as the Colts' offense did. But the Bears' defense gave up 255, while the Colts' defense gave up 360. That gives the Bears a 172-point surplus, compared with the Colts' 67-point surplus. And the Colts are favored?
Hmmmmmm.