Huston could be a problem for Gould at Bears camp

By J.E.  |   Tuesday, June 06, 2006  |  Comments( 0 )

Chicago Bears
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The Chicago Bears haven't had a place kicker they could depend on in clutch situations since Kevin Butler departed following the 1995 season. Over the last 10 years, the position has been somewhat of a revolving door, with guys like Carlos Huerta, Jaret Holmes, Brian Gowins, Chris Boniol, Jeff Jaeger, and Paul Edinger occupying roster spots at one time or another. Most recently, the Bears opened the 2005 season with Doug Brien in the starting role. However, after several poor outings, he was unceremoniously replaced by Robbie Gould after just four weeks.

Gould did about as well as could be expected from a rookie. He finished out the season for the Bears by converting 21 out of 27 field goal chances (77.8%) and 19 out of 20 extra point attempts. Although Gould was 18 out of 19 on kicks from 20-39 yards, he showed a decided lack of leg strength and accuracy from long distance. In fact, he hit just 3 out of 8 field goal tries of 40 yards or more.

This lack of a strong kicking game was a big problem for Chicago, especially since their offense had trouble moving the ball for most of the season. As a result, the Bears often had to punt in situations where other teams would have been able to attempt a field goal. This cost the team some points -- and probably a win or two as well.

While Gould will enter training camp as the incumbent starter, he'll have to face a challenger in the form of newcomer Josh Huston. This former Ohio State standout recently signed with the Bears as a free agent after not being picked up by anyone in the draft. Huston was listed by at least one scouting service as the highest-rated PK out of this year's entries, but was surprisingly passed over in favor of Kurt Smith (San Diego) and Stephen Gostkowski (New England), who ended up being the only two kickers drafted in April.

Huston spent most of his collegiate career in the shadow of teammate Mike Nugent, the winner of the 2004 Lou Groza Award who is now the current starter for the New York Jets. As a result of Nugent's presence, Huston didn't get many opportunities to play at Ohio State until the 2005 season. All he did was convert 22 of 28 field goals and score a total of 110 points (3rd in the nation) for the Buckeyes. Huston also demonstrated his leg strength by recording 54 touchbacks on 77 kickoffs.

Going by last season's numbers, the Chicago Bears would obviously benefit from an improvement in the kicking game. Although most of Gould's performances were adequate, it's clear that something's missing from his game. Because of his NFL experience, Gould has an advantage over Huston for the time being. But if Huston can consistently hit field goals from beyond 40 yards and drill deep kickoffs throughout training camp, he will likely earn a roster spot come September. And maybe -- just maybe -- the Bears will finally see some stability at place kicker

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