Should the New York Giants Take a Look at Robbie Gould?
By Steve Curry
New York Giants’ kicker, Josh Brown, is now on the reserved/suspended by commissioner list for one-game. As you know, Brown received a one-game suspension in mid-August due to a 2015 domestic violence incident. This prompted Big Blue to sign former Houston Texan and New York Jet Randy Bullock for week one. However, the Chicago Bears cut Robbie Gould, according to NFL.com on Sept. 5, 2016. Should the Giants take a look at the reliable veteran?
Starting Off on the Wrong Foot
Giants co-owner, John Mara, has stated for the record that
Brown would only be cut from the team for “football reasons.”
While Mara sounds like he’s giving Brown the benefit of the doubt, the Giants have traditionally shied away from and released players exhibiting a history of “character issues.” According to the New York Daily News, Brown’s ex-wife, Molly,
Right now, it’s easy to imagine the Giants parting ways with Brown despite Mara’s statements to the contrary. If so, Robbie Gould’s entrance into the free agent market could be a factor in convincing the Giants’ front office to release Brown.
But would it make sense? Brown signed a two-year contract with the Giants this spring worth $4 Million ($1 Million guaranteed). For that money, he has played very well: In 2015, Brown made 30 of 32 field goal attempts (93.8%), the longest of which were a pair of 53-yard kicks. Brown also successfully converted 44 of 45 extra points last season. He was even selected to the Pro-Bowl last year as a replacement for Stephen Gostkowski of the New England Patriots. On the downside, one of his two missed field goals in 2015 came on a 48-yard attempt in the second possession of overtime that immediately handed a winnable game to the Jets. Coincidentally, it was Brown’s replacement, Randy Bullock, who kicked the Jets’ deciding field goal in that game’s first overtime possession.
Taking Bullock by the Horns
Bullock has done well filling in for Brown in two preseason games, successfully converting all three extra point attempts, as well as scoring on his only field goal attempt, a 25-yarder. Bullock also averaged 65 yards on six kickoffs, five of which resulted in touchbacks. Brown’s stats were remarkably similar in his two preseason games, also making all three of his extra point attempts and successfully converting his lone field goal attempt, a 20-yarder. He averaged 66.8 yards on five kickoffs with three touchbacks. In Week 2, the Giants will have a tough decision to make once Brown rejoins the active roster, forcing them to cut someone else to make room. It’s doubtful the Giants carry two kickers this season, so who gets the ax?
Perhaps both? The Giants have already demonstrated a willingness to keep their options open at kicker; they worked out several of them two weeks ago before settling on Bullock, even kicking the tires on Garrett Hartley, a veteran free-agent placekicker who hasn’t played in over a year.
The Contenders
Per ESPN on Sept. 6, 2016, the Giants took one final look at a trio of other kickers: Pro-Bowlers Shayne Graham (who actually played one game for the Giants in 2010) and Cody Parkey (formerly of the Philadelphia Eagles), as well as Aldrick Rosas, a rookie out of Southern Oregon.
Despite all the workouts, Bullock has the week one job. But the team has a history with Brown, so it’s very possible that the Giants stick with the devil they know, rather than rely on the foot of Bullock. How confident can the front office be in Brown’s conduct? Getting suspended again at a critical point would the team once again scrambling to fill a key position. Are there even any good kickers left in free agency?
Solid Gould?
Enter Robbie Gould. Entering his twelfth year as a pro,
Robbie Gould is the tenth most accurate kicker in NFL history.
Splitting the uprights with Chicago since 2005, Gould holds the distinct honor of scoring the most points in the history of the franchise (1,207). His reliability and accuracy earned him the nickname “Good-as-Gould,” but after his many years of service, he was regretfully dismissed by the Bears. Why?
The answer is twofold: For starters, Gould isn’t cheap (no pun intended). The Bears signed him to an enormous, $15 Million contract years ago with an extension in 2013. That is an outrageous salary for a kicker, and letting Gould go will save the Bears approximately $3 Million this year. But that wasn’t the only reason; the other issue was the kicker’s declining consistency. In 2015, Gould made 33 of 39 field goals and 28 of 29 extra points (the missed P.A.T. was blocked). Gould’s seven misses were the most he has had in any one year in his entire career. Some of those missed attempts were inside 40 yards. A specifically ugly stretch of 3 misses in 5 attempts in back-to-back weeks was directly responsible for late-season losses to the San Francisco 49ers and the Washington Redskins.
To make matters worse, Robbie Gould continued to struggle this preseason. Through four games, Gould went 5-for-6 on field goals and only converted one of three extra point attempts, including a pitiful 0-for-2 in the final preseason game at the Cleveland Browns. From a statistical standpoint, it appears that Gould’s best days are behind him. When Connor Barth was cut by the New Orleans Saints this past Saturday, the Bears jumped at the chance to potentially upgrade, cutting Gould loose in the process.
If the Shoe Fits
Would Robbie Gould be a good match for the Giants? If this were the Tom Coughlin era, I’d be surprised if they didn’t at least bring Gould in for a workout. There was nothing the Coughlin regime loved more than tried-and-true veterans hanging on way past their prime. We’ll see if the Ben McAdoo-helmed Giants will take a different philosophy to team building in the long run. In the end, I expect that to be the case. Robbie Gould has had a distinguished career, but recent issues (and his price tag) make him too risky to pursue.
That leaves the Giants back at square one with Brown and Bullock. Whom the team will release at the start of Week 2 remains to be seen. Obviously, it will be highly dependent on Bullock’s performance at Dallas. The Giants have culturally rewarded loyalty, and that certainly works in Brown’s favor. Still, should Bullock perform reasonably well on Sunday, we may seen the last of Brown in a Giants uniform.