<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Pat Mannelly did not have to see the kicks to tell the difference. He heard it.The long snapper was on the field early, a year ago Saturday, as the Bears scrambled to replace kicker Doug Brien 48 hours before a game at Cleveland. Veterans Steve Christie, Martin Gramatica and Tim Seder joined Carter Warley and a mystery kicker -- Robbie Gould -- in a tryout before practice.''I had zero clue who he was,'' Mannelly said. ''The only thing I knew is you heard a louder pop when he hit it. That, and the trajectory of his kicks. A lot of guys, when they get older, the flight of the ball starts coming down. He was kicking them way up the uprights every time.''Holder Brad Maynard walked away figuring the Bears had better pick Gould, an unknown to him, as well. Mannelly knew Gould won the kick-off but was not so sure he would be signed.Suddenly, Gould is a fantasy-football machine, tied with St. Louis' Jeff Wilkins for the league scoring lead with 50 points. That puts them on a pace for 200, which would obliterate the record of 164 set by Minnesota's Gary Anderson in 1999.Gould is 13-for-13 on field goals, and his bugaboo last season -- he was 3-for-8 from 40 yards and beyond -- is in the past. He has hit five from that range already, thanks to having an offseason to adjust to the two-step approach he was taught in New England by special-teams coach Brad Seely.He was a three-step kicker at Penn State but was converted in camp last summer as an undrafted free agent. His career took a turn as dramatic as his football-folly miss against San Francisco last season in the driving wind at Soldier Field.When the Patriots cut Gould loose -- he wasn't going to beat out Super Bowl hero Adam Vinatieri -- coach Bill Belichick called him in.''You have the tools,'' Belichick told him. ''You just need an opportunity to show it.''He ought to know. Before he became a defensive mastermind, Belichick coached special teams for the Lions, Broncos and Giants.Gould bounced to Baltimore, where he was on the practice squad for five weeks. When the Ravens sent him packing, he returned to Lock Haven, Pa., and within days he was working at M&R Contracting, a construction firm run by family friend Jim Russo.Gould started on a Tuesday and phoned Russo before lunch two days later. The Bears had called. He needed to be on a plane in four hours. He wouldn't be at work Friday.''I said, 'I just can't believe you'd turn down a job at M&R,''' Russo said with a laugh Thursday. ''That kid is one of the most well-spoken, well-disciplined and mature hard workers I've ever known. No matter what he was going to do, I knew he was going to work hard and do well.''The son of a professional soccer player -- Gould's father, Robert, played for the NASL's St. Louis Steamers -- he was an unknown in most league circles because he didn't perform particularly well in college. Gould was 39-for-61 on field goals for the Nittany Lions, including 16-for-29 in his final two years. He never had been coached.Seely and Vinatieri got him on the right track quickly, and he stays in close touch with both. The Patriots were looking to sign him to their practice squad, but the Bears had seen his strong leg on preseason tape and figured he was worth inspecting.''He was fifth coming in,'' special-teams coordinator Dave Toub said. ''Before the thing started, all he was was a guy with a strong leg. Turned out he was the best guy. At the time we figured, 'At least we're going to get a guy who can kick off.'''Gould wasn't intimidated by the seasoned pros he was battling with.''I competed with Vinatieri, and he's the best,'' he said. ''You don't go in there saying I'm not going to take his job. I wanted to do just as well as he did. That's exactly how I approached it and exactly how I've approached everyone.''He hit a 28-yarder with six seconds left to beat New Orleans 20-17 last season but hasn't been called on to make a crucial field goal this year.''We haven't had any,'' Gould said. ''But we're going to have those games. I'm going to have to be on whenever they need me.''He knows what he's talking about. Over the last 20 seasons, nearly half of all NFL games have been decided by seven points or fewer. Twenty-four percent have come down to three or fewer.Playfully called ''The Mayor'' by teammates and coaches because he's always shaking hands and smiling, Gould exudes confidence in a happy way that would make you want him as a neighbor.''A year ago I wondered about that,'' Maynard said. ''Now, that's Robbie. That's the way he is here, at McDonald's, wherever.''And for now, Gould might be the ultimate bargain find by general manager Jerry Angelo. He's signed through 2008 at the minimum salary. If he keeps performing well, perhaps the Bears will be moved to work out a new contract.He still hasn't been paid by Russo. In fact, he didn't even know what he was supposed to make when he took the job wearing a hard hat.''I didn't want a paycheck,'' he said. ''I had a job here for at least a week. They saw something in me that separated me from those other guys. Now I'm doing my job.''</div>http://www.suntimes.com/sports/football/be...-bear06.articleI still think letting Edinger go was a kick in the face to Angelo
