Update: Robbie Gould tweeted an apology to the Soldier Field grounds crew following the publication of this story. "I need to apologize to the grounds crew at Soldier Field and our grounds crew for my recent comments regarding the field,” Gould tweeted.
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With rain pouring down and 25 mile per hour winds blowing across Soldier Field Sunday night, Bears kicker Robbie Gould punched a line drive 51 yards between the uprights.
That was in the first half.
In the third quarter he made another 24 yard field goal.
But by the fourth quarter the field had given way to three quarters of rain and play and Gould missed a 48 yard attempt off the left upright.
Weather was a factor, but Gould says so, too is the upkeep of the field.
"This has been the worst the field has been all year," Gould first complained to ESPN Radio 1000, then reiterated on Wednesday. "It was very hopeful in the beginning of preseason, but this year for some reason its been a lot softer than it has in years past."
Gould insists he's not making excuses for inconsistent play, even though all three of his misses came at home this year.
"It's not the reason why I missed...but at the same time we went from ice cold fields to where guys got concussions in for playoffs games getting hit on the turf and now we've gone the complete opposite. Gould says the Soldier Field grass is not level, especially between the hash marks. He's calling for the NFL to institute standard procedures so all fields are maintained the same.
"Have the league come in and talk about what it should be like every day as opposed to dropping a pound of clay'test on it at three in the afternoon and its going to be frozen by 7 o'clock when its time to play." Gould who is the Bears player rep for the union says he's looking at it both in terms of player safety and as a kicker too. His contract with the Bears expires after the 2013 season and he says the field in which he kicks on will be taken into consideration when he signs his next deal.
