Long road to glory
LAKE FOREST, Ill. – Robbie Gould was working in construction, and when the call came from the Chicago Bears, one thought crossed his mind: A friend is pulling a prank. Rashied Davis was toiling in the Arena Football League for four years and even worked at Best Buy, while hoping to land in the NFL someday.
Well, Sunday was his day. And Gould’s.
Gould kicked the winning 49-yard field goal in the Bears’ 27-24 win over the Seahawks after tying it with a 41-yarder with just under 6 minutes left in regulation. Davis caught four passes for 84 yards.
And both were still smiling Monday.
“It’s been fun,” said Gould, who was undrafted out of Penn State and waived by two teams before making the Pro Bowl this season. “I think it’s been great for everybody. It’s been great for the city.”
“I’ve never been as nervous as I was on the sideline for this last game,” Davis said.
He and Gould showed plenty of cool, though.
After Seattle punted on the first possession of overtime, Rex Grossman and Davis connected for 30 yards on third down to get to the Seahawks 36. Four plays later, Gould kicked the winning field goal. His voice mail and inbox were jammed with messages, and so were Davis’.
Not bad for two players who were working odd jobs not too long ago and were college walk-ons.
The No. 5 career scorer at Penn State, Gould was waived by New England in late August 2005 and by Baltimore a month later. He was working construction for a family friend back home in Lock Haven, Pa., when the call came from the Bears that October.
“I really didn’t think it was the Bears organization calling,” Gould said. “I thought it was just a friend goofing around, and the next thing I know, it was, ‘Get me on the fastest plane there.’ “
Gould went on to convert 21 of 27 field goals for the Bears last season. He started this season by making a club-record 24 straight and he made 32 of 36 overall.
“It’s awesome just to have the opportunity I’ve been granted through the Bears organization,” Gould said.
At 5-foot-9 and 183 pounds, Davis was considered too small to catch footballs in the NFL. Yet he caught 22 for 303 yards and two touchdowns as the Bears’ third or fourth receiver this season.
“It’s an amazing feeling to be told you can’t do something for such a long time, or that you’re maybe too small, not fast enough, not quick enough – and for someone to finally give you an opportunity,” Davis said. “I’ve always wanted to play receiver in the NFL. But it got to a point where I just wanted to be on a team, so I did anything and everything.”
Overcoming obstacles is nothing new to him – he’s been doing it most of his life.
Davis emerged from the rough South Central neighborhood of Los Angeles and walked on at a junior college before moving on to San Jose State. When he was 8, Davis’ father was shot and killed at a restaurant. Some of his friends and brothers were in gangs, but they discouraged him from joining.
Davis never played organized football until he tried out at West Los Angeles Community College. He was raw, but gifted, and emerged as a starter. He played wide receiver, defensive back and returned kickoffs at San Jose State, but the NFL took a pass after his senior season.
Davis spent four years with the Arena League’s San Jose SaberCats, playing on offense, defense and special teams – and worked at Best Buy before signing a three-year contract with the Bears in June 2005. He appeared in 12 games last season, playing mostly on special teams and defense.
Now, he’s preparing for New Orleans this Sunday and, maybe, a trip to the Super Bowl.
In previous years, he’d be getting ready for the AFL season.
“I don’t see myself as being any better than any of them,” he said. “It maybe gives them a little bit more incentive that if they work hard, they keep playing and keep on believing that they can possibly make it here. But it’s not easy to get here, you have to have a little bit of luck.”