No. 5: Kicker Robbie Gould
Yes, kickers are people too. And in the case of 36-year-old veteran kicker Robbie Gould, they’re offensive weapons too.
The Niners picked up Gould as a free agent in advance of 2017 after he spent an elongated career with the Chicago Bears and a brief stint with the New York Giants prior to signing with San Francisco. And while the 49ers offense struggled with consistency before Garoppolo took over starting duties, Gould was one of the lone consistencies head coach Kyle Shanahan had.
Consider this — Gould made 39 field goals in 2017, which ranked tops in the NFL. Missing just two of his 41 attempts, Gould’s 95.1 field-goal percentage ranked second among all qualifiers. The two guys on either side of him, the Carolina Panthers’ Graham Gano (96.7) and the Los Angeles Rams’ Zuerlein (95.0), each made the Pro Bowl.
Gould didn’t, despite missing only two of his extra-point attempts too, one of which was blocked.
That was a snub, for sure. But here’s the kicker why Gould is underrated. Out of San Francisco’s 331 points scored last year, Gould accounted for 145 of them — 43.8 percent.
The 49ers sure hope Gould winds up with more extra points in 2018 instead of field goals. Still, he’s a vital commodity on a Niners team, and yet few non-49ers fans even know he’s on the team.
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