Kicker Robbie Gould didn’t intend to become part of the noise when he spoke about the “Chicago Bear way” in light of the team’s troubling 5-10 season and coach Marc Trestman’s decision to bench Jay Cutler.
Gould just thought it was important that someone had Cutler’s back.
“I didn’t say it for anyone’s job,” Gould said Monday on his weekly video with the Sun-Times. “I didn’t say it out of spite of anybody. I said it because I believe I should have the back of one of my teammates.
“When you have those conversations, yeah, Marc came in and said [benching Cutler] was done respectfully and it was done to spark the offense. That’s his decision. I respect his decision.
“But I don’t want Jay to feel alone. I don’t want Jay to feel like his teammates don’t have his back. I have Jay’s back. I believe in him. He’s a great quarterback. I’m looking forward to having him back next year and leading us to the Super Bowl.”
Gould made similar remarks earlier in the day on WSCR-AM (670). Asked about them at Halas Hall, Trestman said he talks to his players about keeping certain commentary in-house.
The problem is that this season has featured the postgame ramblings from tight end Martellus Bennett and Brandon Marshall, in which their teammates’ passion and confidence were questioned.
There also was offensive coordinator Aaron Kromer’s apology that he was an anonymous source behind an NFL Network report critical of Cutler.
All of it came before Cutler’s benching against the Lions.
“This whole season’s not the Bear way,” Gould said on the “Spiegel and Mannelly Show.” “Pointing fingers, things getting out of the locker room — that’s not the Chicago Bear way.”
Asked about the “Bear way,” Gould told the Sun-Times: “It’s just unfortunate that some things have happened this year that may have detracted from [the fun of playing].”
What has gone wrong in Year 2 under Trestman?
“I don’t really know, honestly,” Gould said. “He’s a great coach with a great philosophy. He’s got a lot of things that a lot of players believe in. We just haven’t really played particularly well.”
Gould said that Trestman doesn’t treat players differently and that Cutler’s benching wasn’t anything problematic for him. There is no “ill will” toward Trestman, he said.
He just wanted to defend Cutler.
“I don’t think Jay is the whole issue,” said Gould, who mentioned his own mistakes. “I don’t think Jay is the only problem.
“Hearing those conversations in the media and getting asked those questions time and time again, I don’t think it’s right that he’s the only guy that arrows are pointed to.”
Gould will sit out Sunday against the Vikings. He will miss his fourth consecutive game with a pulled right quadriceps.
“I kicked last Saturday [and] I kind of reinjured it a little bit,” Gould said. “I tried kicking on Friday, which would be six days later. [It] didn’t go as well as planned. It just looks as though I’m not going to be ready to play this week. Unfortunately, the season is over for me.”
Email: ajahns@suntimes.com
Twitter: @adamjahns