August 7, 2007

Bears backup kicker hopes to break a leg

2007 8-17: Wolfe in Bears 8-17: Tightends 8-16: 'Peanut' 8-16: Linebackers 8-15: D-Day 8-15: Madden '08 gets 8-15: Mannelly known 8-15: Cornerbacks 8-14: A step ahead 8-14: Offensive guards, 8-13: Benson has clear More

GateHouse News Service

As Pro Bowl kicker Robbie Gould stops to sign autographs, Nick Novak trots past, unnoticed by the crowd.

Amid the chants of "Rob-bie! Rob-bie!" from the fans, Novak is the first Bears player on the practice field at Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais. He warms up alone, though it doesn't seem to bother him.

So it goes for Novak, a perennial backup kicker who in the past two years has been waived by the Bears and Washington Redskins before the start of the NFL regular season.

Being the No. 2 man -- and the man who so far has always gotten the hook at the end of preseason -- isn't always easy, but Novak remains optimistic about every new NFL season.

"My focus is always just to do the best that I can," Novak said. "All I can ever do is try to make every kick. Regardless of what happens, I can say that I did my best to improve from when I went to my first camp with the Bears."

Despite getting axed during final cuts in each of his two years of pro ball, Novak has played 16 regular-season games: five for Arizona in 2005, and 11 for Washington over the 2005 and '06 seasons.

"Football only lasts a short time," Novak said. "I know an opportunity will happen somewhere, just like last year and the year before. I guess it's just nice to know that I'm at the top of the list (as a free agent)."

According to Bears special-teams coach Dave Toub, Novak is on the brink of becoming one of the top kickers in the NFL.

"There's only 32 jobs out there, and he's in the top 35," Toub said. "We think Nick is a very good, quality kicker, and we're lucky to have him at camp.

"He's on the verge of breaking out to be on a squad."

Still, Novak will probably be released -- again -- when September rolls around. Even Toub admits that having Novak at camp is a necessity.

"The reason we have another leg in camp is because we can't have Robbie taking all the kicks," Toub said. "Plus, every camp, every team around the league is going to have two kickers before the season starts."

Novak also has to deal with being overshadowed by Gould, whose breakout season in 2006 included making 32 of 36 field-goal tries as well as being perfect on 47 extra-point kicks and earned him All-Pro honors.

Instead of resenting the attention Gould gets, Novak speaks highly of his fellow kicker's success.

"That's the way it should be," Novak said. "If you have a good season, people are going to be there for you, giving you the love you deserve. That's just the way it is.

"I always call (Gould) up if I need advice. He's my age (25), yet he's someone I look up to, and I try to learn a lot from him."

In fact, Novak and Gould have become good friends over the past three seasons. Both entered the NFL as undrafted free agents in 2005, Novak with the Bears, and Gould with the New England Patriots.

And in Gould's estimation, Novak should be a starter -- maybe not for the Bears, but somewhere in the league.

"The biggest thing is that he's good enough to play in the NFL, and he hasn't found his break yet," Gould said. "He's got a lot of talent, and he should be playing somewhere in this league.

"(Novak) is a great guy. We're great friends. He's providing a lot of competition for me at camp, and that's what I need."

Novak has made 13 of 20 field-goal tries as a pro. After participating in six games for the Redskins in 2006, Novak was signed by the Bears during the spring and was allocated to the recently disbanded NFL Europe to play for the Cologne Centurions.

Novak has showed he can deliver in the clutch. On May 21, he connected for a 49-yard field goal late in the game to lift Cologne over the Rhein Fire. His first game-winner came Nov. 6, when he made a 47-yarder as time expired to beat the Dallas Cowboys 22-19.

"He's made some game-winning kicks, and so he's got a great chance to play here, or somewhere, down the road," Gould said.

Though Novak isn't likely to take Gould's spot here, he may find himself lining up against Gould and Co. in the near future.

"Hopefully, someday, they'll be cheering my name through the tunnel," Novak said. "That's not why I play this game, though. I play this game to be perfect through the uprights."