Robbie Gould was taken aback when he went back to watch film from his first Super Bowl.
Partially, because it was so hard to see.
The 49ers kicker recently re-watched footage from his appearance in Super Bowl XLI with the Bears, and realized that 13 years and a lot of technology have passed.
‘‘It’s funny,’’ Gould said, via Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times. ‘‘Because it was so long ago, the film’s grainy.’’
Even in non-HD, Gould said he wanted to go back and see if he could pick up any tips on special teams coach Dave Toub, who was then with the Bears and now coaches special teams for the Chiefs. And with this game in the same spot as his first chance to play in the Super Bowl, he had a chance to reflect on the years between.
‘‘I was just telling the young guys, I went [to the Super Bowl] my first full year with the Bears, and all I remember was: ‘This is nothing; I’m going to be back,’ ’’ he said. ‘‘And now, 13 years later, you’re back in the Super Bowl.
‘‘You never know what you’re going to do. You never know how it’s going to happen. You never know when it’s going to happen. Some of it is luck, some of it is just being on the right team. I don’t believe you can chase a Super Bowl, to go from team to team trying to win it. The biggest thing, for the young guys, is to tell them: ‘Hey, enjoy it.’ ’’
Of course, it’s interesting to hear Gould say that, considering he tried to engineer a trade out of San Francisco before signing a long-term extension with the 49ers.
Since then, all is well, and he’s been perfect in the playoffs so far, hitting all five of his field goals and all seven of his extra points.