The Facts: Thirteen weeks removed from surgery to repair a ruptured semitendinosus tendon in his left leg that sidelined him for the final three games of 2012, Gould welcomes the competition created on Friday when the Bears signed former Eastern Illinois kicker Austin Signor to a three-year contract. “I’m excited about it, I really am,” Gould said. “Competition is healthy, at every position, and it only makes all the players better. Hopefully I can learn a little bit from Austin, and he can learn a little bit from me. This is exactly what the Bears are supposed to do. All good organizations create competition. It’s healthy. I’m looking forward to it. Competition brings out the best in everybody.”

Diehards Line:Gould was present at camp last week but did not kick. ... The addition of Signor, who participated in the Bears’ voluntary three-day minicamp on a tryout basis, marks the first time another placekicker is expected to challenge Gould in training camp in several years. According to ESPN.com's Jeff Dickerson, Gould is still about three weeks away from being able to pass a physical to get medically cleared to resume kicking without restrictions. One of the most accurate kickers of all time and the second-leading scorer in Bears’ history with 902 points, Gould began kicking air this past week and intends to start a live, modified individual kicking regimen next week. Entering the final year of a five-year extension he signed in May 2008, Gould has kicked ten game-winning field goals for the Bears and was voted to the NFL’s All-Pro team in 2006.