Getsy on Moore-Fields chemistry, gives Claypool update |
CHICAGO - The beginning of the NFL season for the Chicago Bears is almost here. After seeing the Detroit Lions defeat the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday Night Football, Bears fans know this will not be an easy division to conquer.
But the first step in making the worst-to-first turnaround is beating the Green Bay Packers on Sunday (3:25 p.m./FOX). A lot is unknown going into the season's first game, especially since both teams will look quite differently on offense than last season. For Chicago, they now have wide receiver DJ Moore to complement receiver Darnell Mooney. This should help provide Fields with more passing opportunities and ensure that the Bears are not the worst passing offense in the NFL as in 2022. But, according to offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, Moore and Fields have been able to develop a strong relationship, partly because of all the effort that Moore has put in to ensure this happened. “He’s been on the practice field every single day, so he’s gotten a ton of reps with our unit,” Getsy said. “He’s been available to Justin (Fields) as much as anybody has been. So I think all that is, you know, a good reflection of being able to create that (chemistry).” For Green Bay, they have a new quarterback. Finally, with Aaron Rodgers gone, the Packers will start an inexperienced quarterback in Jordan Love. This will be his second career start. He has had a few years to learn behind Rodgers since he was drafted in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, but he did not look that great in the preseason. The unknowns for both teams are things that coaches like Getsy, who was previously the passing game coordinator for the Packers, knows all too well. “The unknowns of game one are always going to be there for both teams, right, in all facets of the game. It’s game one,” Getsy stated. “No one does anything in preseason that’s going to unveil anything to you, and so, you go into game one with, you know, trusting your training. That’s truly what you have to do in this situation.” One thing that should help the Bears with all of the unknowns of the season opener is that receiver Chase Claypool is trending in the right direction to be available for the game. Claypool was only with the Bears for one of their games against the Packers last season; he had five catches for 28 yards. However, he struggled with injuries throughout last season, so perhaps he can make more of an impact in this game. “I thought Chase had an excellent camp up until the injury … (Wednesday) he was back (at) full speed,” Getsy explained. “He’s been great the last two weeks. There hasn’t been any limitations or anything like that. He’s been fine. We threw him, kind of, right back into the role that you guys saw most of training camp.” Fans will have the opportunity to see all of the Bears offense in action this coming Sunday. Chicago has played 204 games against the Packers; Green Bay currently leads the series with 105 victories against the Bears. Chicago has not defeated their biggest rival since December 2018, when they won the division and went to the playoffs as the No. 3 seed in the conference. Perhaps that streak will finally end in the opener.
