Receivers Who Know Where They're Going

The Bears are generally completing more deeper throws and more passes than in other recent training camps and it's not simply better speed, the quarterbacks throwing better or poor pass defense.

Although, some of this could be true on all counts.

They're seeing the kind of route running by receivers within the offense that can lead to wide-open completions and big gains.

In particular, Allen Robinson and Darnell Mooney are at an advanced level but it's even apparent with some of the other receivers.

"Mooney and A-Rob have been here," Bears coach Matt Nagy said. "Mooney's second year. A-Rob's fourth year. They are understanding now the details of route running and what it means—the stem, the time. Now they're putting their own little flavor on things.

"We always say 'Don't run the lines.' They're running the lines, but they're putting little stuff on it and its getting them wide open and you’ll see it on tape."

By that, Nagy means the lines on paper where the route is drawn up to go, but within those lines the two receivers are doing things just to throw off DBs.

"So I think that's the growth now," Nagy said. "Sometimes wide receivers can run such great routes, that it tricks the quarterback, with what they do. And they're not tricking the quarterback."

The ability of Robinson to quickly pick up a connection with Andy Dalton in the passing game was easy to predict. This wasn't the case with a second-year receiver like Mooney, but he has been connected with Robinson trying to pick up as much as he can about route running.

"When we trained in Florida last summer, being able to get that same kind of stuff this summer, being able to work a lot of different techniques, being able to kind of try to tell him how I was able to slow the game down in many different ways and for him to kind of be patient with his route running, he's a person who's very much eager to get better, wants to get better, wants to fine-tune his route running, to better his craft each and every day," Robinson said.

Nagy said Mooney is getting more of the offense and able to be used in more ways than last year.

"Last year I was more so just trying to just be at the right place at the right time," Mooney said. "This year I'm more comfortable just taking my time, being more at pace and being able to just win the route and then the quarterback hit me.

"So just having that confidence and being able to run the route is definitely different than last year."

Nagy and the coaching staff thought it would happen with Mooney

"It's more routes," Nagy said. "He's putting his own spin and stamp on more routes. Like last year he had a couple of routes that he was really good at and it's not like he just got good at running (routes).

"We knew in the fifth round we were getting a steal. We knew it."

"When we evaluated him—coaching staff, personnel—when we evaluated him last year, we knew in the fifth round, I'm just telling you—we knew in the fifth round we were getting a steal. We knew it. I think it was probably our benefit that there was no (scouting) combine, there was no bringing guys in, all that stuff. That helped the Chicago Bears out, because we were all over him. And he's proven us so far to be what we thought he was."

Bears receivers coach Mike Furrey thinks the solid route running pertains to others on the staff, in particular speedsters Damiere Byrd and Marquise Goodwin.

"I mean, these guys they can catch the football, they can all run, they can get in and out of breaks and transitions and they're very smart football players," Furrey said.

It doesn't surprise Furrey that a second-year receiver or receivers new to the team can pick up the routes quickly and succeed.

"I just think that Matt's offense and the way it's designed is, you can put anybody where they need to go and you know they can run those routes," Furrey said. "You know? So, whether it's A-rob in there or Mooney in there or two-receiver set or three-receiver sets you know in this league you've got to have those guys in there that can make those plays and adjust to what they see defensively. And credit ability to those guys. That's how they study and that's how they prepare."

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