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Sam Roush Heard the Angry Bears Fans and Feels Ready to Produce

Complaints after a poor block against Minnesota and about other mistakes haven't bothered Chicago's third-round pick, who now feels ready to replace Cole Kmet.
Gene Chamberlain|
Sam Roush leans for extra yardage after a reception against the Jets
Sam Roush leans for extra yardage after a reception against the Jets | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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Chicago Bears

Tuesday became a day of forgiveness at Halas Hall.

Not only did Montez Sweat return from his two-week PED policy suspension, but tight end Sam Roush stepped into his new role as No. 2 tight end following Cole Kmet's season-ending knee injury.

Roush's rocky start as a special teams blocker cost the Bears dearly against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 2, and he committed a few other gaffes, as well. He says he's ready to play a different tune.

"Obviously, I’ll have to step up in the coming weeks, and I feel confident in my ability to do that," the third-round rookie tight end said. "I’m happy with the way I’m progressing through the season.

"I think the last couple weeks have gone really well and feel like I’m really starting to get comfortable with the operation and the offense and everything that goes with it.”

Roush got some advice on how to handle the missed block, penalties and dropped passes he has had in his first even games.

"Coach made a little analogy," Roush said. "We showed a clip from a Chris Rock comedy routine. He was talking about marriage: Sometimes in a marriage you’re the lead singer and sometimes you’re just stuck playing the tambourine. It’s like everybody’s on the team, everybody’s in the band playing different instruments and so my instrument got a little bigger this week, but I’m still in the band and I’m still playing football with my guys.”

Before he had this talk about playing a bigger role, Roush acknowledged hearing the fans who flooded social media calling him a bust and blaming GM Ryan Poles for another wasted third-round pick.

“Didn’t have a great start to the season; people were pretty upset," Roush said. I was hearing about it on social media, but it’s fine.

"I’ve got this little brick thing, so you tap your phone to it and I just locked all my social media, so that’s been really helpful. So just coming in every day with kind of the same approach, I know that my process works, so I’m not going to switch up just because of a short streak of bad performances.”

Enlisting some help

Besides coaches and his social media lock, Roush got help from his family. His grandfather, the former Rams defensive lineman, gave him some advice.

"Yeah, I mean it’s helpful to kind of know that it’s in your blood," Roush said. "My grandpa’s got a good perspective on stuff and he played in L.A. Media was super harsh. So he had some words about that. It was helpful.

"I mean, this was back in the '70s, but they were hard on the players. They would play a game and then they would drive to Pasadena, way out of L.A. to go hang out with their friends. But he had kind of good advice dealing with media pressure. Obviously it’s more than it was in college, but i really shouldn’t impact my process at all.":

Roush cited indecision as much as anything in contributing to his early struggles.

“I think just having more confidence in my assignment, not my ability to do it," he said. "If I get up on the line and we’re running wide zone (blocking scheme), being able to confidently make a call and stick with it and not have doubt in my mind that that’s what I’m going to do.

"I feel like when I have confidence in what I’m supposed to do I can really get after people."

Blocking was his strength

The blocking will be critical as they have Colston Loveland to handle the receiving game as they try to replace Kmet.

Getting a long week after the mini-bye weekend to work at the blocking assignments can't hurt.

"I mean, it’s great," he said. "Obviously today’s kind of a bonus day. So got a chance to go over the film from last week, make some corrections and then kind of get the body right after that little break."

The way of the NFL is someone goes out and it's next man up. Replacing Kmet won't be easy but someone has to do it. Sweat even made reference to this type of process when talking about how the defense made do without him so well.

"Obviously we’re not excited about losing Cole," Roush added. "Super valuable, amazing guy, very helpful. But it is an opportunity and I’m going to treat it like that."

Roush is following in big footsteps, as Kmet has been a Bears player longer than anyone, including Jaylon Johnson. Kmet was drafted seven spots ahead of the cornerback.

Expecting too much from a rookie tight end is probably as unrealistic as the idea many Bears fans had that he was a bust and should be cut following three or four games.

It doesn't excuse Roush from the task at hand. The time for being babied through a rookie year as third man in the pecking order needs to be over.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.

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