The Chicago Bears offense did not have a good day at training camp today. Justin Fields said it best when he said the defense won the day. In his press conference, he told reporters that he talked to his teammates after today's practice and said he thought the offense came out flat today. It became a topic of discussion and Darnell Mooney was asked about how the offense can bring more energy at times. The answer, if not in full, could shock you.
"It starts with the quarterback. He has to come into the huddle and bring the juice."Darnell Mooney, Chicago Bears, WR
If you read just that you are probably thinking that Darnell Mooney just threw his quarterback under the bus. That he just called out a guy who he seems to have a great connection. Is it possible that some jealousy is brewing now that Justin Fields has been working with DJ Moore and talking about how Moore makes his life easier? Is it that Fields keeps throwing it to Moore and Chase Claypool in practice?
The answer is, I doubt it. If you listen to his full response, you'll see that there was way more context.
Here's the full quote for those freaking out. https://t.co/weExJ6w8NB pic.twitter.com/wlQuMB6Si5
— Brendan Sugrue (@BrendanSugrue) August 2, 2023
"I think it starts, one, with the quarterback. He has to come in the huddle and bring confidence in the huddle. Understand that, just with him, Justin is a calm guy. He has to understand that he is our leader and our guy. We go as far as he goes. He has to come in with that juice. And he does. He does come in, sometimes he's just so locked in and so dialed into what he's doing. Sometimes I'll come up to him and just hit him in the back of the head or jump up to him and try to get him not so locked in so he understands, hey, we are looking at you to see how far we can go. This is his team. He understands he has to bring the juice every day."Darnell Mooney, Chicago Bears, WR
Look, overreacting to this is not worth it. Justin Fields and Darnell Mooney seem like two guys who like to hold each other accountable. This isn't Mooney throwing Fields under the bus like some are trying to make it seem. The comments were fine. The comments by Justin Fields to his teammates after practice were fine. The only thing that wasn't fine was the offense. It's time to improve and make a statement over the rest of the week. That's all we should take from this right now.