Did The Bears Just Fire Back At Rome Odunze’s Dad? Yes. Yes They Did
Rome Odunze has been the Chicago Bears‘ best wide receiver this season with 473 yards and five touchdowns. He was great in Baltimore with seven catches for 114 yards. However, things didn’t quite go as planned last week in Cincinnati. Odunze failed to make a catch, getting blanked for the first time in his career. Thankfully, the Bears got huge contributions from other players, particularly tight end Colston Loveland. Still, that frustrating afternoon didn’t sit well with at least one notable person.
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One fan called out the Bears for not getting Odunze the ball more, even suggesting they trade him if they won’t use him. James Odunze, Rome’s father, seemed to agree with that statement.
Needless to say, given the nature of social media, this caused controversy. Despite Odunze being the most targeted player on the roster this season, some wondered if he was somehow frustrated with his role. That or his father was stirring the pot for no reason. The Bears seemed to feel it was the latter, and they decided to fire a shot in response. They put up a video of Odunze mic’d up during the Bengals game, where he looked outstanding as a blocker. The title of the video was one word.
The Bears love Rome Odunze. That never changed.
However, head coach Ben Johnson said that sometimes a game plan necessitates the ball going elsewhere. Such was the case against Cincinnati. The Bengals used their best cornerback, D.J. Turner, to shadow Rome Odunze all over the field. Rather than force-feed the ball to him anyway, Johnson decided to spread it elsewhere. Loveland, D.J. Moore, and Olamide Zaccheaus all took advantage. You can’t fault the logic. Chicago scored 47 points. Don’t be surprised if the Bears come back around to Rome this week against the New York Giants.
That is football. It is a team sport. Sometimes, your best players can’t have as much impact on the game as they would like. It doesn’t mean the team hates them. It means others must pick up the slack. Odunze could’ve easily gotten frustrated and moped about it. Instead, he threw all of that energy into making the Bengals pay on the ground. That is what good teammates do. Kudos to the team for defending itself in this instance.
Browns QB Shedeur Sanders Gets Bad News Ahead of Week 1
Shedeur Sanders will open the season as the Cleveland Browns’ No. 3 quarterback, with no plans for him to see the field this season.
Sanders will function as the No. 3, emergency quarterback for the Browns. He’ll sit behind 40-year-old starter Joe Flacco and fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel, who is the primary backup.
The Browns quarterback situation over the years always features some unexpected twists and turns. But if all goes according to plan, Sanders will not play this season, per Dianna Russini of The Athletic.
“Don’t plan on seeing the fifth-round pick on the field this season unless things get really weird,” Russini said. “Cleveland believes in Joe Flacco’s experience and Dillon Gabriel’s development as the backup.”
Russini added that there’s no grand conspiracy keeping Sanders on the sideline, which is what some have voiced online. He is a fifth-round pick and the Browns view him as a developmental prospect who needs work.
“For all the football conspiracy theorists out there trying to decode the real reason the Cleveland Browns drafted Shedeur Sanders, here’s the truth: There is no big secret. The pick wasn’t some master plan from ownership,” Russini said. “It was GM Andrew Berry’s call, rooted in his belief that Cleveland’s coaching staff could bring out the best in Sanders and help him grow into an NFL quarterback. It will be a process, and the Browns want to keep developing him.”
Browns QB Shedeur Sanders Had Rough Preseason Finale
If anything, the Browns have been clear on how they view Sanders based on his reps and opportunities. He received no first-team reps during training camp, while Flacco, Gabriel, and the now-departed Kenny Pickett did.
Sanders capitalized when he got his first preseason start and the spotlight against the Carolina Panthers. He passed for 138 yards and two touchdowns. Sanders suffered an oblique injury in practice, which prevented him from building on the momentum from his strong performance.
Sanders’ final preseason outing was rough. He completed just three passes and was sacked five times. The Browns also decided to pull Sanders for a two-minute drill situation late with the game on the line.
“Obviously, I feel like I can improve in a lot of areas, like the same thing I said last time. I’m just excited for the opportunity to get out there and play,” Sanders said after the game. “Every day was a new day, every day you learn different things and life lessons that you learn in every situation. I’m coming out of training camp happy that I got the opportunity.”
Joe Flacco is Confident Ahead of First Starter
Flacco is 40 but is feeling fresh heading into the season after seeing limited reps in training camp and the preseason. He only appeared in the team’s final preseason game, playing for around a quarter.
The quarterback competition resulted in a lower workload for Flacco but he’s embracing being in the top spot now.
“There’s so many things about every training camp and every situation that you’re in that aren’t necessarily ideal, but that’s not necessarily what’s ideal for the team. I think the best thing for this team was to kind of have the process that we had,” Flacco said. “And even though I may personally not feel like that was the best thing for myself, I can get on board and see how that was important for the team to go through this process.
“Therefore I’m willing to, and I have been willing to, play that role and go through that process and just be the best version of myself I can be. And now heading into the season, I feel like there was plenty of time for me to make sure that I got the reps and felt comfortable with all the guys around me.”
Flacco and the Browns are a 5.5-point home underdog against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 1.
