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.
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.
