Marquise Goodwin Doesn't Seem Like a Fan of Matt Nagy's Offense
By Peter Dewey
Add wide receiver Marquise Goodwin on the long list of names who aren’t a fan of Matt Nagy’s playcalling with the Chicago Bears.
Goodwin, one of the fastest players in the NFL and one of the game’s better deep threats, seemed frustrated with the lack of shots that the Bears took in their Week 1 loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
“It’s challenging,” Goodwin said. “But I mean, you just got to work with what you get. I don’t control the plays that are called. I don’t control anything but just going out and doing my job, and I just do it the best that I know how: fast.”
Oh boy.
Goodwin led the Bears with four catches for 45 yards in Week 1, but Chicago didn’t try to move the ball down the field at all with Andy Dalton under center, which begs the question: Why is Andy Dalton the starting quarterback?
I know, I know, we’ve all clamored for Justin Fields for months and Nagy just isn’t having it, but Dalton attempted just two passes over 10 yards in the loss on Sunday Night Football.
He was 0-for-2 with an interception on those throws. His longest throw in terms of air yards was for just 16 yards, and only five of his 38 pass attempts ended up going for 10 yards or more.
You simply cannot win NFL games if your quarterback can’t move the ball downfield, or in Nagy’s case, you don’t even try.
The point of having Goodwin on the roster, in theory, would be to open up things underneath for Allen Robinson II, Cole Kmet and Darnell Mooney in the passing game by using Goodwin’s speed to take the top off the defense.
The speedster’s frustration is understandable on two fronts. First off, he isn’t being used in the best way for him to bring value to the team, and the Bears essentially let the Rams stack the box and dare them to throw the ball downfield.
Chicago didn’t and it lost 34-14 as a result. Maybe Nagy opens up the game plan for Dalton in Week 2 against the Cincinnati Bengals, but this may be a problem that can only be fixed by just giving the Fields the reins and hoping he can work through any rookie struggles.
WynnBET currently has the Bears as 2.5-point favorites against the 1-0 Bengals in Week 2.
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