Bears OC Luke Getsy details why DJ Moore had only two targets in loss vs. Packers
Bears OC Luke Getsy details why DJ Moore had only two targets in loss vs. Packers originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- The Bears' offense had all sorts of issues in their dispiriting 38-20 loss to the Green Bay Packers in Week 1, but the biggest eyebrow-raiser was No. 1 wide receiver DJ Moore got only two targets in the loss.
After the loss, head coach Matt Eberflus was adamant the Bears need to do a better job of getting the ball to their top skill guys. Quarterback Justin Fields admitted he was too "conservative," which likely took some possible targets off Moore's ledger.
On Thursday, offensive coordinator Luke Getsy broke down what went wrong and why Moore finished a game the Bears lost by 18 with two catches on two targets.
"It was definitely a disappointment," Getsy said. "There's a lot of reasons why things happen. Protection could have broke down for a particular play for him. Justin just maybe didn't see something in a particular way. There's a lot of things that go into it. I think, you know, we definitely are calling plays for DJ, and he knows that, and he wasn't frustrated by any of that. And you know, sometimes it's just the way the coverage dictates to where the quarterback has to go with the football too."
Getsy wouldn't say how often Moore was the primary read on the Bears' 52 dropbacks Sunday but was adamant that utilizing Moore is and must be a top priority for the Bears' offense.
"I know that guys like him are an important part of our plan each and every week," Getsy said. "We set up formations and plays and concepts that suit each guy’s abilities, and we make sure that we’re staying focused on getting them the ball as many different ways as possible so defenses can’t settle in on one particular way or one particular alignment."
The Bears' clunky offensive performance put Getsy under the microscope. The game plan in Week 1 called for a heavy dose of screens and short passing game work. That the Bears stuck with that plan even after going down 18 only added to the criticism.
But Getsy doesn't view his game plan as conservative and believes the Bears put a lot of good things on tape offensively.
"I don’t look at it that way," Getsy said. "I don’t think I ever have. We look for advantageous looks. I know it sounds like screens have been a conversation, but a poor motion landmark and a couple of poor blocks. But if you watch the film and actually watch the film, we have everybody accounted for, and there’s nobody else out there. If we can just capture that edge, those are 15, 25-yard gains, and you guys are patting me on my back. And I get it. That’s part of it.
"My point of it is, we’re gonna make decisions what we feel is advantageous to our guys having opportunities. Now, we have to do better. We have to coach it better. We have to make sure that guys execute it better. That’s where we have to get better at it, for sure."
After a Week 1 flop against the rival Packers, the Bears must regroup quickly to face a Tampa Bay Buccaneers team that upset the Minnesota Vikings in Week 1 and will send every type of exotic blitz in their book at Fields.
However, the matchup with the Bucs could be a good time to get Moore heavily involved. Prior to this season, Moore faced the Bucs twice a year in the NFC South. In his career, Moore has 58 catches for 766 yards and three touchdowns against Tampa Bay. Those are the most catches and yards Moore has against any team in his career.
That experience against Tampa should give the Bears an edge as they look to get the ball in their best player's hands more than two times Sunday.
"I think you reflect on your practice experiences. I think you reflect when you watch the film, and there’s physical evidence," Getsy said on using Moore's past vs. the Bucs to give them an edge. "I think that all gives you confidence. The good thing is when you watch the film, DJ’s doing a bunch of different stuff. It’s not like it’s just, he’s only catching go-balls or stuff like that. He’s doing a lot of different stuff. I think all that stuff and film study is good for both of [Moore and Fields]."
The Bears prioritized getting Moore in the trade of the No. 1 overall pick because they believed he could have an AJ Brown-like effect on the Bears' offense and Fields' development. It will be hard for him to have any impact if he's only getting the ball two times per game.
There's no excuse for the Bears -- whether it be on Fields, Getsy, or a mixture -- to only target Moore twice in a game they trailed by double digits for almost the entire second half. If there's a repeat performance on Sunday, the Bears will have to do some serious offensive soul-searching.
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