(670 The Score) Bears rookie receiver Darnell Mooney had a plan Sunday for beating the Saints' cornerbacks.
Mooney studied closely the tendencies that Saints cornerbacks Marshon Lattimore and Janoris Jenkins bring to their matchups. Mooney found something, and it led to a 50-yard completion in the second quarter that marked the Bears' longest offensive play of the season.
"They like to bury you, let you go outside and just pushing you to the sideline," Mooney said. "I took advantage of that and then gave them something outside. (Jenkins) went for it, and I took my release inside."
Sure enough, Mooney caught Jenkins stepping toward the sideline, so he made a cut inside and turned up the speed. Quarterback Nick Foles found Mooney deep as Mooney used the initial maneuver to to create the separation he needed. It was part of the 23-year-old Mooney's five-catch, 69-yard, one-touchdown day.
The rookie Mooney finding a way to exploit something he saw from the nine-year veteran Jenkins was symbolic of why the Bears are so impressed with their fifth-round pick. When they selected him, the Bears knew Mooney possessed top-end speed and raw talent. Now, Chicago is recognizing a player honing his craft and becoming quite the promising player.
"The sky is the limit in terms of his ability to win one-on-one matchups because of his speed and his ability to put his foot in the ground," Bears passing game coordinator Dave Ragone said.
"You don't even realize he's a rookie. And that's the biggest compliment I think I can give him as a guy who has been around this for a little bit -- you don't even think about that he's a rookie."
Bears wide receivers coach Mike Furrey agrees.
"It seems like he's been around this game for a long time," Furrey said.
The 25th wide receiver taken in the NFL Draft in April, Mooney is sixth among all rookies in receptions this season. He has 26 catches for 305 yards and two touchdowns while emerging as the No. 2 target the Bears have been seeking for their offense.
Mooney has been devoted to studying film as a rookie in a way he wasn't able to while at Tulane. Now that football is his profession, Mooney takes the film home to seek those tendencies that he can beat.
"More so like in college, I didn't have the time to like kind of take out the film and learn the guys and what they have to do," Mooney said. "Now, I have that opportunity to just do that all the time. Whenever I leave (Halas Hall), I can continue to watch film. That way I don't have to go out there and get a feel for what I'm doing. Instead I can just watch film and see what they're doing."
Mooney's homework goes beyond just film study. Last Tuesday, just hours after the Bears returned home off their red-eye flight from Los Angeles, a video on Twitter showed Mooney catching passes off a JUGS machine in what appeared to be his apartment. It was taken by Dr. Michael Tal Risher, who also works with Bears running back David Montgomery and top receiver Allen Robinson.
Success doesn't happen on accident. @Darnell_M1 puts work in every single day. pic.twitter.com/L22bRMfiZL
— Dr. Michael Tal Risher (@DrRisher) October 27, 2020
"Success doesn't happen on accident," Risher tweeted. "(Mooney) puts work in every single day."
Mooney is exceeding the expectations for everybody except for himself. He sees better play on the horizon in a rookie campaign that's already catching the Bears' attention. And the team believes Mooney can take off and keep running with his opportunity.
"He's a mature and prepared individual," Ragone said.
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago's sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.
