Tag: D.j. moore

D.J. Moore revealed he shockingly fuels his offseason training with Mountain Dew and cigars

D.J. Moore being so good despite his terrible diet is shocking.

D.J. Moore is one of the NFL’s best receivers, point blank. In 2023, he enjoyed career highs in yards (1,364), catches (96), and touchdowns (eight). He was every bit the superstar playmaker that the Chicago Bears needed for their offense.

And apparently, Moore is so dominant despite barely taking care of his body during the offseason.

During a new episode of The 33rd Team’s podcast with Amon-Ra St. Brown and his brother Equanimeous St. Brown, the pair talked to Moore about his offseason training approach. According to the gifted wideout, he barely does any workouts. In fact, in Moore’s words, he more or less sticks to drinking Mountain Dew and smoking cigars until it’s time to report for team activities in the spring.

Honestly, it’s kind of wild that Moore is so good despite his training neglect:

Imagine the type of numbers Moore would put up with the Bears if he perhaps ate more salads. Or maybe just even cut off on all the cigars. But maybe that’s just what works for Moore. When it’s time to relax, he’s taking a load off, understanding the inevitable punishment of an NFL season.

Or maybe I’m just being charitable to a professional athlete who really enjoys his time off.

Commanders CB Emmanuel Forbes says no one is getting his No. 13 jersey, even Caleb Williams

If Caleb Williams does land in Washington, Forbes doesn’t plan on giving up his No. 13.

It was a difficult year for Washington Commanders cornerback Emmanuel Forbes in 2023. The No. 16 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft was benched multiple times and only inserted back into the lineup late in the season when Washington was without several other cornerbacks.

The former Mississippi State star played in 14 games for the year, making six starts, recording 38 tackles, 11 passes defended, and one interception.

Pro Football Focus gave Forbes a grade of 50.9 for his rookie season. Per PFF’s metrics, he was targeted 60 times, with opposing passers completing 39 passes against Forbes. Opposing quarterbacks completed an average of 65% of their passes when targeting Forbes.

Forbes struggled badly early in the season when matched up with star wideouts, such as A.J. Brown and D.J. Moore. In fairness to Forbes, he should’ve never been in single coverage against those receivers.

No player on Washington’s roster should benefit from a coaching change more than Forbes.

Once the Commanders’ season ended and they clinched the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft, some fans were dreaming about the potential of USC quarterback — and Washington, D.C. native — Caleb Williams coming home.

One fan even made a GIF of Williams taking his trademark No. 13 jersey away from Forbes.

Forbes saw the tweet and responded.

Since posting that tweet, Forbes has since deleted it, but the Internet lives forever.

Hopefully, for Forbes, Washington’s next defensive coordinator can help restore his confidence so he can bounce back in 2024 — whether he wears No. 13 or not.

What should the Chicago Bears do with Justin Fields?

The Chicago Bears have a tough decision to make with Justin Fields. What do the tape and metrics say about Fields’ ultimate potential?

The Chicago Bears have a serious decision to make this upcoming offseason.

Right now, the Bears have the first overall pick in the 2034 draft by dint of their trade with the Carolina Panthers before the 2023 draft, and the 10th overall pick because of their 7-9 record. No matter what happens in their regular-season finale against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, the Bears will be set up to stack talent onto their roster as they rarely have before.

But what to do with quarterback Justin Fields? If the front office is unconvinced after three seasons that Fields is the guy to lead them to the proverbial next level, they could trade him (likely for less than a first-round pick), and avail themselves of the best possible quarterback in the upcoming draft. Or, they could hold onto Fields, assume they have the game’s most important position covered, and continue to build around him.

There are no easy answers. Right now, among quarterbacks with at least 100 passing attempts this season, Fields ranks 16th in touchdown rate at 4.5%, and his 2.5% interception rate ranks 19th. Fields ranks 30th in Adjusted Net Yards per Attempt at 5.28, 39th in Success Rate at 38.2%, and his EPA of -66.38 is eighth-worst in the NFL. Fields is a dynamic runner and playmaker, but there’s only so far you can get with that if you don’t have play-to-play consistency as a passer. Only Josh Allen and Tua Tagovailoa have thrown more third-down interceptions this season than Fields’ five, and Fields’ third-down EPA of -23.68 is sixth-worst in the league.

The positive side is what Fields has done in the second half of this season, as the Bears have risen from 27th to 16th in Passing DVOA. He hasn’t been as much of an explosive passer, but he has been more efficient, completing 60.2% of his passes for 6.4 yards per attempt, five touchdowns, three interceptions, and a passer rating of 80.2.

There have been factors beyond Fields’ control. He was selected with the 11th overall pick in the 2021 draft out of Ohio State, and Matt Nagy was his first head coach. If you want to know what Matt Nagy running your offense looks like, go watch the 2023 Kansas City Chiefs as long as you can stand it. His best receiver by far has been D.J. Moore, who the Bears also got in that trade with the Panthers. His offensive line is starting to improve, and you can start to see clear paths to significant improvement in 2024. If they keep him, and put someone like Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr. on the field with Moore, that process could accelerate quickly.

But that’s all contingent on whether the Bears decide to keep Fields, or to move along.

Against the Atlanta Falcons last Sunday in a 37-17 win, Fields completed 20 of 32 passes for 268 yards, one touchdown, no interceptions, and a passer rating of 99.5. And he made throws that were both impressive and maddening.

The maddening throws still tend to come from Fields’ relative inability to read through progressions quickly. On this incompletion with 8:23 left in the third quarter, Fields had receiver Tyler Scott wide open on a stack release crosser against Atlanta’s Cover-3. The Falcons sent a safety blitz with Jessie Bates III, and the Bears picked it up, so that was a clean pocket. And it was one of those “throw it
 throw it
 throw it
” moments we’ve seen far too often. Fields waited until Scott crossed the field, and he then overthrew Scott. That’s the kind of stuff that will drive you nuts. 

But the 32-yard pass to D.J. Moore with 2:15 left in the first quarter on third-and-7 was the kind of play that gives you hope. Moore got open to Fields’ backside on a switch release, cornerback A.J. Terrell followed Moore from the slot, and Fields made a perfect throw, allowing Moore to grab it over his head as if Fields had walked up and handed the ball to him. 

Fields’ seven-yard touchdown pass to Moore with 8:52 left in the first quarter was another example of Fields reading through and getting it right.

“Yeah, three by one, or one by three,” Fields said. “They were in what we call triangle coverage where basically the safety and the slot [are] outside leverage, and outside is basically one on one. Yeah, D.J. just really has to beat the safety on that. Just make sure the corner outside attaches to the under route and then, boom, D.J. ran a corner route or had good leverage on it. At that point [Moore] did a good job. [The offensive] line did a great job protecting on that one, and great catch, great route by D.J.”

If the Bears can build on those Fields attributes, and continue to add talent around him, who knows how far Fields can take it?

In this week’s “Xs and Os with Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar,” the guys further discuss the decision the Bears have to make. You can watch this week’s “Xs and Os with Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar” right here:

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You can also listen and subscribe to the “Xs and Os” podcast on Spotify…

Bears clinch No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft, and they don’t need a new quarterback

The Chicago Bears have clinched the No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft, and Justin Fields has proven that they don’t need a quarterback. Not a bad place to be.

Due to their trade with the Carolina Panthers, who lost 26-0 to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday to set their record at 2-14, the Chicago Bears now have the first overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft.

And Justin Fields wanted everybody to know that they don’t need to select a quarterback with that pick. Fields completed 20 of 32 passes for 268 yards, one touchdown, no interceptions, and a passer rating of 99.5 in Chicago’s 37-17 beatdown of the Atlanta Falcons. Fields also ran 11 times for 45 yards and a touchdown, and some of his plays in this hame augured well for his future and his potential. Whether the Bears are into that idea or not is a point of conjecture, but this team has some holes they could fill with some major talent and two high selections. Right now, per Tankathon, the Bears have the first and 10th picks.

Fields’ fans at Soldier Field seem to agree.

Dealing with Fields as a runner has always been frustrating, and it was a nightmare for the Falcons’ defense on this day.

But the throws he made in this game, especially to receiver D.J. Moore, were absolutely on point.

Fields isn’t a perfect quarterback per se, but in the right system and with the right people around him, he should have shown enough this season to have the Bears’ front office (whoever’s in charge of it after this season) convinced that there are other more pressing issues to address.

D.J. Moore’s endorsement of Justin Fields over top QB draft prospects is a case of being a good teammate, not QB evaluator

D.J. Moore was just being a good teammate to Justin Fields. Nothing more.

D.J. Moore is one of the NFL’s finest playmakers.

He’s got sticky hands, is an explosive monster after the catch, and seldom wastes any space or time when running routes. That reality potentially makes what he has to say about his quarterback that much more meaningful, like how he talked up Justin Fields after the Chicago Bears’ heartbreaking loss to the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.

When asked about the Bears’ upcoming quarterback-of-the-future decision — Chicago currently owns the No. 1 overall draft pick via the Carolina Panthers — Moore was indignant. He almost couldn’t believe people were talking about names like Southern California’s Caleb Williams or North Carolina’s Drake Maye playing for the Bears when they already had Fields.

Moore took his position so far that he even said none of the top prospects were better than his current quarterback. Eh, I don’t think there’s as much to this sentiment as anyone still holding onto hope with Fields wants to believe:

For one, Moore isn’t going to throw Fields under the bus while he’s still teammates with him and while the Bears are still playing out the string on the 2023 season. Moore also assuredly knows it’d be a massive story if he endorsed a new quarterback over Fields in public, with the internal drama not being remotely worth the risk for the hapless Bears.

Right now, the Bears are staring down the barrel of another lost and empty season. Fields shows unique flashes of brilliance every week but ultimately hasn’t played consistently well enough to justify giving him a fourth season on the Chicago lakefront without a reasonable debate. It’s not an obvious call in his favor in the least. To be clear, Fields, who is only 24 years old, still might possess a solid modicum of potential. But if the Bears do finish with the 2024 draft’s top pick, they have to seriously consider moving on by drafting a much more malleable and potentially more promising young quarterback.

Kudos to Moore for standing up for Fields. That’s what he’s supposed to say. But even if the Bears do stick with Fields in 2024, Moore’s comments will have zero impact on their decision.

Cole Kmet said Bears only snapped ball on a long TD because Aidan Hutchinson shockingly jumped offsides

The Bears weren’t going to snap the ball on a TD until Aidan Hutchinson intervened.

Sometimes, as their 2023 season reaches its end stages, the Chicago Bears win in spite of themselves. Heck, sometimes they might only win because the opponent literally forces them to.

In the middle of a Bears’ 28-13 blowout win over the Detroit Lions, a critical 38-yard touchdown (on a fourth and 13!) from Justin Fields to D.J. Moore might have been the breaking point. And it probably never happens if Aidan Hutchinson doesn’t jump offsides on a play where the Bears had zero intention of snapping the ball.

Wait, what?

That is correct. According to Chicago tight end Cole Kmet, the Bears had no intention of snapping the ball on a fourth and long. They were just trying to draw someone offside. Understandable. There aren’t many smart plays for fourth and long. But Kmet thought that there was no chance the Lions would come early on that down and distance. Hutchinson proved him wrong, and the rest was history.

Talk about a real lack of discipline from Hutchinson in a pivotal situation. This costly mistake may as well have permanently flipped the game in Chicago’s favor. No wonder the Lions have lost two of their last three games in convincing fashion.

Bears use trickeration with D.J. Moore to score first against Lions

The Chicago Bears used some offensive creativity to score first on Sunday against the Detroit Lions.

The 4-8 Chicago Bears are just trying to make the rest of their season moderately relevant at this point, and they got off to a nice start Sunday against the Detroit Lions on their first drive. Quarterback Justin Fields had runs of 11 and 13 yards, and then, with 10:22 left in the first quarter, the call was for a direct snap to receiver D.J. Moore, a fake to Fields, and a scamper around the left edge for a 16-yard touchdown.

It’s Moore’s first rushing touchdown during his time with the Bears, who traded for him this offseason in the blockbuster deal that allowed the Carolina Panthers to select quarterback Bryce Young first overall. Moore had 17 rushing touchdowns in five seasons with the Panthers.

Vikings throw four interceptions, suffer brutal loss vs. Bears

Turning the ball over four times is a recipe for disaster, something the Vikings know all too well

The Minnesota Vikings turned the ball over five times and couldn’t capitalize on the defense not allowing a touchdown in a brutal 12-10 loss to the Chicago Bears.

The defense was consistent from the start, allowing the Bears inside the red zone once all game. It was evident that Brian Flores didn’t respect Justin Fields’ ability to attack down the field, as the Vikings were very aggressive in attacking the running backs and wide receivers in short areas consistently.

The first play of the game for the Vikings on offense was a deep post to Jordan Addison who looked to have caught the ball, but it was ruled incomplete and Kevin O’Connell didn’t challenge.

The Vikings spiraled downward on offense all game long after that. Dobbs had issues all game long, as he threw four interceptions and had issues placing the ball all game long. His poor ball placement resulted in a turnover on downs and an easy touchdown.

The key play for the Vikings was a Danielle Hunter strip-sack of Fields. The Vikings had just turned it over for the fourth time and were in danger of going down two scores. Dobbs then found T.J. Hockenson for a touchdown to put the Vikings up 10-9.

Josh Metellus then stripped Fields in the open field to force the second-straight turnover and gave the Vikings the ball in plus territory. They couldn’t get anything done and punted the ball back to the Bears.

On the final drive, Flores chose not to send a lot of pressure on Fields and it looked like a good call until Fields found D.J. Moore on a 36-yard dig route to set the Bears up for a 30 yard game-winning field goal. A brutal loss for the Vikings heading into the bye week.

Up next is a bye week for the Vikings and then the Las Vegas Raiders on December 10th.

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4 defensive keys for Vikings vs. Bears

For the Vikings to slow down Justin Fields and the Bears, they will have to follow these four defensive keys to victory.

The Minnesota Vikings have a chance to better their playoff chances before a much-needed bye week on Monday night against the Chicago Bears (7:20 p.m. CST, ESPN)

After dropping the Sunday night game against the Denver Broncos, Minnesota is still slated at sixth in the playoff race, but a win would give them an 82% chance to make the postseason.

Which, after a deflating 0-3 start, would be yet another testament to the resiliency of this team. To do that, they need to stop this Chicago offense that hasn’t been full-strength since their last meeting.

Justin Fields accounted for 273 yards of total offense in last week’s eventual collapse against the Detroit Lions. This was his first action back since leaving the first meeting against the Vikings with a dislocated thumb on his throwing hand.

The addition of Fields was felt immediately as the Bears were a Tyler Scott completion from salting away a huge upset win against Detroit. This offense cannot be overlooked, despite how well the Minnesota defense has looked recently.

If they want to stop this offense, they must follow these four keys to success on the defensive side.

A reminder of everything the Panthers stupidly traded to the Bears to draft Bryce Young

The Bryce Young No. 1 pick trade is already one of the worst in NFL history.

Monday saw the unceremonious firing of Frank Reich, who lasted just 11 games in the Carolina Panthers’ latest rebuild around Bryce Young. It’s apparent that Reich is probably just a scapegoat for owner David Tepper, who allegedly might have forced Young on a coaching staff that wanted no part of him.

And that’s what makes Reich’s firing so especially dangerous for Carolina.

Because Young is a No. 1 overall pick that doesn’t resemble anything close to a capable NFL starter. Now he’s going to be learning a second offense in two seasons after already drowning in Reich’s scheme. This is an unmitigated disaster for the Panthers, who traded a king’s ransom to the Chicago Bears just to select Young in last April’s NFL draft. So not only will Young be fighting an uphill battle, he’ll have fewer reinforcements coming than expected during this upcoming offseason.

Here’s an outline of everything the Panthers surrendered to the Bears in an awful trade for Young that might set the organization back for years:

To Bears:

To Panthers:

  • 2023 No. 1 overall pick (Bryce Young)