The Chicago Bears offensive staff was largely purged this offseason by head coach Matt Nagy. One of the only holdovers was wide receivers coach Mike Furrey. It’s not hard to see why. The man not only brings a strong work ethic to the table but energy and leadership as well. Despite some unfortunate setbacks, his position group has played pretty well under the circumstances.
Expectations for them in 2020 are pretty high. Allen Robinson is a stud. Anthony Miller looked like he was poised for a breakout down the stretch last season. Furrey also pointed out that second-year man Riley Ridley should not be ignored. The former 4th round pick has put in tons of work and is poised for a much bigger role.
Furrey though knows this training camp could prove challenging for his guys. Why? Namely that they have no clue who their quarterback is going to be. The competition between Mitch Trubisky and Nick Foles is about to begin and picking a winner is impossible. This can make it so easy for teammates to pick sides.
Furrey made sure there would be none of that.
“I told my guys from Day 1, I said, ‘Listen, you have a lot to worry about in regards to how you’re supposed to play. So there are going to be a lot of things you’re going to have to do to become great. And my expectation for you guys is to become great.’
“So let me just tell you what my thoughts are right now: ‘When you guys get in that freaking huddle, you listen to what the quarterback is telling you to do and go and get lined up and do your job.’ The head football coach in our program and our general manager? They’ll make that (quarterback) decision.”
Mike Furrey undoubtedly speaks from experience with this
It’s not a surprise that Furrey would know how to handle this situation. He’s been around a quarterback controversy before. Back in the early 2000s, he was part of the St. Louis Rams. At that time, Kurt Warner was the established guy. However, injuries began to take a toll on him. This opened the door for Marc Bulger to play and he played well. That uncertainty lingered for quite some time until Bulger finally got the nod. One can imagine the Rams receivers had their opinions on who should’ve started.
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Furrey is making sure no such thing happens in Chicago. It’s not the receivers’ jobs to pick the quarterback. Their job is to run the right route, get open and make the catch. If they do their job, the offense should have success regardless of who is under center. A good stance to take. This should remind people that the Bears have enough leadership in that locker room to not let the competition cause division.