Bears offensive coordinator Luke Getsy agrees with frustrated Bears fans that two targets for wide receiver DJ Moore won’t cut it. He’s just not going to fire the offensive coordinator after Week 1 because of it.
“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 [Fields] maybe didn’t see something in a particular way.”
In a familiar drill at Halas Hall, Getsy faced some pointed questions Thursday about Fields’ uninspiring performance and the Bears’ disappointing offensive production in a 38-20 loss to the Packers on Sunday.
Moore’s two targets — and two receptions for 25 yards — after being Fields’ go-to receiver almost from the moment they stepped on the practice field was arguably the biggest disappointment.
For what it’s worth, the Panthers rarely had a problem getting the ball to DJ Moore — even with a new quarterback. In Moore’s first game with Teddy Bridgewater in 2020, Moore had nine targets. In his first game with P.J. Walker — yes, that P.J. Walker — Moore had 11 targets. Kyle Allen’s first start — eight targets. Taylor Heinicke’s first start — seven targets. Sam Darnold’s first start — eight targets. Baker Mayfield’s first start — six targets.
Justin Fields’ first start — two targets.
“There’s a lot of things that go into it,” Getsy said. “We definitely are calling plays for DJ and he knows that and he wasn’t frustrated by any of that. And sometimes it’s just the way the coverage dictates to where the quarterback has to go with the football, too.”
Maybe some day the Bears will have an offense that creates the kind of advantageous matchups that allow it take what it wants instead of just what the defense gives it. But this one isn’t there yet.
Fields had a 78.2 passer rating and two turnovers. The offensive line was shoddy, particularly in pass protection. The Bears threw few passes downfield — Fields’ 3.3 average in air yards per pass was the second-lowest in the NFL in Week 1.
And the Packers seem to win the chess game against Getsy — Fields averaged 9.5 yards per attempt on his first three drives, but 4.5 yards per attempt after that.
“I think we did a lot of good things,” Getsy said. “Our execution was obviously a little more reflective of Game 1 than we would want it to be. [I] felt like we left a lot out there.
“Obviously when you don’t win, things will get criticized more, but we always look at it under a microscope and make sure that we’re coaching every person to the best of our abilities and getting the details right. Our details were not good enough.”
As for Fields, the numbers were unimpressive — his 5.8 yards per attempt against the Packers would have been his fourth-lowest of 2022.
“I think he’s in a good place,” Getsy said. “He’s got a really good understanding of what’s going on around him. He’s getting better and better at that.
“But you’re still gonna have some times where you look back and say, ‘Dang, I wish I would have done this or that. We’re gonna have those as we continue to grow. That’s part of his youth and his experience we’re getting. There was a ton of evidence on film that that’s there. We just have to get it more consistently.”
It was the same for the offensive line issues. They’re working on it.
“They’re a really good front. We knew that was going to be a challenge,” Getsy said. “Justin, actually, I thought he handed it as good as he has since I’ve been here, staying composed.
“Can we get better up front in certain one-on-one opportunities? For sure. But that’s going to come with playing. We’ve got to get experience playing next to each other — chemistry, passing off stunts and all that good stuff.”
Getsy’s only experience in the NFL is with the Packers and Aaron Rodgers, and as a quarterbacks coach, not a coordinator, so this is relatively new territory for him. But he knows he’s taking some heat, and is fine with that.
“I don’t know exactly what it is, but I know it’s there, for sure,” Getsy said. “I’m in a huge market here, and we have an exciting young quarterback and everybody is excited to see how well he can do.
“That [criticism] doesn’t affect me or what I’m going to do or how I’m going to do it. We’re trying to do whatever we can for all 11 guys on the field, give them an opportunity to be successful.
“As a coach, that’s all you can do. That’s all you’re really focused on and that takes up enough of your time that I don’t really have a chance to listen to all that or read all that.”
