Through two games to start his NFL career, Chicago Bears rookie first-round pick Rome Odunze has been underwhelming.
The receiver has just three catches for 44 yards on nine targets so far. While it wouldn’t be a stretch to say Odunze is still adjusting to football at the NFL level, it’d probably be hyperbolic to say he’s not getting open at all. He’s a rookie and is developing like any other young player. This is especially true when most of the Bears’ offensive issues stem from their poor blocking up front so far — not because any receivers aren’t getting open.
Someone didn’t pass along this memo to ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky, who claimed Odunze “wasn’t getting open at this level” earlier this week:
The Bears and Caleb are gonna have to get comfortable giving Rome more “covered” opportunities
Rome isn’t getting open at this level right now—
Caleb will have to get comfortable throwing him some 50/50 balls
— Dan Orlovsky (@danorlovsky7) September 18, 2024
This unfair critique opened the door to the worst possible person for Orlovsky to defend his opinion against — Odunze’s father, James.
First, Odunze’s father posted a video of his son getting clear separation in the end zone during the Bears’ Week 1 win over the Tennessee Titans:
— JAMES ODUNZE (@JamesOdunze) September 18, 2024
When people began misconstruing James Odunze’s intention with the video — with some assuming this might have been taking a similarly struggling Caleb Williams to task — the senior Odunze put all that talk to rest, clarifying that he wanted to blast Orlovsky’s “nonsense” opinion, not Odunze’s quarterback.
For clarification, this tweet was just about Dan Orlovsky nonsense statement. It’s not about anything or anybody else. FULL STOP
— JAMES ODUNZE (@JamesOdunze) September 19, 2024
This is a good lesson for Orlovsky and any major national analyst. If you critique a player with an unfounded opinion, you’ll probably have to answer to their parents. And that’s something no one should want to do.
