NEWSLETTER
Prince Amukamara set a high bar for his 2018 season, then went out on Monday night and came away with the biggest play of the game. Let’s re-live the pick-six that – for all intents and purposes – sealed the first win of the Matt Nagy era for the Bears:
Ugly, just ugly interception by #Seahawks Russell Wilson…. Prince Amukamara read him from start-to-finish off that hitch route . #Bears #SEAvsCHIpic.twitter.com/XjyJj1GeUg
— Samuel Gold (@SamuelRGold) September 18, 2018
This is the stuff cornerbacks dream of when they line up opposite a receiver. Amukamara reads the play, reads the route, and sees that Russell Wilson’s eyes haven’t left that target. If you’re gonna get your hands on the ball and take it all the way to the house, that’s how it’s done. This is what you want from a cornerback in whom you’ve invested a multi-million dollar extension.
So how did Amukamara get here? Hard work, of course:
Vic Fangio says Prince Amukamara has worked very hard on improving his ball skills. Says he's been working on the jugs machine and coaches throwing him the football. #Bears
— Zack Pearson (@Zack_Pearson) September 20, 2018
JUGS machine, eh? Now, why does that sound familiar?
Oh, yeah. Now I remember:
OK KYLE! OK KYLE!!!
All eyes on da vet. #BearsCamp pic.twitter.com/h7oHwQTWwZ
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) July 21, 2018
Kyle Fuller’s fifth season with the Bears is off to a rough start. Fuller has been beaten for a touchdown in each of the first two games of the season, which definitely isn’t the start any of us envisioned after he signed a multi-year deal to stay with the team during the offseason. To be fair to Fuller, both of these throws are immaculate dimes tossed by all-time great quarterbacks. So let’s not jump on the pile just yet.
But still, there’s a common link in both of these touchdowns that should turn some heads:
A HUGE weekend for former Wildcats ballin out in the league! Tyler Lockett with 5 receptions and a BIG touchdown!#CatsInTheLeague#KstateFB
— Coach Zach Hanson (@CoachZachHanson) September 18, 2018
With #NFLPartner #NFLGamePass, see why Aaron Rodgers’ 2nd half last Sunday was one of the top QB performances in years. This touchdown pass to Packers’ WR Geronimo Allison, on an injured knee, displays Rodgers’ unparalelled arm talent. See more at https://t.co/CKsOG5jGei pic.twitter.com/W4bCXfGbOt
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 15, 2018
The coverage was as good as it could be before each score, which is why the throws by Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson had to be where they were, but Fuller can’t quite get his head turned around on either play. If he could have done so, he would have been in a great position to make a play on the ball. This isn’t to say he needs to intercept either pass, but a batted ball would have been ever-so-helpful in either situation.
What’s frustrating about the touchdowns Fuller has allowed is that we’ve seen him make plays on the ball before. Remember Fuller’s preseason interception of Andy Dalton?
Two Three with the Pick Six!#CHIvsCIN pic.twitter.com/GQkKDekESS
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) August 9, 2018
That Fuller has yet to re-create this moment in the opportunities given to him is agonizing, but if we have seen it before, why wouldn’t we believe he could do it again? There’s a reason defensive backs aren’t wide receivers, but Fuller has to come away with the plays that are in front of him. They don’t always have to be interceptions, but I have a feeling those will be coming in due time.
