A well-crafted tweet can do wonders to entice your your audience to read a full-length profile or story.
And that is exactly what The Athletic’s Dan Pompei does here:
You might not have Darnell Mooney high enough on your fantasy draft board. Why? It can be explained by a Marshmallow speaker, a pendant he wears on a chain, geometry, Fruit Loops before bed, and the screensaver on his iPad. My story for @theathleticnfl. https://t.co/I7cDVjaHr6— Dan Pompei (@danpompei) July 14, 2022
Pompei’s latest is a doozy. And I would recommend sitting down, getting comfortable, and clearing some time off your schedule to read it. Pompei uncovers so much as he dives deep into getting to know Bears leading receiver Darnell Mooney. The piece does a lot. It reveals a lighter side of Mooney, who chirps at offensive linemen in the weightroom. There is a snap shot of how football-obsessed Mooney is as he enters his third year as a pro. And there is even a nugget about what Mooney did to move past Anthony Miller on the depth chart (while also making me realize why Miller never took that step we were all hoping to see).
But my favorite anecdote came in something Mooney said about Luke Getsy’s offense.
“I love the offense,” Mooney tells Pompei. “It makes sense.”
I love the offense. It makes sense.
Seven simple words. And they all say so much. Particularly the last three.
It. Makes. Sense.
Far too often over the last three years, Matt Nagy’s offense didn’t make sense. It is one of the main reasons he is no longer the Bears’ head coach. We would watch games and see a scheme unfitting of its players. On top of that, a coach seemingly calling plays without rhyme or reason. There was no rhythm to the offense. Something would work early, but not be seen again for weeks. Endless curl routes short of the sticks. Predictable formations, designs, and calls. Plays were put into action that didn’t build off of each other. It was as if Nagy was more of a play-collector than a play-caller. And it left the Bears (and anyone watching) paying the consequences.
Getsy’s offense being the antithesis of Nagy’s would have Bears fans doing cartwheels in the streets.
That revelation from Pompei’s article is just one of many morsel of Mooney goodness. You should read the story in its entirety at The Athletic.
