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Chicago Bears WR coach Mike Furrey discussed the roster with the Chicago Tribune this week, so here are five highlights......
Mike Furrey expects to see major growth from Riley Ridley in his second season.
The Bears drafted Ridley in the fourth round out of Georgia with the 126th pick in 2019, but Ridley didn’t see much time on the field in his rookie year. He was active for five games and had six catches on seven targets for 69 yards. Furrey said learning the playbook and adjusting to the speed of the NFL were among the reasons Ridley didn’t receive many opportunities.That could change if he makes the strides Furrey expects.
“The one thing I’m really excited about right now, I think the biggest growth we’re going to see with anybody in our room is going to be Riley Ridley,” Furrey said. “His preparation, his attitude, his desire, the passion he has to become successful in this game, he loves the process. And I believe when you love the process, it’s going to be successful.” Furrey said Ridley’s comfort and confidence should aid his progress this year, as will his understanding of what he needs to do daily after watching Allen Robinson prepare.
Anthony Miller and Mike Furrey have talked about keeping to a more structured preparation schedule to maximize Miller’s potential.
After rehabbing from left shoulder surgery last offseason, Miller got off to a slow start in his second season, totaling just four catches in his first four games. He came on stronger at the end of the year and finished with 52 catches for 656 yards and two touchdowns. Furrey talked several times last year about Miller’s maturation and the need to earn the trust of his coaches and quarterback with his preparation. “In the middle of the season, I believe Anthony really started having an idea and understanding what it takes not just how to step inside the 4-inch line and go play football, but how to start developing himself as a professional through a process leading up to a game,” Furrey said. “He started doing that and he started seeing the results from that.
“That’s something we’ve been talking about all offseason, continuing to grow him from a maturity standpoint, educating himself on the game, what it takes to become a professional. And I would say right now he’s exceeded his expectations heading into the season.”
As Miller rehabs from another shoulder surgery before his third season, they’re working on ways to continue his progress, and that includes setting expectations for his daily work. “We’ve talked a lot about him coming from Memphis, where his athletic ability was able to take over a lot of things and it’s allowed him to become successful,” Furrey said. “But now when you’re in Chicago and you’re in a big city, you have people that expect things out of you and you have all these things that are different than when you were in Memphis. You better structure your daily schedule. “We will have a structured schedule throughout the week, and that process will help him become more successful on Sundays when we line up.”
Mike Furrey is proud of the way Allen Robinson has used his voice to lead his fellow wide receivers and speak up about social injustice.
Furrey said Robinson, entering his seventh NFL season, is “one of the most professional players that I’ve ever been around in my playing and coaching career.”
Robinson showed his leadership early on during the Bears’ virtual offseason program by helping his teammates — and getting on them if they were moving around too much during meetings and not properly focusing. Furrey also has seen Robinson step up the last few weeks to speak out in support of the movement against racism, police brutality and social injustice.“We talked about: ‘You’re a leader because you do it the right way. You’re a leader because people look at you and respect you because of how you handle yourself on a daily basis,’ ” Furrey said. “Allen Robinson showing up in the last couple of weeks in regard to the social justice issue is showing you that he has a voice. And that people listen. He’s learning that people listen to him because of who he is as a person. That’s what’s the most impressive thing.”
Rookie Darnell Mooney’s explosiveness, agility and natural hands are intriguing.
Of course, Furrey hasn’t been able to see Mooney, the fifth-round pick out of Tulane, in practice yet. But over Zoom, the new Bears wide receiver has come across as passionate and competitive. And on Mooney’s college film, Furrey saw plenty to be excited about.“He’s going to probably be one of the most explosive guys that we have in our room in regard to matching his speed with his agility,” Furrey said. “He can put his foot in the ground and he can go. He can also go side to side. Obviously the first thing that we look at is being able to match his speed and agility with being able to catch the football as well. And there were some times where he put his foot in the ground and would get vertical and go up and attack a football. That’s not really a knack of a lot of guys that play receiver, especially in college.
“It’s hard to coach speed, it’s hard to coach agility. Those things, you either have them or you don’t.”
Mike Furrey believes Ted Ginn Jr. has more left in the tank at 35 years old.
Furrey was nearing the end of his NFL career when Ginn entered the league as a 2007 first-round pick by the Dolphins out of Ohio State. Now Furrey is in his third season coaching Bears wide receivers, while Ginn signed a one-year contract to play for the Bears in his 14th season. Furrey raved about the vocal leadership and willingness to hold players accountable that Ginn brings to his room. He also thinks Ginn, who had 30 catches for 421 yards and two touchdowns last season with the Saints, still can be a legitimate threat on the field.“If you go back and watch some film over the last couple of years, this guy can still play some football at a high level,” Furrey said. “And when he lines up, DBs are going to be scared to death that he’s going to take the top off on them. You can add his route running into that, that he’s a very veteran route-runner, so those are a lot of things that I still believe in.“Yeah, T.G. and I were in the league at the same time, but I went from being a 4.4 to a 4.7 (seconds in the 40-yard dash) real fast. He’s still a 4.3 and he’s still got it, so that’s that fear factor that he still has.”
Chicago Bears WR coach Mike Furrey discussed the roster with the Chicago Tribune this week, so here are five highlights......
Mike Furrey expects to see major growth from Riley Ridley in his second season.
The Bears drafted Ridley in the fourth round out of Georgia with the 126th pick in 2019, but Ridley didn’t see much time on the field in his rookie year. He was active for five games and had six catches on seven targets for 69 yards. Furrey said learning the playbook and adjusting to the speed of the NFL were among the reasons Ridley didn’t receive many opportunities.That could change if he makes the strides Furrey expects.
“The one thing I’m really excited about right now, I think the biggest growth we’re going to see with anybody in our room is going to be Riley Ridley,” Furrey said. “His preparation, his attitude, his desire, the passion he has to become successful in this game, he loves the process. And I believe when you love the process, it’s going to be successful.” Furrey said Ridley’s comfort and confidence should aid his progress this year, as will his understanding of what he needs to do daily after watching Allen Robinson prepare.
Anthony Miller and Mike Furrey have talked about keeping to a more structured preparation schedule to maximize Miller’s potential.
After rehabbing from left shoulder surgery last offseason, Miller got off to a slow start in his second season, totaling just four catches in his first four games. He came on stronger at the end of the year and finished with 52 catches for 656 yards and two touchdowns. Furrey talked several times last year about Miller’s maturation and the need to earn the trust of his coaches and quarterback with his preparation. “In the middle of the season, I believe Anthony really started having an idea and understanding what it takes not just how to step inside the 4-inch line and go play football, but how to start developing himself as a professional through a process leading up to a game,” Furrey said. “He started doing that and he started seeing the results from that.
“That’s something we’ve been talking about all offseason, continuing to grow him from a maturity standpoint, educating himself on the game, what it takes to become a professional. And I would say right now he’s exceeded his expectations heading into the season.”
As Miller rehabs from another shoulder surgery before his third season, they’re working on ways to continue his progress, and that includes setting expectations for his daily work. “We’ve talked a lot about him coming from Memphis, where his athletic ability was able to take over a lot of things and it’s allowed him to become successful,” Furrey said. “But now when you’re in Chicago and you’re in a big city, you have people that expect things out of you and you have all these things that are different than when you were in Memphis. You better structure your daily schedule. “We will have a structured schedule throughout the week, and that process will help him become more successful on Sundays when we line up.”
Mike Furrey is proud of the way Allen Robinson has used his voice to lead his fellow wide receivers and speak up about social injustice.
Furrey said Robinson, entering his seventh NFL season, is “one of the most professional players that I’ve ever been around in my playing and coaching career.”
Robinson showed his leadership early on during the Bears’ virtual offseason program by helping his teammates — and getting on them if they were moving around too much during meetings and not properly focusing. Furrey also has seen Robinson step up the last few weeks to speak out in support of the movement against racism, police brutality and social injustice.“We talked about: ‘You’re a leader because you do it the right way. You’re a leader because people look at you and respect you because of how you handle yourself on a daily basis,’ ” Furrey said. “Allen Robinson showing up in the last couple of weeks in regard to the social justice issue is showing you that he has a voice. And that people listen. He’s learning that people listen to him because of who he is as a person. That’s what’s the most impressive thing.”
Rookie Darnell Mooney’s explosiveness, agility and natural hands are intriguing.
Of course, Furrey hasn’t been able to see Mooney, the fifth-round pick out of Tulane, in practice yet. But over Zoom, the new Bears wide receiver has come across as passionate and competitive. And on Mooney’s college film, Furrey saw plenty to be excited about.“He’s going to probably be one of the most explosive guys that we have in our room in regard to matching his speed with his agility,” Furrey said. “He can put his foot in the ground and he can go. He can also go side to side. Obviously the first thing that we look at is being able to match his speed and agility with being able to catch the football as well. And there were some times where he put his foot in the ground and would get vertical and go up and attack a football. That’s not really a knack of a lot of guys that play receiver, especially in college.
“It’s hard to coach speed, it’s hard to coach agility. Those things, you either have them or you don’t.”
Mike Furrey believes Ted Ginn Jr. has more left in the tank at 35 years old.
Furrey was nearing the end of his NFL career when Ginn entered the league as a 2007 first-round pick by the Dolphins out of Ohio State. Now Furrey is in his third season coaching Bears wide receivers, while Ginn signed a one-year contract to play for the Bears in his 14th season. Furrey raved about the vocal leadership and willingness to hold players accountable that Ginn brings to his room. He also thinks Ginn, who had 30 catches for 421 yards and two touchdowns last season with the Saints, still can be a legitimate threat on the field.“If you go back and watch some film over the last couple of years, this guy can still play some football at a high level,” Furrey said. “And when he lines up, DBs are going to be scared to death that he’s going to take the top off on them. You can add his route running into that, that he’s a very veteran route-runner, so those are a lot of things that I still believe in.“Yeah, T.G. and I were in the league at the same time, but I went from being a 4.4 to a 4.7 (seconds in the 40-yard dash) real fast. He’s still a 4.3 and he’s still got it, so that’s that fear factor that he still has.”
