Anybody who has watched football since at least 2000 knows the name Steve Smith Sr. The former wide receiver was not only one of the best of his era, but also one of the most outspoken. He wasn’t afraid to trash-talk and could do it better than most. After he retired, those same people quickly realized there was a deep intelligence hidden behind that mouth. Smith had a sharp eye for talent at his position coming out of the draft every year, and soon began sharing his thoughts on his own YouTube channel.
That brings us to this past week. Smith spent time evaluating what the Chicago Bears accomplished last season, specifically regarding their young wide receiving corps. He came away with two realizations. The first is that head coach Ben Johnson is a mad genius who fears nobody. The other is that Rome Odunze and Luther Burden had no real clue what they were doing last season and still managed to put up respectable numbers. Going into this next season with far better knowledge of the offense, he believes the Bears are about to explode.
Steve Smith Sr. knows what to look for.
He played in the NFL for over a decade. Few know the intricacies of the position better and how it’s supposed to look. If it doesn’t take casual fans long to see the Bears’ wide receivers weren’t always running routes correctly, one can only imagine what Smith saw. When he says they didn’t know what they were doing, that was probably him being diplomatic. Yet for him to maintain his excitement about Rome Odunze and Luther Burden in spite of that is a welcome sign.
Don’t forget the two of them combined for 1303 yards and eight touchdowns last season. That was with Odunze missing five games with his foot injury and Burden getting just 15 targets through his first seven games. Imagine what they could do with a full season together if both stay healthy. Steve Smith Sr. can see. The two of them on top of their details, with Johnson calling the offense? There is no way defenses are stopping it, no matter what they try.
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Early signs are already encouraging.
Johnson stated during his early press conferences that it’d be smart to buy Burden stock. The young receiver has been putting in tons of work this offseason. His progression from where he was at the same time last year is night and day. Odunze also looked healthy in OTAs and minicamps. This doesn’t even mention rookie Zavion Thomas, who had multiple standout moments in practice as well. Smith has stated his speed will be a genuine problem for defensive backs to deal with.
Remember, Caleb Williams threw for 3,941 yards last season, even though his receivers didn’t really know what they were doing. Even if they take a modest step forward, it’s not crazy to think this passing game can clear 4,000 with relative ease. Smith already sees the future. Everything is in place. All these kids have to do is learn how to execute. Much will be on the wide receivers coach, Antwaan Randle El, to have them prepared.
