‘This is not for play’: Marcedes Lewis shares message he had for Shane Waldron
LAKE FOREST, Ill. — Amid struggles on offense, Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Shane Waldron opened his Thursday press conference being complimentary of the increase in communication from his team’s leadership group, which includes Caleb Williams, Cole Kmet, DJ Moore and veteran tight end Marcedes Lewis, who had a message for Waldron when it comes to how he coaches.
“I think mainly just continue to be vocal about the things that [Waldron] sees and don’t feel like you can’t call guys out, from the oldest guy in the room, to the youngest guy,” Lewis said. “Don’t feel like you can’t coach us. I want to be coached. I want to be great. This is not for play. This is our job.
“It’s a highly stressful and a production-based business and we all have got to be doing the same things, or else, everybody gets fired.”
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Lewis, who’s now in his 19th season, has a unique perspective on the struggles a team can face through the ups and downs of the NFL. He said he has confidence things will turn around for the Bears’ offense, but first, players must look inward.
“On this team or on this offense, we’ve got dudes. Dudes who have done it at a high level,” Lewis said. “Sometimes as a coach coming in, you might be walking on eggshells and I kind of put that to bed. Nobody’s sensitive in here. We want to win games just as bad as you do and it’s a collaborative effort in everything.”
Through three games, Chicago’s offense ranks 30th in the NFL in total yards (748), 31st in rushing yards (218) and yards-per-carry (3.0), 25th in passing yards (530) and 22nd in points scored (53, 17.7 PPG).
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Waldron said he wants to see more of a marriage between the run and pass game when trying to establish the Bears’ offensive identity moving forward.
“There’s been flashes. We’ve done a great job in our practice reps [and] we did a great job in our preseason reps, but the reality is we haven’t performed up to our standards in-game right now,” Waldron said.
The Chicago Bears take on the Los Angeles Rams Sunday at Soldier Field, with kickoff set for noon CT.
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