Chase Claypool, without question, loaded around on Sunday against the Packers.
He missed blocks, he lacked effort and he offered zero contributions to the offense. Considering the Bears traded the No. 32 pick in the previous NFL draft for his services, the outcome was very disappointing.
The Bears, however, have not lost faith in him, including his former teammate from Notre Dame.
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"It's his passion. Sometimes it gets out of him a little bit. But he knows what he's gotta do," Cole Kmet said on ESPN 1000. "He's frustrated. He wants to win, too. No one wants to win more than Chase. I know he was frustrated with some things this past week but he's looking forward to having a good rebound week this week."
The coaching staff isn't obvious to Claypool's lack of effort. They met with him about his performance, or lack thereof. Claypool hasn't talked to the media leading up to the Bears' game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but his teammates and coaches have stood behind him.
According to the coaches, they've seen an extra jolt of energy and enthusiasm from Claypool at practice this week. The coaches --- and fans --- are hoping for a 180 from the passion he brought Sunday.
"I think at the end of the day, all players — especially NFL wide receivers — they want to help the team win," Tolbert said Thursday at Halas Hall of Claypool's effort-based issues and irritation. "If they feel like they're not helping the team win, they all get frustrated. He felt like, this past game, that he wasn't helping the team win enough, so he was frustrated with everything. Himself, everything. The more we get all of them involved, the better off we'll all be."
