During Week 1 of the NFL season, the Bears got punched in the mouth by their NFC North adversary --- the Green Bay Packers.
Part of the problem --- surprisingly --- was effort. Specifically, wide receiver Chase Claypool failed to show 100% effort in multiple instances. Whether it was missing blocks or dropping passes on the field, he didn't appear motivated.
General manager Ryan Poles assures Claypool's motivation is high. But he isn't oblivious to the lackluster effort Claypool put on the field on Sunday.
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"With Chase, I think he’s a guy that has all the motivation in the world to be a good football player," Poles told ESPN 1000 before Sunday's game against the Buccaneers. "He’s got to clean some things up. We had some good conversations. I expect to see him make those changes and if he doesn’t, then we’ll have to figure out what we’re going to do after that."
The Bears are adamant about establishing a disciplined culture.
Immediately upon arrival, Matt Eberflus instilled the H.I.T.S principle predicated on Hustle, Intensity, Takeaways and Smart football. None of those principles appeared in Claypool's game. He finished without a catch on two targets, while missing crucial blocks, too.
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Claypool is active for Sunday's game against the Buccaneers, despite overwhelming evidence that he should be benched for being an antithesis of the team's effort principles. One week into his first full season with the Bears, he's already on thin ice.
Remember, Poles and the Bears traded for Claypool just before last season's NFL trade deadline. They gave the Steelers a second-round pick for Claypool; though, because the Miami Dolphins forfeited their first-round selection, the Bears' pick moved to No. 32 in the draft, technically a first-round pick.
Unfortunately, the trade already appears to have backfired on the Bears.
But, in some silver lining, the Bears putting their foot down on any player not showing effort is a sign of imperative leadership. Poles made it clear any player failing to live up to the Bears' standards will be handled.
"I would say really, for anyone on our team, there’s a standard for how we’re going to play football here and if you can’t rise to that standard and live in that space, it’s going to be hard to perform for the Chicago Bears," Poles said.