NFC Notes: Bears, Packers, Aaron Rodgers, Vikings

Bears

Bears WR Darnell Mooney and WR coach Tyke Tolbert spoke about the big boost the offense can receive from the addition of WR Chase Claypool, who was acquired via a trade with the Steelers.

“He’s a dominant player,” Mooney said, via NBC Sports Chicago. “He’s just another player who can come in and make special plays. He has been doing his thing since he got in the league.”

“He had a crazy catch out there today,” Mooney added. “It was like a deep ball and he just like went up and big-boyed someone. He Mossed them. Exactly. The things he has been doing. It was nice to see it in person. I was like, ‘That’s why you make the trade right there.’ That’s why you do it.”

“To get him in the game, we’re going to have specific plays for them,” Tolbert noted. “If you tell him, ‘run that way, turn right, and catch the ball.’ He can do that. We have [assistant Omar Young] helping him with the formations. That’s where it all starts, knowing how to line up and where to line up. Once he has that, you know, the play concepts, he’s smart enough to figure that out. So we can pretty much put him anywhere as long as he knows where to line up, how to line up, and where to shift in motion when we call plays. He won’t be expected to know the whole playbook, but he’ll have a lot of plays, his specific plays that he’ll be expected to know.”

• Jonathan Jones mentions that the Bears were monitoring the situations of 49ers WR Deebo Samuel and Seahawks WR D.K. Metcalf before both signed extensions.
• Jones adds that the Bears were also interested in Panthers WR D.J. Moore, yet were uninterested in giving Carolina the first-round pick they wanted in return. 

Packers

• The Packers suffered several injury woes on Sunday against the Lions, with CB Eric Stokes ruled out due to a knee/ankle injury and WR Romeo Doubs also ruled out with an ankle injury.
• Packers WR Christian Watson was also being evaluated for a concussion in his first game back from a concussion and RB Aaron Jones was then questionable to return following an ankle injury.
• Packers HC Matt LaFleur after the loss to Detroit: “I would be concerned if I saw guys not competing out there. I didn’t see that. I saw us not taking advantage of certain opportunities and making way too many mistakes.” (Rob Demovsky)
• Packers QB Aaron Rodgers said the following about his performance: “I played shitty, but I never gave up. … We moved the well in the first half and I threw two picks in the end zone.” (Demovsky)
• Rodgers continued: “Can’t lose a game like that against that team. This one will hurt for a while.” (Matt Schneidman)

Vikings

Vikings’ recently acquired TE T.J. Hockenson said he has the opportunity to help Minnesota towards a winning season, which would be a first for him throughout his career thus far. 

“That’s really what we’re here to do is go somewhere and win some games,” Hockenson said, via NFL.com. “That’s kind of the first time I’ve been able to say that.”

Hockenson said joining a new team and learning an offense is “definitely a process.”

“It’s one thing to be able to see it on paper and say, ‘OK, oh, yeah, I got it,’ but then you hear it and you have to mentally decipher everything. It’s a different story,” Hockenson said. “So it’s definitely a process, and I’m starting.”

Hockenson reiterated his excitement to join a winning team. 

“I’m just excited to have a piece in this puzzle. A lot of good guys around here. This facility is beautiful, so I’m just excited to be here, man,” Hockenson said. “There’s nowhere I’d rather be.”

• Vikings S Harrison Smith was fined $15,914 for unnecessary roughness for a hit on Cardinals WR DeAndre Hopkins in Week 8. (Tom Pelissero)
• Vikings HC Kevin O’Connell said that CB Cameron Dantzler will undergo an MRI tomorrow. (Chris Tomasson)