Mr. Inside and Mr. Outside.
That was the plan at the start of this season for Bears wide receivers Curtis Conway and Tom Waddle.
Conway, the speedy rookie from Southern Cal, has shown flashes of brilliance since overcoming nagging ankle and shoulder injuries. He has 10 catches for 148 yards and two touchdowns, including one Sunday night in San Diego that spelled the difference in a 16-13 victory.
He also has returned nine kickoffs for 196 yards (a 21.8 average). Conway has been responsible for three of the Bears’ four longest plays this season: kickoff returns of 55 and 42 yards and Sunday’s 38-yard TD catch.
Still, even better performances are expected from the seventh pick in the draft.
Meanwhile, Waddle’s accustomed role as possession receiver has diminished this season. He leads the team with 30 catches for 400 yards and one touchdown. But the Bears’ anemic 30.8 percent success on third downs has kept offensive coordinator Ron Turner awake at night. Bear opponents have been clicking at a 37.8 percent success rate on third downs.
“All of us are trying to find our spot and role on the team and it takes more than nine games,” Waddle said Tuesday. “Last year, I felt very good about my role. I knew the ball was coming to me third-and-4, third-and-5, third-and-6. My effectiveness of being a third-down receiver has tailed off this year.”
Last season, Waddle had a string of 14 first-down catches early in the season. This year, he is the only Bear with a catch in all nine games. But occasional double-team coverages on him and relentless pass rushes on quarterback Jim Harbaugh have kept Waddle from being the go-to guy on third down.
Sunday’s trip to Kansas City (7-2) will pit the Bears (4-5) against one of the league’s most punishing defenses and Waddle and Conway again will be marked men.
“I came into the season at about 190 pounds and I am just a little over 185,” said the 6-foot Waddle. “Physically, it has been a long year. But I think I have got a little bit left.”
Opposing linebackers and defensive backs delight in rocking Waddle’s world when he comes across the middle for a pass.
“You have to block out” the possibility of an injury, said Waddle. “If you play scared, you’ll get hurt. It is just part of the occupation. Most players who get hurt tense up right before they get hurt.
“There are times out there when you are wondering if you will ever get up. It is a difficult sport at times. Against the Raiders, a couple of times, I had to ask guys on our team where to go after blocking some 225-pound free and strong safeties.”
Waddle’s NFL odyssey has been well-chronicled. Cut four times by the Bears, his determination and resolve have spawned respect from fans.
“I am sure there are lot of guys who probably haven’t had as celebrated a start as they would like,” said Waddle, an undrafted free agent out of Boston College. “Coming into the league, you have to realize there are only 47 spots on a team. You are going to get caught in numbers situations. I accepted it. It was the profession I wanted to be involved in. That is just the negative side that goes along with it.
“If I had to go back and do it all again, I would do it the same way, because it has made me appreciate the things that I have done, a lot more than if I had had things handed to me. I appreciate some of the hardships that I have gone through.”
Conway appears to be learning to appreciate his early hardships in the NFL very slowly.
“It is going to take a while. He’s a young kid, just turned 22,” said Waddle. “It is a difficult transition for everybody. Eventually, he will get over it.”
Meanwhile, the Bears try to rise from the depths of the league’s offensive rankings.
“With any luck at all, we would be 6-3,” Waddle said. “Our defense is the reason for that. They have put us in position to win more games than we have won. Offensively, we have not done things as well as we would like.
“If we score 21 points a game, we are going to win 75 percent of them,” said Waddle. “If we scored 21 points, we beat Green Bay, we beat Minnesota twice, we beat the Raiders.”
