Bears' Antwaan Randle El reflects on calling plays and how it fits his ambition
Bears blowout Browns, standout performers & left tackle questions | Preseason Recap
The Fox Chicago sports team recaps a Bears blowout victory over the Browns in the preseason opener at Soldier Field. Cassie Carlson and Anthony Herron break down the left tackle competition and who stood out to them in the Bears decisive victory. Devan Kaney has a report from Soldier Field, and you’ll hear from Tyson Bagent, Ben Johnson, Kaden Davis and Malik Muhammad. Plus, the crew looks ahead to joint practices this week against the Bengals in Cincinnati.
Antwaan Randle El shook things up a bit.
The Chicago Bears’ wide receivers coach is usually focused on getting his pass catchers ready for each game. He does this in the classroom as much as he does on the field as one of the most notable motivators the Bears have on their staff.
But, last week Randle El got a chance to sit in the quarterback meeting the night before the Bears’ 34-10 preseason win over the Browns.
He was calling the plays in the second half, after all. He needed to be on the same page with everyone, now.
Especially because this was a key experience in him finding a chance to chase his own personal ambitions.
"I always feel like my time is coming," Randel El said. "I wait on my time."
Big picture view:
Usually, position coaches are put in a position to lead their groups and prepare them at a high level.
Randel El is considered one of the best wide receiver coaches in the game. He mentored Amon-Ra St. Brown into stardom in Detroit and is mentoring Luther Burden III in the same way in Chicago.
Having Randel El solely focus on that make sense. But, Bears coach Ben Johnson sees more.
"I wanted El to get that chance and he wanted it too," Johnson said after the Bears beat the Browns on Saturday. "I think he's an outstanding coach, and I think sometimes when you're put in certain position rooms, you kind of get labeled one thing or another."
On Wednesday, Randel El talked more about how grateful he was to have had the opportunity to call plays.
It was another world he got a chance to experience. He got to match plays with the players he would be working with. Namely, Randel El was working with veteran quarterback Case Keenum before transitioning to Miller Moss.
"It's good to have a veteran in there who knows exactly where the ball should go and things of that nature," Randel El said. "Really, you dial it up for the players and let them go out and work."
The Bears’ offense scored 24 unanswered points in the second half to reach 34. Randel El didn’t just appreciate the chance, he thrived in it too.
"I told him right after, I told him when he first let me know that I appreciate it," Randel El said. "We talked and we text and I just told him, man, everybody doesn't do that."
What's next:
Johnson knows about the ambition Randel El has. Randel El said he’s been up front with him about it.
Giving Randel El the chance to feed that ambition matches the possibilities Johnson sees for him.
"Here's the thing about El, I think he's got a chance to be an offensive coordinator in this league," Johnson said. "I think he's got a chance to be a head coach in this league. I think he would do a phenomenal job in both those respects, and I don't know if he gets that type of credit around the league right now."
One way to get that credit is to be in a position to show it. Johnson gave Randel El that chance because he sees the ambition he has.
Randel El is another coach who might not be long for Halas Hall. This isn’t a bad thing, either.
He and Bears defensive backs coach Al Harris will be up for jobs in the future, and if they get jobs that align with their ambitions the Bear might not have the capacity to keep them.
That’s a good thing, in the end. It means the Bears are a successful team.
"He sees it," Randel El said. "We've been together for a while, so he's seen the growth in terms of just me as a coach, me as a leader, me helping lead, help him lead."