Looking to Bounce Back

“Bear down, Chicago Bears.”

The famous first line of the Chicago Bears fight song is played after each Bears touchdown at Soldier Field. But in 2004, with the Bears finishing last in the NFL in offensive touchdowns with 19, the song was rarely heard.

“Last year was really hard,” said Justin Gage, a former Missouri receiver who now plays for the Bears. “I was seeing the way we were playing and it was tough to go through, just standing on the sidelines. I wanted to get out there and help the team really bad. But, I was doing whatever I could to help, always trying to motivate the rest of the guys and tell them what I was seeing.”

A fifth-round selection in the 2003 NFL Draft, Gage immediately impressed the Bears coaching staff with his physical tools. He led the Bears at 19.9 yards per catch in 2003. He had 17 receptions for 338 yards and two touchdowns.

Gage’s second season in the NFL wasn’t as successful. His numbers dropped in 2004, when he had 12 receptions for 156 yards and no touchdowns.

“After my rookie season, I felt great,” Gage said. “Coming in and getting the opportunity to play in the NFL was exciting and fun. I was starting to prove myself a little bit and felt like good things were happening.”

Coming on the heels of a record-setting Big 12 Conference career at Missouri, his terrific rookie season immediately put him on the good side of former Bears coach Dick Jauron, who constantly praised Gage for his work ethic and elite athletic capabilities. Gage also spent three years on the Missouri basketball team as an undersized forward who used his leaping ability and strong upper-body to get rebounds.

“I watched him play on the field and on the hardwood,” said Darryl Drake, who became the Bears wide receivers coach after coaching at the University of Texas. “I thought he was an excellent player. As a coach, you always try to watch guys playing the same position on the opposing side of the field. He always did well against us.”

Drake specifically remembers Texas’ game at Missouri on Oct. 21, 2001. Drake said Gage “single-handedly brought the Tigers back by himself.” He caught five or six passes in a row against defensive back Quentin Jammer who was drafted No. 4 that year by the San Diego Chargers.

“I was real excited to be coaching him when I got to the Bears,” Drake said.

Drake’s arrival with the Bears came after Jauron was fired and replaced by Lovie Smith before the 2004 season. It was a trying time for Gage and the rest of the Bears young receivers.

“It wasn’t directly the (head) coaching change,” Gage said. “It was the fact that we had a new offensive coordinator and a new coaching staff all around. We were running a different offense and it really affected me and my playing time.”

Under new offensive coordinator Terry Shea, the Bears attempted to run an offense similar to the Kansas City Chiefs. They tried to throw short-yardage passes and allow the receivers to run after the catch. Gage is a receiver who likes to stretch the field and attempt to out-run or out-jump the defender for a big catch.

It also didn’t help that starting quarterback Rex Grossman was lost for the season in the Bears’ third game. The loss threw the Bears quarterback situation into a state of turmoil. The team had more quarterbacks for the rest of the season than a department store has employees during the holidays.

Jonathan Quinn, Craig Krenzel and Chad Hutchinson each got an opportunity to prove themselves, and failed as did nine-year starter Jeff George, who was signed midseason despite not playing in nearly three seasons.

The Bears had more problems at quarterback than Randy Moss had with the media.

“It had an effect on everyone, the passing game and the timing,” Drake said. “It was especially harder on the younger guys, but it was a growing experience. Many times we were out of sync, but we’ll be better for it. Our receivers are going to be eager to get back and show that they are a formidable group in the league.”

With the Bears offense struggling to outscore its defense, the front office wasted little time changing the direction of the offense yet again. After the 2004 season, Shea was fired and replaced with former University of Illinois head coach Ron Turner.

From his first day on the job, Turner liked Gage and said he would like to get Gage, 24, more involved.

“Things have been going really good with (Turner),” Gage said. “We are just starting to put the offense in. I’m excited because we’re going to put a lot of points up. Just getting going and being on the field again has been great.”

The addition of wide receiver Mushin Muhammad from the Carolina Panthers will also be beneficial. Muhammad is the clear No. 1 after signing a six-year, $30 million contract. Muhammad has been in the league for 10 years. Last season, he caught 93 passes for 1,405 yards and 16 touchdowns.

“He’s going to help a lot,” Gage said. “He has so much experience, he’s been to the Pro Bowl and he’s played in championship games. He’s like a coach for all of our young receivers. He teaches us our roles and the little things we can do to run better routes. He’s a good role model and that’s good for the team because we need players like him to get better.”

Reports by Larry Mayer on chicagobears.com have Gage penciled in as the No. 2 receiver opposite Muhammad. But with speedy receivers Bernard Berrian and Eddie Berlin, as well as draft picks Mark Bradley (Oklahoma) and Airese Currie (Clemson), Gage is not a lock to sprint out of the tunnel during starting lineup introductions when the Bears open their season in Washington on Sept. 11.

“He has good size and the ability in the red zone to go up and catch the football,” Drake said. “He has good hands and goes over the middle well. He also jumps well and runs fairly well.”

Drake, who coached Pittsburgh Steelers Pro Bowl receiver Hines Ward at Georgia and Detroit Lions receiver Roy Williams at Texas, recommended that Gage hit the weight room in the offseason. Gage took his advice to heart.

“I started (the offseason) by relaxing and then I hit the weight room hard,” Gage said. “Towards the end, I started running routes and catching balls. Anything I could do to stay in shape.”

After playing for one of the worst receiving corps in the NFL in 2004, Gage is eager to prove himself. With an offensive system that he fits into under Turner and a true No. 1 receiver in Muhammad, Gage is optimistic that the Bears receivers “could be one of the best groups in the league.”

“I want to catch more balls, score more points and run more crisp and clear routes,” Gage said. “I really just want to be able to put my team in a position to win.”