Hear the insightful advice Rome Odunze gave young aspiring footballers on ‘Hard Knocks’ originally appeared in NBC Sports Chicago
Bears fans know all too well how brilliant and insightful the rookie wide receiver is Roma Odunze.
He’s a ray of positivity, which is why it’s not surprising that he gave two aspiring kids sound advice on how to prepare for game action during practice.
Here are the wise words Odunze shared with the two ninth graders, revealed in the latest episode of “Hard Knocks.”
“The more you prepare, the more you do it and the more you put yourself in that situation, the more you will be ready in a real game situation,” Odunze said. “It’s like what Kobe [Bryant] he said. He said he never took a shot in the game that he hadn’t taken 1,000 times in practice. It’s the same thing in football. You should never catch a ball in the game that hasn’t been caught 1,000 times in practice, or 1,000 times by pitchers, or on a route you’ve never run before.
“It’s just preparation. When you’re doing those things, when you’re doing that hard preparation, tell yourself, ‘Hey, man, I’m here working.’ The guy in front of me, when it comes to game time, he hasn’t done the job I was doing. He wasn’t here facing that heat that summer.
Odunze embodies the type of player that Ryan Poles and Matt Eberflus aim to bring to their roster each season. The Bears have continually preached to the player about talent. And no one fits both better than Odunze.
The rookie receiver showed off his excellent communication skills again in another scene from “Hard Knocks.” After a missed touchdown opportunity between him and Caleb Williams, the two rookies I got on the same page on the sidelines. There, Odunze listened and responded with respect and enthusiasm to Williams.
