Chicago Bears NFL Draft: James Morgan is built for the Bears

Q&A with James Morgan

DaWindyCity (DWC): James, thank you so much for taking out some time to chat with us tonight — we really appreciate it.

James Morgan (JM): Yeah no problem.

DWC: At the NFL Combine you gave some advice to young kids and basically said don’t get discouraged if things don’t work out the way you planned and that sometimes you end up on the path that is best for you. At what point did you have that realization that you were on the right path?

JM: It was pretty crazy because it happened in high school and then once again when I transferred. I wanted to go power-5 coming out of high school. I felt like I had that talent but was overlooked by a lot of schools so it was a bit of a disappointment for me. Then I got to Bowling Green and started thinking about it and we had some success, and I was like ‘yeah, I could have gone to a power-5 [school] but if I wasn’t their guy, I wouldn’t have gotten this kind of playing time.’ So it was a better fit for me. But I still had that chip on my shoulder and wanted to try to prove people wrong.

Then going to FIU, it was the same type of thing where I didn’t expect things to play out that way but in hindsight, it worked out very well for me. I was fortunate it did because some of the lessons I learned at Bowling Green helped me develop some resiliency when I was at FIU. It’s crazy how in the end it worked out for a reason. Just because you feel like you may not be in the right situation at the time, you keep working and persevering and things will work out the way they’re supposed to.

DWC: I saw recently where you had to videotape your own Pro Day and send it out to teams because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Do you see any parallels between this process and back when you were sending out a mass email to coaches after leaving Bowling Green? Does it feel like things have kind of come full-circle?

JM: Yeah it totally has man. It even goes back to high school, you know, not getting recruited much, then transferring in college. It’s something you definitely don’t anticipate, but then you’re in the same spot sending out videos to teams. But we don’t really know what’s going to happen, so I’ve been trying to find ways to make it work. A lot of gyms and fields are closed, but you have to find ways to get better despite these circumstances. So I’m just controlling what I can control, but it’s definitely a little bizarre how it’s kind of come full circle like you mentioned.

DWC: So talk to me a little bit about what you’re doing to stay sharp in these difficult times.

JM: I’ve really just been trying to get in whatever I can. I’ve been doing a lot of football IQ stuff. I think it’s a great time to do that. In terms of workouts, I’m doing a lot of stuff around the house. I’ve done some footwork drills in the street, or workouts in the garage. I know where I want to be, so as long as I’m maintaining that, I’m happy with my progress. Circumstances have changed, but I’m finding a way to get it done and monitor my progress to make sure I’m where I want to be.

DWC: You were having a great pre-draft process. You had really good performances at both the East-West Shrine Bowl and the NFL Combine. Talk to me a little bit about those experiences.

JM: They were both great opportunities for me. I was pretty thankful to have the chance to showcase my skills for NFL teams. I think they both played off of one another. You have the same kind of interview format at both so I had some familiarity with it and had some idea what to expect when I got to the Combine. And then just trying to control what I could and compete. As a small-school guy to go out there and compete against some great competition — that was kind of my goal and I felt pretty good about both of those experiences.

DWC: One of the things scouts noted about your Shrine Bowl performance was your ability to develop a rapport so quickly with your receivers. How were you able to do that?

JM: Well we had some great receivers at the Shrine Bowl. But a big component of that is knowing where to go with the football. For instance, you can throw a receiver to open space based on a play so that helped out a lot. I feel very confident in my arm and being able to make throws and adjust quickly. I think it will be a pretty valuable skill come training camp to learn and execute the install plays we get right away.

DWC: Let’s talk about your ability to read defenses, process information, and coverages. You started off in an air-raid system at Bowling Green before moving to a pro-style offense at FIU. How has that helped you in terms of your ability to process information?

JM: The difference in the system and having to learn it, really, three times: when I got to Bowling Green, when the new coaches came, and when I went to FIU. I think that perspective has helped me in my ability to learn quickly, and see things from different points of view, as well as understanding where to attack a defense and what the offensive concepts are trying to do. It’s interesting, a lot of offenses use the same concepts but with different terminology and a different spin on it and it was cool to identify that as the offenses changed. And the pro-style offense at FIU was one that really fit me. It was very detail-oriented and I enjoyed getting into the super nitty-gritty of it — the depths, yardages, read-progressions, hot protections, all that stuff — it really appealed to me. So I would definitely say my progression in learning different offenses will definitely help me at the next level.

DWC: When it comes to a quarterback getting better at reading coverages, which is more important: watching tape or repetitions? Or are they weighted equally?

JM: For me, it was always a three-pronged approach. First, it was drawing up the new plays that we had on a week to week basis based on the defenses the opponents were most likely to show. And then it was watching the film. Then finally, it was walking through, and part of that obviously is getting actual reps, but at the same time, getting mental reps, which I think are also very valuable. You can go through the repetition in your mind and can solidify those neural connections that help make the read quick, or second-nature on gameday. So I used that approach of combining them together and that’s the easiest way I learn.

DWC: So the Bears offense runs a fair amount of RPOs. How much experience do you have running RPOs?

JM: I’ve had a lot of experience with it. We ran a lot of it in my first two years, and we ran it a little bit at FIU. It goes back a little bit to what you were talking about and looking at the different offenses and how they run the RPO. I think there are definitely differences between the spread and pro-style. And I think that will give me some flexibility to run different offenses in the NFL.

DWC: So you played high school football within walking distance of Lambeau Field. Have you given any thought to what it would be like playing for the Chicago Bears and walking into Lambeau as a visiting player?

JM: Yeah I think the perspective change is kind of interesting to me, you know, going from being a fan to more of a peer. But in reality, any team that takes a chance on me I’m going to give it 100 percent to do whatever I can to help them win games. I have a lot of familiarity with that rivalry, but I’m just trying to go to the best situation I can and do whatever I can to help that team win games.

DWC: I saw you had the chance to meet with the Bears at the Shrine Bowl. How did that go?

JM: Yeah I had a good feeling with them. I met with them at both the Shrine and Combine. Yeah, I got a good feel and had a good interview, so we’ll kind of see where things go.

DWC: What are a couple of things you think separate you from other quarterbacks in this draft?

JM: I think physically, my arm strength is up there with all of them. I think if you look at my tape you can see how that arm strength translates into great anticipation and accuracy. I’m able to put the ball in places not a lot of guys are able to. I also think my biggest distinguishing quality is I’m going to work harder than anybody. That’s something I’ve always done. I just love doing it and the love of the game drives me, and that’s why I do it and put everything into it. So I’m prepared to bring that mentality to any team that selects me, and I think that is something else that sets me apart.

DWC: Every article I’ve read about you emphasizes your leadership and intangibles. Talk to me a little bit about what you would bring to a team in that regard.

JM: Leadership is one of the biggest things a quarterback can bring to a team, and that’s not something that’s given, it’s something that has to be earned. And I have a lot of experience going into a new situation and having to establish yourself and work to earn your teammates’ respect. I feel very confident in that department and can make a positive impact on an organization. That’ll only come with hard work and earning respect and that’s something I aim to do. Outside of football, I would very much like to be known for community service and impacting the community. As an NFL player you have a lot of focus on you and giving back is extremely important, so that is something else I’d really like to do.

DWC: If you were in a room with all 32 NFL general managers before the draft, what would you want them to know?

JM: I’d want them to know I’m the hardest worker here and I am going to do everything I can for the team. I’ll do anything to help you win because I love the game. I’m going to give you everything I have in whatever capacity that may be. Picking me would be a smart pick and one that would be very beneficial for the organization.

DWC: What are some of your other interests off the field?

JM: I’m not really a big video game guy. I watch a lot of movies. My favorite movie is Inception, by Christopher Nolan. So if I’m not playing football, you can probably catch me hanging out with my teammates or watching movies.

DWC: Are you binge-watching anything good right now?

JM: I’m not. I’ve been keeping myself busy with workouts and football stuff, but my girlfriend is re-watching Game of Thrones and I love that show, so going back through it again, you pick out some of the little details.

DWC: Listen, James thank you again for taking the time to chat with us — we really appreciate it.

JM: Yeah man, I really appreciate you having me on.

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