great job Marc !
Chicago Bears' Marc Mariani finally receives offensive spotlight after 6-year wait
His 6 catches for 80 yards led the Bears in season finale, but how much will they matter for his future here?
CHICAGO – Week 17 isn’t a time for moral victories or confidence-boosters for teams finishing in last place of the division.
But it might be a time for a Marc Mariani story, which on Sunday got close enough.
With the receiving corps finally at its peak of injuries to where even the tight ends were down to starting a midseason acquisition, the Bears' return specialist received the offensive spotlight for the first time in his career.
And that, he said, was something to be proud of.
In a game missing Eddie Royal and Zach Miller in addition to the usual cast of banged-up pass-catchers, Mariani became the most targeted man on the Bears as well as their leading receiver. His eight targets, six catches and 80 yards easily were career highs.
Of course, they didn’t net a victory in a 24-20 loss to the Lions, not that a win would have salvaged a losing season anyhow. But it certainly meant something to a career return specialist from Montana who has been begging to become something more.
“I’ve been getting ready and working like I was the guy, waiting for my number to get called,” said Mariani, who entered the season with 24 career receiving yards before adding 300 this year. “It was a lot of work and time and preparation to get to that point where they called my number this year, and it was really gratifying for me to be able to go out there and try to run with it. I played a lot of snaps, and it was a great season, personally.”
His impact performance as a receiver came in his 54th career game, but how much will it matter to a Bears organization that has been a place of rapid change over the past two seasons? That's the question he admitted he can’t answer now, but Sunday certainly made him hungry.
He has spent two years in Chicago under different regimes – last season on a 5-11 team, this season on a 6-10 one. He said they’ve felt different. Many players did after Sunday’s loss, relating even a last-place season to a foundation to build on under coach John Fox.
Mariani is hungry to be a part of it.
“I love this group,” he said. “This is my sixth year now wrapping up, and I haven’t been around any locker rooms like this, man. I love this team and I love this organization. It meant a lot to me to be out there and to be put in a situation to make plays and help us win.”
