Yahoo Sports’ Jori Epstein chats with Bears rookie WR Rome Odunze about the unique bond he’s forming with quarterback Caleb Williams as they navigate their first NFL season together, and how they plan to make an impact on the field. Rome joined Yahoo Sports on behalf of Levy.
Joining us on behalf of levy, the food beverage and hospitality partner of the Chicago Bears is Bears rookie wide receiver Roma newly minted hot dog expert Rome, you’re starring in the hospitality leaders, New Hungry For football campaign taking reps as a soldier field hot dog vendor.
And my most important question for you is we met at training camp a few weeks ago.
It was lunchtime.
Why did you not bring us hot dogs?
I don’t know if they had hot dogs there.
You know, I don’t always got them on me.
I’m not always on the clock now.
I’m not always on the clock, but uh we’ll, we’ll, we’ll get you one so here soon.
Well, we’ll get back to hot dogs in a minute, but I just want to talk because I think your draft position is so fascinating.
I’ve seen in my career when a quarterback and receiver, really any pass catcher come to a team at the same time, there’s often a unique type of chemistry.
So take me through what it’s been like starting at the Bears with Caleb Williams at the same time.
It’s been awesome.
You know, we need to be able to learn, you know, alongside him.
I think it’s a very unique opportunity, you know, you don’t always come in with, you know, that you’re your starting quarterback.
So, um, something that we’ve taken, you know, full advantage of, you know, continue to build chemistry with and, you know, it’s awesome, you know, hanging out with him, you know, on and off the field.
So he’s a great guy.
So it’s, it’s something that’s been, you know, special and something I’m super grateful to be a part of y’all face the Titans first, but a whole bunch of defensive coaches right now are kind of racking their brains saying how are we going to stop Romo?
Dose DJ Moore and Keenan Allen at the same time, give me the Romo report on what each of the three of you are going to look like in this offense and how teams can stop you or can they, we all have the skill set to do so many different things on the field.
You can kind of place us in any different position to catch the ball.
You know, of course, Keenan is super shifty, you know, he’s hard to, you know, be able to contain on any sort of, you know, intermediate medium or, you know, crossing routes and stuff like that and he can take off the defense still, you know, to this day with, with his age, which is impressive and DJ, you know, he has, you know, a complete route tree and is very physical and also someone, you know, him and keen and people that are, are tough to take down.
So, you know, I think I, you know, hopefully emulate some of those traits that they, they bring as well.
So, um, I don’t think, I don’t think it’s gonna be possible to stop us, you know, just hopefully, you know, minimize some of the damage.
What’s a moment in camp that either DJ or Keenan has taught you something, teaching me about uh leverage.
You know, it’s like an inbreaking route or an outbreak route depending on where my defender is, uh is positioned.
Um, just trying to set him up, you know, to get in position to, to make that, uh make that play because, um, that’s something that’s super important.
You know, the windows are very small in this league.
I think that’s something that they’ve definitely taught me for sure.
Tell us about your campaign with Levy’s.
Yeah.
So me and Levy, you know, teamed up ever since I’ve been drafted, you know, people have been asking me about the Chicago food scene, whether it’s the hot dogs or, you know, the Italian beef pizza, all those different things.
So, you know, I got to partner with them, got to fill my commercial with them with me doing my hot dog call, got to create my own dog.
The Odunze dog which is going to be served at games.
How many different ways.
Can you now yell hot dog and how many different ways did you yell hot dog in the recording of this campaign?
Hot dogs?
Get your hot dogs here, dude.
I mean, I only did it a few times.
I think you kinda gotta get your signature call and, you know, kind of run with it.
