Staley Da Bear
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- Mar 16, 2019
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Robinson is a highly respected team leader who is entering his eighth NFL season and fourth with the Bears. After spending four years with the Jaguars, Robinson signed with the Bears in 2018. The Penn State product has appeared in 45 games over three seasons in Chicago, catching 255 passes for 3,151 yards and 17 touchdowns.
Robinson had 55 receptions for 754 yards and four touchdowns in 2018 and followed with 98 catches for 1,147 yards and seven TDs in 2019. Last season he hauled in a career-high 102 passes for 1,250 yards and six touchdowns. The 102 receptions were the sixth most in the NFL last year and tied for the second most in Bears history.
"I don't think I truly understood the full impact that 'A-Rob' has on the team," said offensive coordinator Bill Lazor, who joined the Bears last season, "until I was here and able to be with him every single day on the practice field and every single day in the meeting room, to watch how Allen Robinson affects his teammates and to watch how Allen inspires his teammates with his knowledge of the game, his work ethic and his professionalism."
Only 23 years old, Mooney possesses those same characteristics. The Bears traded up in the fifth round of last year's draft to select the Tulane product, who emerged as an impact player as a rookie even after all offseason workouts and preseason games were canceled due to COVID-19.
One of the most pleasant surprises for the Bears in 2020, Mooney set a franchise record for most receptions by a rookie wide receiver with 61 while amassing 631 yards and scoring four touchdowns.
"When you turn on the tape—regardless of whether it's a practice or game—you feel his conviction and passion on every play," receivers coach Mike Furrey said in presenting the award to Mooney. "He came in as a rookie, yet his professionalism and leadership by example has influenced those of more established years in the NFL."
Furrey sees similarities between Mooney—an unheralded fifth-round pick—and Piccolo, who was signed by the Bears in 1965 as an undrafted free agent after leading the nation with 111 points and 1,044 yards rushing as a senior at Wake Forest.
"Too often we judge the book by its cover," Furrey said. "We fail to measure one man's heart."
In accepting the Piccolo Award, Mooney credited much of his success to his work ethic.
"Without that, I feel like I wouldn't be in this situation," he said. "I'm very grateful and honored to receive this award."