Jake Moody was elevated from the practice squad Monday afternoon and hours later, kicked the game-winning 38-yard field goal in the Bears' primetime victory over the Commanders. Learn more about the third-year pro as he talks with ChicagoBears.com about how many text messages he had after the game, Caleb Williams' latest Instagram post, his connection to the Bears through the Madden video games and more.
Do you remember your first game-winning kick?
I don't think it was until my fifth year in college. It was against Illinois, and it still wasn't a buzzer beater-kind of kick. There was maybe 10 seconds left. So it was essentially the game winner. But yeah, haven't really had too many throughout my career, which is kind of weird. But I'll take as many as I can get now.
How many messages did you have Tuesday morning?
I was trying to fire off as many quick responses as I could, just saying, 'Thanks.' 'Thank you.' I think it got up to the point where it was 200 the night of. I cleared all those ones, but then woke up to another, probably, 150.
What was your 'welcome to the NFL' moment?
Most people say the first time they hit a player. For me, though, I've only taken one hit, and I got pretty seriously injured from it, so I'd say that was probably my 'welcome to the NFL' moment as well. Guys are a lot bigger, a lot stronger, a lot faster, so hopefully that won't have to happen again.
Did you have an 'I made it to the NFL' moment?
Honestly, sitting at home, I think it was 11:30 at night, getting drafted. That's kind of when I realized, 'oh my gosh, I'm in the NFL now, this is awesome. I've worked my entire life for this.' I was just sitting at home watching the draft, wasn't really expecting to get picked on Day 2, so I played a little prank on my parents. I had my girlfriend call my phone because I left the ringer on, just in case. My phone started ringing and my parents started losing their minds. I think it was early in the third round when we did that. I showed them the phone, and they were like, 'oh, my gosh, screw you.'
But then, 20 minutes later, it actually rang, and they thought we were joking around again. They were like, 'stop doing that.' And I'm like, 'no, this is real, look at the phone.' The location said San Jose and the Niners had a pick coming up, so I was like, 'oh my gosh, this is actually real.'
What has your relationship with Cairo Santos been since you've been with the Bears?
Cairo's been awesome. Prior to me knowing that I was going in, we had this cool relationship where I could try to help him in any way that I could when he was playing, and then when it came time for me to play, he switched it to he was gonna help me out in whatever way he could, so it's been a great relationship. He's a great guy to learn from — 12-year vet, been here six or seven years now. I wouldn't have it any other way. And Monday, specifically, he was telling me about the stadium and pregame routines, what to just be ready for. He was willing to do whatever to help out, like he ran into the locker room to get me a new pair of socks, because it was wet out. Just being a great teammate. It was awesome having him there.
You played college football at Michigan. What's your favorite Big Ten memory?
Winning against Ohio State after a long drought against them and kind of shifting the rivalry and the culture of Michigan football. That game was awesome. There was some snow coming down and we absolutely kicked their butts. It was out of a movie, just seeing all the snow coming down, seeing all the sad Ohio State fans and players leaving the field. It was like a dream come true. It was pretty sweet.
You overlapped with Colston Loveland for a year. What was he like as a freshman?
He's the same guy. He hasn't changed. He has a little bit more quiet, mellow kind of personality. Sometimes freshmen can come into a building thinking they're the coolest people in the world coming out of high school and get a little reality check. But Colston's always been humble, always been a great team player, and hasn't really changed much, honestly, which is a good thing.
Who got you interested in football growing up?
I wasn't really in a football household. We were more of a baseball family. No one in my family really played football. My grandpa did in high school a little bit, but that was about it. So I grew up playing baseball and soccer and basketball.
Didn't really love soccer, so decided to try football out, because that's what most of my buddies did. Had a kicking tryout the first day. Being the soccer player, I kind of knew what I was doing, and then from there, the love for the game grew.
Who were your sports idols growing up?
Being from Detroit, I watched the Lions. And being a kicker, Matt Prater was the guy I looked up to, and before him was Jason Hanson. But I will say, I did play a lot of Madden '07 on the GameCube when I was growing up, and my go-to team was always the Bears. I loved playing with them and Robbie Gould was the kicker in that game. The Bears were one of the better teams in the game. It's just funny thinking back. Like, I don't know why I chose the Bears over all the other teams, but I'm glad I did. It's kind of cool now to come full circle and actually play for the Bears.
Do you have any pregame rituals or superstitions?
I used to be very superstitious. This year, I'm making a conscious effort to not be so uptight. It used to be like, I'd wake up at the same time, I would eat the exact same breakfast before a game, I would get to the stadium at the exact same time, do the exact same kicks and pregame warm ups. But this year, I kind of decided to just treat it as any normal practice, any normal day, just go out there, have fun. Just kind of enjoy the moment, not too focused on, 'Oh, my gosh, if I don't eat three pieces of bacon, I'm gonna freak out.'
What was the breakfast?
It was scrambled eggs, some berries, hash browns and bacon.
So what'd you eat Monday morning?
Monday morning, I did have that exact breakfast. But not consciously, though. I didn't stress out over it. It's just what looked the best, I guess.
What's a gameday essential for you?
Again, I used to listen to a lot of music to pump myself up, but then I realized I'm a kicker. I don't really need to get ready to hit people or go to war necessarily. Now, I just kind of chill, don't really listen to music. I recently started watching TV shows on away trips and sitting in the hotel the night before a game. So I'd say downloading some movies or TV shows is kind of essential, just to kind of take my mind off football and give me something to do in the hotel.
What did you watch this trip?
I actually started Breaking Bad. I had never seen it. From what I've heard, it's like the greatest show of all time. I'm already almost through Season 2. I'm hooked.
You played high school baseball as well. Who's your MLB comp?
I'd say Anthony Rizzo, because I hit left-handed. I think his overall demeanor was kind of similar to how I was when I played. Just always having a good time.
What's a random fact about you that we can't find online?
I once bought a harmonica from Cracker Barrel, and learned how to play 'Piano Man' on it. A more normal kind of fun fact is I'm a big golfer. I'm on the road to being a scratch golfer, hopefully.
Is that how you and Tory Taylor have bonded?
Yeah, but Tory's not quite as good. But he's solid. We did golf together once last week during the little extra time off for the bye week.
Did you beat him?
Oh, yeah. I beat him by, like, 8 strokes, I think. Yeah, not even close.
Who inspires you the most?
I'd say my parents. They always have a good attitude, no matter what, even if me or my sister were kind of making them mad. They're always there for us no matter what. They're always working hard, taught me every value that I have in life. So, I would say my parents. They're like the coolest people in the world.
Any comment on Caleb's IG post?
Oh, God. That picture's gonna haunt me forever. That was against Illinois. It was freezing cold. I put on the little Buzz Lightyear thing, and kind of forgot I was wearing it. I was walking around with my face smushed inside of it, and I looked like such an idiot. I guess it makes for a funny picture, but I was very surprised to open Instagram and see that, and then see what account posted it. I was like, 'Oh, my God.'
