It isn’t hard to find opinions on Justin Fields these days. Everybody in the media and the fanbase has one. Most of them anywhere close to the Chicago Bears have certainly been positive lately. What matters though is the situation at Halas Hall itself. What are the quarterback’s teammates and coaches saying about him? If he can’t get them to buy in, then nothing else matters.
Adam Jahns of The Athletic had a chance to speak with several players who have spent the most time with the rookie during training camp and the preseason. Players on the second Bears offense who ran drills with him and play the majority of game snaps too. In these situations, it is often easy to tell if a guy is being genuine with his words or if he’s just being nice about a young player.
Make no mistake. These guys were only too happy to sing the praises of Justin Fields.
Adam Redmond (C)
“It’s just something about him and the way he approaches the game, his confidence. He’s not going to back down from challenges. He’s going to be ready for his opportunities.
“And that definitely radiates through an offense. You kind of feel that spark. I mean, we felt it in the huddle these last few weeks. Just his confidence. Everyone kind of feeds off that.”
Redmond has bounced around the league since 2016. In that time, he’s had a chance to share the huddle with some pretty good quarterbacks. Andrew Luck in Indianapolis, Josh Allen in Buffalo, and Dak Prescott in Dallas. So these sorts of words are significant given what he’s encountered.
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Dieter Eiselen (OG)
“He cares about us,” Eiselen said. “He cares about winning. You can feel that that’s what he wants. He’s striving to be the best. He obviously knows the position that he’s in. He just wants to take advantage of that. The way that he’s treated us is great.”
One of the things that have stood out with Fields is his active leadership. He never wastes an opportunity to discuss situations with receivers or offensive linemen after plays. He never yells at them but explains what he wanted and how to get it corrected the next time. This is likely why he rarely makes the same mistake twice.
Chris Lacy (WR)
“Some quarterbacks you see that are older and have much more experience can’t even make some of the throws that he’s made. So the first few weeks we were here, I knew it. I’ve seen him make some throws. I’m like, ‘Oh, he’s going to be special.’”
Lacy has been around the NFL too. He spent an offseason with Tom Brady in New England. Then two years with Matthew Stafford in Detroit and like Redmond had some time with Prescott in Dallas. This receiver caught passes from all of them. For him to say things like this? It cannot be ignored.
Justin Fields isn’t operating like a normal rookie
Guys his age aren’t supposed to command other players like this. Especially players who are almost universally older and more experienced than he is. That speaks to Fields’ unusual maturity, natural leadership, and intelligence. It is something he takes quite seriously. As much as he cares about the Xs and Os, winning the hearts of the guys in that huddle will determine how successful he, and by extension, the Bears will be.
These are undoubtedly things head coach Matt Nagy loves to hear. Things he probably knew a lot about even before Justin Fields was drafted. He’s good friends with Ohio State coach Ryan Day. So he was already hearing the stories as early as last year. It is little wonder he was so anxious to get the quarterback despite all the obstacles standing in the way.
His celebration when the trade went through said it all.
Nagy knew the Bears had just done something big. Landed a player with the potential to be a franchise-changer. Somebody who if nurtured properly could become a superstar in this league. This is why the team is fine with taking things slow, even if Fields looks like he can play right now. They know he is the type of player who will prepare like crazy. When his time comes, the results should be beautiful.
