The Chicago Bears came up short 35-32 on Sunday against the Miami Dolphins. There were many people to blame for that loss. Justin Fields wasn’t one of them. The young quarterback was the primary reason they were in the game at all. His 301 total yards of offense and four touchdowns (3 passing and one rushing) marked the best performance of his young career. Everything stood out, from his arm strength to his accuracy, intelligence, and of course, speed. Yet arguably, his most crucial trait went overlooked.
His leadership.
Simply being a tremendous talent at quarterback is one thing. It’s important to be sure. However, what often separates the good ones from the rest is their ability to handle their teammates. Can he get the guys around him to play hard? Fields has done a great job of that all year, and two big examples surfaced on Sunday demonstrating why.
The first came in the 1st quarter. Fields fired a swing pass to Chase Claypool, the Bears’ recent trade acquisition. The play was set up perfectly for him to get some nice yards. Unfortunately, Claypool dropped it. Some quarterbacks would get frustrated seeing that and look elsewhere on the next play. Not Fields. He went right back to Claypool on 2nd down, who took the ball 12 yards to get the first.
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That is a great way to build trust with somebody.
Fields wasn’t finished. His best moment came in the game’s final minutes. Chicago faced 4th and 10 with 1:29 left. Fields got the snap and scrambled to his right. He fired a perfect pass to Equanimeous St. Brown, who was wide open. Rather than make a big conversion, the ball went right through his hands. It would’ve been easy for Justin to shun the receiver after such a blown opportunity. Instead, the QB was spotted patting St. Brown on the back on the sideline.
Justin Fields owns that locker room now.
Listen to the way teammates talk about him. Lots of gushing. They love the guy, and it’s not only because of his talent. They believe in Fields. It is evident both in what they say and how they perform on Sundays. Everybody is giving extra effort. Guys are finishing plays and never quit, even when the team is trailing on the scoreboard. That is because they believe their quarterback will give them a chance to win. The past month has proven he is capable of doing this.
Justin Fields has set the standard all year. He’s endured a hellacious beating from opposing defenses and keeps getting up. He works tirelessly on his craft, mastering the position a little more each week. To top it off, he’s maintained a high standard in the media, stating his only goal was, is, and will always be winning football games.
Stats don’t matter. That is exactly what players want to hear.
The Bears aren’t yet ready to achieve those goals. They have weaknesses on the roster that need addressing. Still, Fields’ ascent should accelerate the timetable in returning to relevance. Everything fans hoped for might finally be happening.
This is so exciting. Those who knew Fields tried to tell everyone how special he is in literally every way and now the whole world is seeing it. Great days ahead!
You can catch more flies with a teaspoon of sugar than you will with a gallon of vinegar. That old saying is true in a lot of areas. None more so than building trust with people. Be kind and understanding, it will get you further in life. It looks like Fields understands this concept.
Fields showing appreciation for his receivers, even after a dropped pass, will only make them want to do more, practice harder, concentrate and focus‼️
It’s gonna pay off‼️