September 20th, 2023, will be remembered as one of the wildest in Chicago Bears history, and none of it took place on the actual football field. The day began with head coach Matt Eberflus declaring left tackle Braxton Jones had a neck injury. Then it ended with defensive coordinator Alan Williams abruptly resigning due to “health and family reasons.” That entire situation feels odd. The Bears’ ongoing silence on the matter speaks volumes that something else is going on. Yet even that couldn’t overshadow what happened with Justin Fields barely an hour before the resignation became official.
The quarterback went in front of the media at his weekly press conference and fired off by far the most explosive interview of his career. He admitted to playing too robotic in the loss to Tampa Bay. When asked what could be the cause of this issue, Fields undeniably said the word.
“Coaching.”
It was a stunning moment. Fields had never been known for saying anything remotely controversial like that, which meant his frustration with offensive coordinator Luke Getsy and the Bears staff must be high. However, he clearly knew he’d messed up based on his decision to bring the media back together in the locker room to walk back the comments.
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Justin Fields isn’t stupid. He said what he said for a reason.
While he may not have intended to make those thoughts public, they’re out there now. It’s clear he isn’t happy with how the offense has performed the past two weeks. The Bears are 0-2. Fields is now 5-22 as a starter. He undeniably knows his job status is in jeopardy. When that reality sinks in, it’s natural for a player to go into survival mode. One way to do that is by calling out the coaching. Bears fans should know the signs. After all, they’ve seen them before. Mitch Trubisky did the same to Matt Nagy.
It started in late 2019 after a loss to Green Bay when the former quarterback called out the game plan for not doing enough to help the offensive line.
That heat never really died down after that. Trubisky slammed Nagy again at the end of the 2020 season, calling out the locker room culture the former coach had fostered.
“There’s a lot of things we need to do better. A lot of things we need to change. And a lot of it is the culture and what we accept and what we don’t.”
By that point, Trubisky knew his status with the team had shifted. Eyes were already looking towards a change at quarterback. Calling out the coaching was his only means of self-defense. Justin Fields is doing the same thing. Faith in his ability to develop as a passer has eroded to dangerous levels. He’s accusing the offense of being too constricting, not letting him play free. Trubisky said the same stuff. It is remarkable how similar the trajectories of those two quarterbacks have ended up being.
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Everything is all butterflies and rainbows. Is this comment going to not get approval as well?