Justin Fields comes across as mild-mannered compared to most quarterbacks. Nobody would consider him the fiery type. Nor would anybody say he’s a world-class trash talker. Except those close to him know better. There have been snippets of Fields’ competitiveness caught on film from time to time. He isn’t afraid to deliver some jabs at teammates during practice or implore his team to “beat their a**” during a pre-game speech. Rookie defensive end Dominique Robinson has evidence of this side of his quarterback.
The rookie spoke with Jon Greenberg of The Athletic about what Fields means to the team. His talent has carried the Bears to some competitive games for over a month despite constant struggles from the defense and special teams. Robinson thought he had a clear idea of how gifted the quarterback was. He’d seen it for months in practice. Then a recent encounter a week ago reminded him of how maddening it must be to play him and also how much of a savage Fields can be when he wants to.
“We had a (practice) rep out here — I think it was last week,” Robinson said. “And he caught that corner, and I’m trying to chase him down, and he burnt me so, so bad. He even hit me with the peace sign. I was like, whoa. I see how scary this is.”
Justin Fields being reserved doesn’t mean he’s nice.
The football field can be a nasty place when it comes to trash talk. Some guys are willing to go to ugly lengths to get inside another player’s head. It requires mental toughness to ignore such jibes and often a willingness to give it right back. While Fields may not be a poet with his words, it’s clear he isn’t afraid to rub it in somebody’s face when he knows they can’t do anything about it. That is part of the fun of playing the game. Robinson may not have liked it, but it was a reminder at least that he doesn’t have to play against that.
The New York Jets dodged that bullet too. Justin Fields was declared inactive for the Week 12 game at MetLife Stadium. He still hasn’t recovered from the shoulder injury he suffered last week against Atlanta. It remains likely he will try to return at Soldier Field next Sunday in the rematch against Green Bay. He’d love nothing better than to rub salt in their wounds. Robinson and the rest of the locker room would love every bit of that. Hopefully, fans will catch a glimpse of that Justin at some point.
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Justin is too valuable to risk considering the only value this season has left is securing the best draft position. Let him heal. He will own the Pack starting next season.
Fields is really good, but he can and will improve by playing in more games. It would definitely mean a lot if Fields and this Bears team can beat the Packers.
No earthly reason to allow J Fields to play against GB. Season is now about evaluating rookies and getting them in some game action.