Justin Fields should be terrified. At least that is how some Chicago Bears think, given the situation around him. His wide receiver group stinks. The offensive line can’t block. His coaches are conservative idiots. The list goes on. Yet the young quarterback has continued to express a calm reassurance that things will work out in time. He firmly believes that hard work and dedication inevitably produce the desired results. It’s hard to argue with him at this point. After starting 2022 with an ugly first month, he’s played at a near Pro Bowl level since October.
What makes this crazy is he’s done it despite a less-than-ideal situation around him. His offensive supporting cast was light on talent, to begin with. Injuries have taken an even greater toll since then, with Lucas Patrick, Khalil Herbert, and Darnell Mooney all landing on Injured Reserve. That doesn’t seem to have dampened Fields’ spirits. He is coming off the best overall performance of the season against Green Bay. With two weeks of rest to heal his body, he sounded eager for the opportunity to test his mettle against the juggernaut Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.
“I’m excited. I’m excited to see what we can do as a team. They’re labeled as one of the best teams in the league. So any chance you get to go up against a team like this — or the Buffalo Bills next week — it’s awesome. Just to see what we can do now and to see where we are right now. And of course we’re going to go in there swinging.”
Fields sounds like a true competitor.
Guys like that don’t run from a challenge. They embrace it. They want to see how good they can get. That can’t be accomplished without facing the best. When asked where his rising confidence comes from, the quarterback insisted it was always that high. Most of the optimism stems from how far the rest of the offense has come.
“I don’t know if the level of confidence has changed. I just think that we’ve gotten better, if I’m being totally honest with you. I feel like we’ve progressed. Coaches have done a really great job of coaching us up. And we’ve listened to them and just kept working.”
Justin Fields’ confidence is contagious.
Rest assured, the Bears’ offense would not be having anything close to the success they’ve had without his presence. Much of that is thanks to his otherworldly athletic talents. However, one should not underestimate the sense of purpose and belief he brings to the huddle. Guys speak glowingly of his leadership. It shows in how hard they play each week. The problem with this offense isn’t effort. Everybody plays hard. This is a simple case of talent. Chicago doesn’t have enough. Fields is the only one that can truly be called star-caliber right now.
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GM Ryan Poles must work to change that if this team is going to start slugging with the big boys like Philadelphia and Buffalo. Until then, Justin Fields will remain focused on establishing the necessary mindset. He wants everybody in that locker room to think they have a chance to score on any team they play. Don’t let the media hype affect your thinking. Good things will happen if you believe in the coaches and do your job. It’s another reminder of how lucky the Bears were to land him.
I wouldn’t say any of the coaches are idiots, but Alan Williams needs to dial up more blitzes to make up for our weak pass rush. It wouldn’t hurt if Getsy learned how to call the last two minutes of a half either.
I think that first paragraph was supposed to indicate that those thoughts are what some Chicago Bears fans have; however, it wasn’t written the best and makes it sound like those are Erik’s thoughts. I don’t want to speak for Erik but that’s my guess.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone flip flop so much. And with some of the political leaders we’ve had that’s saying something. An article the other day was pretty much calling Braxton Jones an All Pro and now our line can’t block anybody. The coaches are now idiots?