Justin Fields walked into a difficult situation with the Chicago Bears. While on paper it seemed like he might have a favorable setup to immediately win, the reality was different. He inherited an overmatched coaching staff led by Matt Nagy, a below-average offensive line, and a receiving corps that lacked any true difference-makers. What followed is a difficult rookie year that involved lots of hits, poor stats, and frustrating losses.
Now Fields is trying to recover from cracked ribs. It would be so easy for him to voice frustrations either publicly or behind closed doors. Yet by all accounts that hasn’t been the case. He has absorbed the punishment with his trademark toughness and continued to work hard. It appears this approach has caught the eye of Bears ownership who, according to Jeff Hughes of Da Bears Blog, have become major believers in Fields.
The jury is out on Justin Fields, and will remain out for the next season or so. But the Bears, and more specifically the folks who own the Bears, have been wildly impressed with the young signal caller – on and off the field – and believe the organization may have finally solved it’s most definitive, idiosyncratic dilemma. Said an individual close to ownership, “They know the situation is not ideal but he’s handling it with class.”
When a player gets the stamp of approval from ownership, it’s a big deal.
This is why momentum is building inside the organization to make changes. Matt Nagy is all but gone at this point. Both due to the losing season and also his failure to both protect Fields and help him excel. The bigger question to answer is Ryan Pace. He is the one who pulled off the big trade to secure the quarterback. He also did some good work with the previous 2020 draft. If Fields finishes strong and perhaps other rookies stand out, that might be enough to save his job.
The McCaskeys know a change is coming at head coach. What they need to figure out is an answer to the bigger question. Is Pace qualified to build around Fields? His offenses to this point have failed to place higher than 15th in total yards since 2015, with most of them finishing in the 20s or 30s. That doesn’t instill you with a lot of confidence he can get the job done. So perhaps a new GM is warranted as well.
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Bears know Justin Fields must take priority moving forward
While the success of the entire team is mandatory, the reality of today’s NFL is everything starts with the quarterback position. A lesson the McCaskeys have been slow to learn. Twice now they’ve watched previous regimes grab their QB of the future only to mismanage the situation around them. Jerry Angelo made the bold trade for Jay Cutler in 2009. Then surrounded him with weapons like Devin Hester, Earl Bennett, and Roy Williams while Lovie Smith gave him three different offensive coordinators.
Pace traded up for Mitch Trubisky in 2017. Then promptly threw the majority of the team’s money and draft resources into the defense with the Khalil Mack trade, selection of Roquan Smith, and blockbuster contracts for Eddie Jackson and Robert Quinn. Not to mention hiring the wrong offensive specialist in Nagy. No doubt ownership is hoping to avoid those missteps with Justin Fields.
They want to make him a success.
That in turn would make the Bears a success. It starts with them. They have to get the GM and head coach decisions right. Some McCaskey hasn’t been able to do since taking over in 2011. The presence of Fields makes this upcoming decision in January positively huge. If he gets it right, the organization could be poised for a decade of success in the coming years.
