Keyshawn Johnson played a long time in the NFL. A three-time Pro Bowl receiver, he experienced the highs and lows of his position. Especially when it comes to playing with different quarterbacks. His early years involved guys like Vinny Testaverde, Neil O’Donnell, and Frank Reich. Then he got Brian Johnson and Drew Bledsoe. Pro Bowlers and Super Bowl champs. So he has a pretty good idea of what the good ones need to have. Based on what he’s seen thus far? Justin Fields has it.
On his radio program Keyshawn, JWill & Max for ESPN, Johnson was asked about how different the Bears have looked and felt since Fields came into the lineup. He made it clear that too many people are overly focused on the statistics. The rookie isn’t putting up huge numbers. Therefore he isn’t playing well. That isn’t true. One must look at the entire picture. From what he’s seen? The energy is just different with Fields. He even had a word to describe it.
“Magic.”
It’s hard to deny that something seemed to shift with the Bears when Fields started playing. Sure, it didn’t start well. That brutal game in Cleveland wasn’t what anybody had in mind. Instead, it feels like what came after is what really started to galvanize the team. Not only did Fields pick himself up from being sacked nine times to play the next week. He actually played really well. Throwing for over 200 yards on just 17 passes and leading the team to a 24-14 win over Detroit.
More than anything, they’ve begun to embody his toughness. Fields has taken a lot of hits already this season. Most quarterbacks probably would’ve missed time from some of them. Not the rookie. He gets checked out, dusts himself off, and heads right back out there. If the QB is displaying that kind of grit and determination, how can anybody else not?
Justin Fields has reset the mentality of the Bears locker room
It’s not about him. It’s not about any specific person. The focus of everybody on that team shouldn’t be to play well. It should be to win. He proved that during his latest press conference. The media attempted to coax more jovial answers out of him with questions about being compared to Aaron Rodgers or how the Bears have struggled in the rivalry with the Green Bay Packers. They got zero out of him.
Once again Justin Fields proved he is all business. Focus only on the stuff that matters. Executing and winning the game. Forget about mistakes. They happen. Worry about the next play. This is one of the reasons he is able to overcome tough stretches so quickly and why he continues to improve at such a rapid pace. He has a one-track mind.
The better he plays, the more converts he’ll gain.
It isn’t easy for a rookie to make believers out of older veterans. That Fields has done so this fast is a testament to his natural charisma and understanding of how to be a good teammate. At the same time, he also understands one thing. He’s the quarterback and he has to make sure everybody knows this is his team now. It appears he has done that.