The Chicago Bears have easily the most dubious quarterback history of any franchise. Sid Luckman is still the best ever to play the position. He retired in 1951. Since then, the team has trotted out an embarrassing number of quarterbacks, most of which haven’t even come close to matching his legacy. Some had success. Bill Wade and Jim McMahon won championships but weren’t the main reasons for them. Erik Kramer had one brilliant season in 1995. Jay Cutler showed flashes but never found consistency. Mitch Trubisky was the wrong pick in 2017. This doesn’t include the litany of awful names that threw passes between those eras. That is the minefield Justin Fields has stepped into.
The Bears hold plenty of blame for this legacy. They don’t exactly have the greatest reputation for building solid foundations for a QB to thrive. Their best wide receiver in franchise history has barely over 5,000 yards. Offensive line play has been average at best over the years. They’ve also failed to find head coaches that understand how to cultivate the offensive side of the ball. Mike Ditka was all about running the football. Lovie Smith ran through four different offensive coordinators. Matt Nagy tried to be an Andy Reid clone.
It would be easy for someone like Fields to be intimidated by that.
Quarterbacks flaming out in Chicago has become a twisted tradition in the NFL. The former 1st round pick got a taste of that last season, getting sacked 36 times in 12 games and throwing more interceptions than touchdowns. Now here he is, starting over in a new offense and trying to overcome a clear talent deficiency around him. How does he handle that kind of pressure? Courtney Cronin asked fields that question of ESPN before the Bears’ preseason matchup in Seattle. His answer was telling.
Justin Fields loves being challenged. It’s in his DNA.
He once said that he prefers to be coached hard. The lessons he has learned in his life have taught him that results only come through hard work. From his perspective, other quarterbacks didn’t succeed in Chicago because they didn’t put in enough time to be great. Whether that is true or not doesn’t matter. To Fields, failing to succeed at something means putting in the extra hours and energy to overcome that challenge.
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The Bears haven’t had a great quarterback in decades. That is fine. It means Justin Fields will get to chart a new path for the franchise. He’ll be the pioneer that ushers in a new era. Nobody can say for sure if he’ll succeed, but his self-confidence appears unshakable. His progress from last season is already evident through two preseason games. He processes faster, makes good decisions, and throws with consistent accuracy.
The fruits of his labor are showing.
Even better, he may have a support system in place equipped to help. GM Ryan Poles put together what appears to be a strong first draft class, including wide receiver Velus Jones and left tackle, Braxton Jones. Head coach Matt Eberflus and offensive coordinator Luke Getsy have also installed a system that fits his playing style perfectly. Things are pointed in the right direction. All Fields has to do is stay the course and keep working hard.
