Justin Fields didn’t expect to join the Chicago Bears. That is perfectly understandable. They held the 20th pick in the NFL draft. Everybody expected the Ohio State star to go somewhere in the top 10. Then a series of unexpected twists caused him to slip to the 11th spot where the Bears worked some magic to trade up. Just like that, he was the next big hope for Chicago in their quest to find a good quarterback.
It’s fair to wonder if Fields knows what he is walking into. Does he understand the daunting task in front of him? The Bears have a tortured history at that position. It is for this reason that the fanbase has become so deeply rooted in demanding great defenses and strong running games. This is because that is the only way they’ve seen this team win for literal decades. To his credit, it didn’t take the rookie long to understand this.
It took even less time for him to want to change it.
Fields posted a video on his Instagram account. It’s a commercial of him by Bose, the famed headphones maker. In it he talks about the benefits of listening to music before games, allowing him to drown out the noise and keep his focus on what matters. Towards the end of the video, the young quarterback made two things clear. He is in Chicago to win, and also aims to alter the perception of the franchise.
“The number one goal of the Chicago Bears is to win. That’s what we want to do every game, is win. For so many years, the story’s been about our defense. We want to change the narrative and, you know, have an explosive offense this year.”
Lots of Bears quarterbacks in the past have felt the same way. Fields might be the first one to come out and openly say it. That he doesn’t want to live in the shadow of the defense. He wants the offense to have their place in the sun. For it to determine the fate of this organization in a positive way. Something that hasn’t been the case for a long, long time.
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Justin Fields will need the Bears to help him
When it comes to talent, he has the goods. Everything from mobility to a strong arm and accuracy. Not to mention his calm and poise in the pocket. Fields can do so many things. Yet like any quarterback, he is at the mercy of the 10 other players around him. Given where things stand, the Bears have questions that need answering. Most around the NFL believe they have one of the worst offensive lines in football and an unproven stable of pass catchers outside of Allen Robinson.
Darnell Mooney and Cole Kmet have lots of potential but haven’t shown they can hang yet. Anthony Miller was just traded. Marquise Goodwin hasn’t played a good season since 2017 and Damiere Byrd was a bit of a one-year wonder for New England in 2020. David Montgomery is good. Tarik Cohen is on the PUP list after what might’ve been another knee surgery. So it isn’t hard to understand why optimism is so low with this offense.
Could a better quarterback change that?
Justin Fields believes that is the case. Those at his position are tasked with making everybody on the offense better. All the top QBs can do this from Tom Brady to Aaron Rodgers, Patrick Mahomes, and Russell Wilson. He has the talent to do something like that. It is a matter of grasping the Bears’ offense and getting his chance to play. That time will come at some point in the next four months.