Justin Fields was the subject of intense scrutiny for several months leading up to the 2021 draft. Anybody who has followed this process over the years knows one thing. The examinations can get a little crazy. To the point where every little thing about the player is being called into question. It inevitably becomes a process of honing in on what a guy can’t do rather than what he can. It’s also a perfect atmosphere for falsehoods to emerge. Urban Meyer understands this quite well.
He was a head coach in college for a long time, with successful stints at Utah, Florida, and finally Ohio State. He knows full well what his players had to go through before getting drafted. One thing that seemed to always drive him crazy the most? The misinformation. Things that weren’t just exaggerations of a player’s weaknesses. Things that were flat-out untrue. It appears he was hearing a lot of that surrounding Fields the past few months.
Enough to where he took it upon himself to personally dispel such rumors.
The new Jacksonville Jaguars head coach is a big fan of Fields. He watched the QB at Ohio State for two years. He still has strong connections to the coaching staff there and has a great idea of who the kid is behind the scenes. That is why when rumors began to emerge that Fields had questions about his work ethic, Meyer couldn’t believe what he was hearing. So he took the time to place actual phone calls to people in order to clear things up.
Meyer made it clear to Mario Durant of ABC 6 and FOX 28 in Columbus that Fields is a tremendous talent. He even tested him after the Bears drafted the QB 11th overall. He’s a genuine fan of him. The fact he was willing to take time out of a very busy schedule to place phone calls in his defense says a lot. Especially since it wasn’t the Jaguars drafting him.
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So why didn’t Urban Meyer just take Fields?
He easily could’ve. Jacksonville held the #1 overall pick. They had their choice of any quarterback on the board. The reality is it probably wasn’t entirely his call. Trevor Lawrence was widely considered the #1 QB in the class and somebody Jaguars owner Tony Khan coveted. It would’ve been interesting to see what would’ve happened if Meyer had more sway in the decision. Would he have leaned closer to Fields?
No one will ever know. All that matters is the Bears got their guy. They believe he is somebody they can build a franchise around. His physical skills combined with a sharp intellect and tireless work ethic check every box necessary to succeed. If Urban Meyer went to bat for him when he didn’t have to? That says a lot about the type of person Fields is.
He seems rather confident the young man will do just fine.
All he needs is a team that believes in him like Ohio State did and enough help around him to make things happen. That is what the Bears organization aims to do. They’ve already begun the process of building the roster around him. It comes down to letting the plan unfold. If Fields does his part, then this team is going to be pretty good not too long from now.