One thing people are finding out fast about Justin Fields? He doesn’t fear a challenge. If anything, he relishes them. The higher the mountain to climb, the harder he works to conquer it. He proved that in college. After failing to claim the starting job at Georgia in 2019, Fields made the bold decision to transfer elsewhere. Upon landing at Ohio State he immediately erased the legacy of Dwayne Haskins by carrying the Buckeyes to the CFB playoffs. Then a year later he went all the way to the national championship game. Despite the Big 10 conference nearly canceling football altogether.
So yeah. Fields is no stranger to traveling difficult roads. Yet his biggest test looms. Being an NFL quarterback, in general, is difficult. Being a quarterback for the Chicago Bears? That has proven to be like the final boss of a Dark Souls game. Borderline impossible. The list of those who have tried and ultimately failed is long. Hence why the Bears QB position has become a running joke for the media in recent years.
Fields aims to change all that.
Despite only playing two years at Ohio State, he became an instant favorite for Buckeye fans. Especially the younger generation. According to Bryan DeArdo of CBS Sports, one young fan who attended his youth football camp in Columbus, Ohio even said he was switching allegiance from his favorite NFL team to the Bears. Just because Fields was now their quarterback. Upon hearing this, the 22-year old smiled and gave a fitting reply.
Justin Fields smiled when informed that a camper at his recent youth football camp in a Columbus, Ohio suburb said they plan to switch from following their favorite NFL team to follow him as he begins his career with the Chicago Bears. Fields, the No. 11 overall pick in the 2021 draft, left Ohio State as one of the most accomplished players in program history. Along with his play on the field, Fields’ spearheading of a petition for the Big Ten to have a 2020 season etched his name in Ohio State football lore.
“It feels good,” Fields said about the camper’s comment. “The more fans that we can get, the better. I’m just going to try to convert all these kids to be Bears fans, for sure.”
That is what franchise-changing players tend to do. The Chicago Bulls were hardly a favorite team for America’s youth in the early 1980s. Then Michael Jordan arrived. The same goes for the Chicago Blackhawks in the early 2000s. Suddenly Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews show up and boom. This is the sort of impact Fields hopes to make. The first one to really ever do so at the quarterback position.
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Justin Fields plans on nothing short of greatness
It isn’t to be a starter in the NFL. It isn’t to be a Pro Bowler. His goal is to become one of the best to play professional football. Fields has made that clear every time he’s asked. His work ethic speaks to that desire. Not to mention his willingness to play through pain. This is why the Bears targeted him. They felt he had the mental and physical makeup to take on the herculean task of dragging this organization to relevance again.
What is so interesting is fans seem to have plenty of confidence he can do it. What they don’t have is the confidence that this current Bears regime is capable of helping him. GM Ryan Pace failed to build a strong enough offense around Mitch Trubisky and picked Trubisky in the first place. Head coach Matt Nagy didn’t endear himself to anybody with his questionable play calling and personnel usage on offense.
Are they truly capable of maximizing this young QB?
Justin Fields seems to have confidence in them. To their credit, both men are enacting a plan intent on making him their focus. Pace drafted two offensive linemen and a wide receiver after Fields. Nagy intends to keep the QB safe on the bench until he’s deemed ready. In truth? This young man will likely chart the course himself. He has that sort of once-in-a-generation capability.