The Chicago Bears began their second season of the popular YouTube series 1920 Football Drive without wasting much time. After giving a nice introduction to their area scouts and the process they go through when evaluating draft prospects, things kicked up a notch. That was when the team provided behind-the-scenes footage of the coaches meeting with every eventual Bears draft pick. None was more interesting than Justin Fields.
It was here fans get their first inclination of just how driven the young quarterback is. The normally stoic exterior he has in front of the media is softened while talking with quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo. He explains what drives him as a football player and what his ultimate goal is. For him, it’s not about the money or the fame. His goal is to be great. To be one of the best to ever play.
It gets even better.
A couple of minutes later, Fields proceeds to break down some of his game tape with DeFilippo. In this case his performance in the national championship game against Alabama. He explained his thought process on a given play, what he was thinking before and after the snap. It becomes apparent right away how smart the young man is. He knew exactly what he was looking at and knew exactly where to go with the football.
It’s a good demonstration of the field vision Fields has. It isn’t just a question of him looking at the defense. He has to understand what he is looking at. The moment he saw the linebacker with his back to the line of scrimmage, the decision was made. That was where the throw was going. All he had to do was make sure it was on target. Just one of several such examples from that season by Fields.
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Justin Fields is a man with big ambitions
That is so important for a player at the quarterback position. Having somebody who says they want to win is fine. When they say they want to be great? To be one of the best to ever play? That is a surefire sign of somebody with passion. Somebody with a clear goal in their mind and an insatiable desire to make it a reality. Fields has come across that way since high school. Every time he sensed a weakness in himself, he’d ask questions. What must I do to get better?
That drive showed up off the field too. When it became clear at Georgia that he wasn’t going to be the starter his sophomore season, he transferred out. Then when the Big Ten was in danger of not playing football last year due to COVID-19, Justin Fields led the charge to make sure the games happened. He wanted to play football. To show everybody how much he loved the game. Then he took his team to the national championship.
That is what franchise quarterbacks do.
They don’t wait for things to happen. They make them happen. Time will tell if Fields ends up becoming a great player. The Bears will have to help him. Based on these video clips, it’s apparent the kid has everything required to do big things in the NFL. He may be that guy fans have waited literal decades for.