While Chicago Bears fans were over the moon when their beloved team drafted Justin Fields, one can imagine it wasn’t as well-received in other locations. Start with those teams that may have wanted the quarterback for themselves. The New England Patriots being one of them. Rumors still persist that Bill Belichick was searching for ways to jump and get him but never found the right deal. Another team that wanted him but failed to make the leap? The Minnesota Vikings.
ESPN revealed after the draft that GM Rick Spielman and his front office were high on Fields. Enough to where it was a lock that they would’ve taken him at #14. However, he wasn’t willing to pay the price tags needed to move up. So when the Bears made their leap to #11, a number of people in the Vikings draft room were “stunned.” It appears they weren’t the only ones. At least one Minnesota fan wasn’t overly thrilled with the result. Francis Kanneh posted this video on YouTube not long after the pick took place.
The single line uttered when the pick is announced says it all.
“Awwwwww f**k.”
The best part is he says it not once but twice. First when the pick happens and then again after the draft experts get done explaining how talented Fields is. It was the expression of somebody who knows there is a strong possibility his team is in for some frustrating experiences in the future. Especially considering the problems Minnesota has had with the Bears already over the past couple of years.
Remember Chicago is 5-1 against them since the start of 2018. Their only loss being that ugly affair at Soldier Field last season. This was done with guys like Mitch Trubisky and Chase Daniel at quarterback. So the prospect of them finally getting a guy who is good? That doesn’t bode well for the Vikings in the long term.
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Justin Fields can finally do something the Bears have sought
One of the more humbling realities about the Bears-Vikings rivalry is that Minnesota has controlled the win-loss advantage pretty much since the 1970s. It was at its worst after the 1990s. Some wondered if Chicago might ever regain any momentum. Then after an even 2000s, the Bears fired back in the 2010s with a 12-8 advantage in head-to-head meetings. Now the Vikings hold a tenuous 61-57 advantage overall.
That lead could vanish rather quickly if Justin Fields ends up being the player Chicago hopes for. His talent is immense. Everything comes down to whether he can grasp and process the speed of the NFL level. Something head coach Matt Nagy and his staff are determined to make happen. If it does, then the NFC North could belong to the Bears for a long time to come with Aaron Rodgers’ reign winding down.
Minnesota had their chances.
They’ve enjoyed a considerable degree of quarterback success during the Bears’ long, long, LONG run of futility. Fran Tarkenton in the 1970s. Warren Moon, Brad Johnson, Randall Cunningham, Daunte Culpepper, and now Kirk Cousins. All Pro Bowl players at the position. Yet no Super Bowls to show for it.