Justin Fields Couldn’t Resist Taking A Dig At The Bears
No matter what he might say, Justin Fields probably has some hard feelings about the Chicago Bears. He devoted a lot of blood, sweat, and tears to the organization during his three years as their starting quarterback. In that time, he took a hellacious beating, had to endure a total regime change, a tearing down of the roster, and ridicule from every outlet for his lack of progress as a passer. Then, when it appears the franchise is finally ascending, they trade him away for another quarterback. There is no way Fields wouldn’t be upset about that.
To his credit, he’s never come out directly and stated he hates the Bears. He’s been respectful whenever asked, and they have as well. It has been treated as a mutual parting of ways. Chicago got to start over at quarterback. Fields got to join an organization with a more recent reputation for winning. Still, the QB couldn’t resist an indirect dig at his former team when he made a comment about the Steelers’ locker room. No doubt he sees it as a massive upgrade compared to what he left behind.
“Me being in two different places now, I realize you don’t get this culture everywhere.”
Justin Fields’ perspective isn’t surprising.
When he arrived, Chicago wasn’t exactly the model of stability. Matt Nagy and Ryan Pace were already on the hot seat. How they handled his transition to the NFL was a complete crapshow with Andy Dalton and Nick Foles. Both were then fired after the season, paving the way for a new regime that had zero say in drafting him. Poles decided the roster was old and poorly built, so he blew it up. All the while, they put Fields in the hands of a totally untested offensive coordinator in Luke Getsy.
That said, nobody can say the Bears didn’t try to help him. They invested in his protection last year and got him a legitimate star wide receiver in D.J. Moore. He had ample opportunities to show progress as a passer. Sadly, he didn’t take advantage of enough of them. Too many 4th quarter no-shows. Too many times, he looked overwhelmed by better defenses. Reports indicate from Pittsburgh, that those same problems are popping up in practice. Fields can blame Chicago if he wants, but the fact is he had his chances.