Justin Fields displays maturity, leadership in days following Packers loss

Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields’ stats through the first two weeks of the 2022 NFL season are nowhere near what he, or any Bears fans, expected. He’s thrown for just 191 yards, which ranks last among starting quarterbacks this year. He’s completing only 53.6% of his passes, and his 69.2 passer rating is fourth-worst in the NFL.

Context, however, is required.

Stats don’t always tell the full story, and it’s especially true for Fields’ box score after two games. The Bears’ home opener featured monsoon-like conditions that made an effective passing game impossible. In Week 2, Chicago’s offensive coordinator, Luke Getsy, dialed up only 19 pass plays, 11 of which Fields was actually able to attempt a throw. It doesn’t matter how talented a quarterback is, he isn’t going to thrive in face of extreme weather and limited play calling.

So, yeah, That’s at least part of the reason why Fields isn’t winning over any fantasy football managers. But what he is proving early in the 2022 season is that he has the qualities needed to be a leader and a franchise quarterback off the field. Fields’ desire to win — and his hate for losing — was undeniable following Sunday night’s loss to the Packers. It caused him to make a controversial-yet-not-controversial statement about Bears players hurting more from a loss than fans because the fans “aren’t putting in any work.”

[spreaker type=player resource=”show_id=5636996″ width=”100%” height=”350px” theme=”light” playlist=”show” playlist-continuous=”false” chapters-image=”true” episode-image-position=”right” hide-logo=”false” hide-likes=”false” hide-comments=”false” hide-sharing=”false” hide-download=”true” cover=”https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_website_show_cover/images.spreaker.com/original/3387c0d2eb4cc1aa6dce768aa31894a1.jpg”]

It caused a firestorm on social media. On Wednesday, Fields took a moment to clarify his statement and, in the process, proved that he has special leadership qualities.

“I’d like to address this now to get everything cleared up,” Fields said. “There was a thing I said on Sunday after the game where I said the fans don’t put in work. First off, I was frustrated after the game. No. 1, I didn’t want to talk to you guys. I wasn’t in the mood to come and talk to you guys. So, I should’ve done a better job of explaining what I meant by that. What I meant by that is I’m talking about work regarding the game on Sunday, winning the game.

“I respect every fan that we have. I’m glad that we have fans. I would never disrespect anybody on what they do or what they love to do. It came off like that. Some social media outlets, they quoted my quote and they got a big buzz out of it. So, of course they did a great job doing that. Of course social media is going to do that. But I just wanted to clear that up.”

Quarterbacks need to lead off the field, too

The transition first-round quarterbacks make from college to the pros is about more than just reading defenses. They’re expected to be the face of the franchise, and with that responsibility comes intense scrutiny, both on and off the field. Learning how to answer questions and deal with the media is a critical part of the job.

“I don’t want to be a robot up here,” Fields said. “At the same time I just have to be more descriptive of my words and really just describe what I’m trying to say, rather than, you know? I mean I could be up here and be like, “Yes, we’re going to do this and that” and just be a robot. But I try to show my personality to the world, try to show my personality to you guys, to show that I am a real person and yes I do make mistakes. But yes, I’m just finding a good balance.”

It’s obvious the loss to the Packers made a significant impact on Justin Fields, who said he’s waking up an hour earlier for extra preparation time during the week. He’s a competitor and acknowledged he’d like the ball in his hands more, but he’s putting the team before himself, which is what great leaders do.

“Our goal as a team, as an offense, is to win games,” he said. “Nobody’s looking at how many passes did I have, how many yards did I have. We’re just all trying to win the game.”

SUBSCRIBE TO THE BEARS TALK PODCAST: APPLE | SPOTIFY | GOOGLE | iHEART