“Hope is not a strategy,” but darn it feels good to be hopeful. Justin Fields gave Chicago Bears fans that feeling since April 29, 2021 when he was drafted in the first round. All Bears fans had the same feeling. The Bears traded up with Fields still on the board, and the wish of getting a superstar quarterback was a now realistic possibility. When they selected him with the 11th overall pick, in our minds, life as a Bears fan was changed forever. We had a legit QB, we had visions of wins, we had visions of Super Bowl rings, we had Justin Fields, we had hope.
Open social media, turn on YouTubeTV, listen to one of the countless sports podcasts out there, or talk to another football fan, and Justin Fields will come up. Depending on when you are reading this, he’s either on the verge of being traded or he has already cleared out his locker at Halas Hall.
JF1 has become as polarizing a figure in the sports world as there is nowadays, especially for Bears fans. When he was drafted I yelled (and maybe teared up), when he first took the field I was almost as excited as when my children were born, and every time he broke a long run, I couldn’t help but to start thinking about him holding a trophy on the podium being interviewed after winning a Super Bowl.
Justin Fields runs pic.twitter.com/4MLeivkmHq
— Gustavo (@iamvega1982) January 14, 2023
Just like in many other Bears fans’ houses, we live and die with the Bears every Sunday, and Justin Fields is not just another football player. He’s the first QB in my 40 years of life that gave me hope, and his is the first jersey that my kids needed to have. He was a super hero, but now, like any super hero, he’s gone before you know it.
I’m not a Fields apologist, but it’s not his fault. Okay, some of it is his fault, but he’s 24 years old, it’s normal. Sure he struggled at times reading defenses, going through his progressions just a tad too slowly and not pulling the trigger in time to complete some of the passes that others may have. And yes, there have been times that he’s just flat out missed wide receivers. But has be grown? Absolutely.
This season alone there was a huge difference between Justin Fields in Tampa in week 2 holding the ball when it should’ve been out compared to week 14 against the NFC runners up, when he was dropping dimes on the Lions secondary. He improved; he grew…this part of the mission was accomplished.
Did the Bears do Enough to help Fields?
If you’ve been to a Bears game live over the past three years, being able to see the whole field would’ve allowed you to see the most glaring problem. Other than DJ Moore, no one is open, and before 2023, Bears receivers were like Chick-fil-A on Sundays. So why weren’t they open?
First and foremost, they weren’t good. Darnell Mooney can be a decent #2 behind Moore, but even that is a little bit of a stretch. Chase Claypool was a cancer. Velus Jones is a frustrating mess. Instead of wasting time listing the other average-at- best, bad-in-reality receivers that played for Chicago over the past three years, google them next time you’re constipated. That’ll clear you out quicker than MiraLAX.
OC…Let him be HIM
Why else weren’t the WRs open? Scheme played a big role. Luke Getsy tried to turn Fields into another Aaron Rodgers…but Fields isn’t him (though he is HIM). Some games seemed like Getsy was in tune with what the offense should be, but others felt like he was trying to prove a point…that his offense works and that’s more important than the players on the field (see Chip Kelly).
They didn’t move the pocket a lot; lots of pass plays had one option to throw to, and Fields has a great deep ball, but a great deep ball is as useful as a football bat if he’s not allowed to unleash it. He’s the best running QB in the league, so why were the designed runs called so inconsistently? And every Bears fan was tired of seeing receivers tackled instantly on the quick screens with no blockers. Watching their playcalling was frustrating, especially because the offense would move so well at times.
Poles to the Rescue
To give credit where it’s due, in 2023 Fields finally played behind a decent offensive line; prior to that, they were historically bad. And yes, Ryan Poles got him DJ Moore, extended Cole Kmet (who is growing into a very good, maybe great TE), and drafted Tyler Scott and Roschon Johnson. The defense was revamped, and over the last ten games, it was one of the best in the NFL. So the process has started; the Bears are on their way.
There were positives for the young QB… each year his completions, completion percentage, rating, and yards have improved. There were times when he was accurate, patient, and getting rid of the ball on time. He kept his eyes downfield while rolling out and often made great decisions. This was the growth we needed to see, so in 2024, let him cook…or so we thought.
Not What We Hoped For
Just as it looked like the Bears were on the verge of having weapons around Fields, 2 of the top 9 picks in the draft, and a boatload of money to spend…it’s all coming to an end. The Bears are moving on to another quarterback with #1 pick in the draft. They’ll probably draft a stud WR at 9, fortify the line with a center (hopefully Sedric Van Pran), add another pass rusher, extend Jaylen Johnson and spend a bunch of money on other free agents. The future is bright. We will still have hope.
The Chicago Bears will be good, then great, then maybe win a Super Bowl. Caleb Williams will be a Chicagoland legend. I’ll be happy (and cry); my kids will be thrilled; my wife will be relieved, and there will be a parade. Our lives will be forever changed. The only thing missing will be the quarterback who restored in us the hope of great things to come, which unfortunately never came. And yes, hope is not a strategy, but because of Justin Fields, we sure felt good.