Growing Bears QB Fields Rolls With The 'Stuff Happens' Punches

Chicago IL

25 October, 2021

4:49 PM

Description

CHICAGO — Stuff happens. Except Bears quarterback Justin Fields didn't say stuff. A five-turnover day at the office can happen to an NFL quarterback from time to time. But in the case of the heralded Fields, his two fumbles and three interceptions played a key role in a forgettable —and yet defining — 38-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday. It had fans ruing the day they pushed Mitchell Trubisky out of town and continued the campaign for coach Matt Nagy and general manager Ryan Pace to be fired immediately. The noise got louder Monday when Nagy announced he tested positive for the coronavirus. It didn't take long for unsympathetic Chicagoans to express glee in the announcement in hope that the diagnosis would keep Nagy off the field Sunday against the 49ers and, perhaps, magically change the trajectory of a season heading in the wrong direction. But Sunday's blowout loss to the defending Super Bowl champs seemed to somehow motivate Fields, who said he's not angered by what happens because, well, "stuff" happens. This losing stuff is new to Fields, who has dropped more games this season than he did in his college career at Ohio State. Losing isn't exactly new to Bears fans, who honestly shouldn't be surprised the rookie quarterback is struggling after he was pushed into a starting job fans believed he should have had in the first place. Instead, an injury to Andy Dalton and a change of mind by Nagy moved Fields into the role of QB1, which sped up the process the Bears had in place for Fields and that was certain to include a few bumps in the road. Should fans be shocked at the bumps? Not if they're not delusional. But are fans still calling for someone's head because the growing pains are happening? Without a doubt. If we're being honest, Sunday's loss wasn't entirely on Fields, whose offensive line did little to protect the rookie and whose receivers dropped passes that should have been caught. But Fields also took some chances he had no business taking — chances that Fields wrote off as football youthful indiscretions. "At the end of the day, it happened," Fields told reporters after Sunday's loss. "We have bad days. Y'all have bad days. And y'all can either get depressed. Or y'all can get up the next day and go to work. And I think that's what our team is going to do. And that's what I'm going to do. I'm not angry at all. You know [stuff] happens." Except he didn't say stuff. Nagy said Monday he's confident that Fields will learn from his mistakes and that "he's done a really good job at growing." But Nagy also said that the 3-4 Bears need to learn from their mistakes, a day after the Bears lost for the third time by at least 20 points this season. Some critics wondered out loud Sunday on social media why Fields was still in the game when the deficit ballooned to four touchdowns and were worried such a day would hamper the kid's confidence. But at this point, what choice does the Bears have? As unaccustomed to losing as Fields may be, nothing's going to change as long as the Bears don't address their needs on the offensive line and continue with the status quo. Nagy and Pace aren't going to lose their jobs during the season, because that's not the McCaskey way. And as much as it seemed as if the Bears hit rock bottom Sunday, the chances exist that it can still get worse. Nagy is convinced that, good or bad, Fields will continue to learn and grow because that's what's going to make Fields "a helluva quarterback in this league for a long, long time." So, buckle up, Bears fans. It could be a bumpy ride the rest of the way, and it won't get easier. But remember this. This is what you wanted. This is who you wanted, and now you've got to live with the results — [stuff] and all.