Bears Reportedly Aren't Surprised By Justin Fields' Struggles

GM Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus had certain expectations for the Chicago Bears this year. It probably didn't involve the storm of controversy following the team over the past 24 hours. Defensive coordinator Alan Williams resigned after one game, citing family and health issues. Rumors suggest it's worse than that, hence the team's unwillingness to divulge details. Then there is the Justin Fields situation. On Wednesday, he gathered headlines with his ill-advised comments about coaching being a possible reason for his "robotic" play over the past two weeks.

He immediately walked those comments back shortly after, but most feel his initial response was how he genuinely felt. So yeah, not great. Belief is all of this comes from frustration. Not only has Fields not won a game since October of last year, but his start to 2023 hasn't been ideal. He's managed 427 yards passing with two touchdowns and three interceptions. His 60.6 completion percentage is still lower than league average, and he hasn't been a big rushing threat on top of that. People have started panicking. According to Dan Graziano of ESPN, that isn't the case inside Halas Hall.

If anything, they expected this.

"This likely comes as a surprise, but I'm not detecting a high level of concern from inside the Bears' building on Fields. The Bears (and Fields) have looked terrible in their opening two games, but from what I have been told, the coaching staff always believed this would be another building year for Fields and the offense, especially in the early going. Outside expectations for a major leap forward this offseason were a little bit higher than the internal ones, and the Bears retain optimism that they'll see growth from their young QB as this season progresses."

The Bears maintain a patient approach with Justin Fields.

GM Ryan Poles spoke about it during his recent presser. He indicated that one of the problems is the QB now has help on offense. He has playmakers around him like D.J. Moore, Chase Claypool, and Roschon Johnson. Last season, Fields had to play the hero in so many situations. He grew used to doing it himself. It's taking time for him to learn how to lean on others. That doesn't excuse the quarterback from his struggles, but it offers some context for what he is dealing with.

It is also worth mentioning the wide-zone system Luke Getsy runs can take a long time to fully master. Matt Ryan didn't find his groove in it until the fourth week of his second season. Kirk Cousins needed around 20 starts in it before he really got going. Some quarterbacks pick it up faster than others, but the common thread for most is it takes time. The Bears will play the long game with Justin Fields. They want to let this thing play out. They're confident that progress will start showing as the season goes along.

It may come down to whether they can withstand the outside pressure if the team continues losing.