Bears Teammates Were Impressed With Justin Fields' Composure Vs. Browns

Justin Fields had easily one of the worst debuts a rookie quarterback has had in years. Not that it was entirely his fault. Not even close. While the 11th overall pick did miss opportunities, the reality is he never had much of a shot to do anything. The Cleveland Browns defense abused the Chicago Bears offensive line for 60 minutes, sacking Fields nine times. Matt Nagy's game plan didn't do much of anything to help with that problem. It was ugly. However, it appears the game did nothing to dampen players' opinions of Fields. If anything, how he conducted himself in such a hostile situation caught their attention. GM Ryan Pace spoke to Larry Mayer of Chicagobears.com. He often speaks to players after games to get a general feel of their mood on the sidelines. One of the things that stuck out to them was how calm the rookie managed to stay.

"It's one of the first things I heard after the game, as hard as that game was. Right after the game, I like to talk to the players and the coaches and the staff [about] what was going on on the sideline, and every one of them talked about his composure, his toughness and just how he handled an extreme environment like he was in. So, I think that all bodes well for the future."

It's true.

While the game looked bad from Fields' perspective, the truth is it probably should've been so much worse. While he did go 6-of-20 for just 68 yards on the day, he managed to avoid turning the ball over. No interceptions and no fumbles. Considering the relentless rush he was dealing with and the strong coverage he had to throw into? That feels like a minor miracle. A testament to how Justin Fields managed to not get carried away and throwing up prayers. Look at #2 overall pick Zach Wilson as an example. He was sacked six times in his first game, throwing an interception and fumbling once. He was sacked four times in his second game and threw four interceptions. Usually, when rookies don't feel comfortable, they start giving the ball to the other team. Fields managed to avoid that. It's a small silver lining, but it does point to his ability to stay under control in less-than-ideal conditions. This is why it is so easy to believe that given enough time, this kid will be a good quarterback.