Hearing Olin Kreutz Gush Over Justin Fields Is Weird And Delightful

If any man has a right to be skeptical of Chicago Bears quarterbacks, it is Olin Kreutz. The man snapped the ball to so many different ones in his long career from Steve Stenstrom and Cade McNown all the way Jay Cutler, Todd Collins, and Caleb Hanie. All of them proved to be little more than hype jobs in his eyes. Guys who didn't have the traits necessary to become a true franchise quarterback for this team. He even admitted there were times he dreaded going onto the field because he knew how bad the offense was. That isn't a fun feeling. So when the Bears first drafted Justin Fields, it wasn't a huge surprise that Kreutz was intrigued but also skeptical. He'd seen two different 1st round picks come and go in Chicago during his playing days with McNown and Rex Grossman. Then he watched the debacle with Mitch Trubisky play out the past four years. It was difficult to trust whether the kid has what it takes to survive this city.

Seven starts later and it sounds like the six-time Pro Bowler has found religion.

No joke. Kreutz appeared on the Parkins & Spiegel show to talk about the rookie quarterback and his recent interview on the program. Suffice to say the man was beyond impressed. Not with the pure talent the kid has. That is all fine and good. No, for Kreutz what has stood out the most is how mentally tough Fields is. Given what he's been through the past two months. For him to be playing his best football right now is significant.

"When you watch Justin Fields, you don't see a guy who gets broken easily mentally and that's how you have to judge whether to play these rookies or not. But Justin Fields just doesn't seem like the kind of guy who gets frustrated, who gets really down on himself. He may get down, but he told you guys. 'I want to prove people wrong.' 'I want people to say we played bad.' He said to you. Honestly, those performances were embarrassing. Talking about Cleveland. Again the Cleveland game, he was the first one at the podium. He wanted to be out there, he wanted to be in front of that performance. That's a leader, man. That's not somebody who's broken. That is someone who is dying to get better. As a coach, you're watching those things and from the side, we're saying keep playing him because this isn't breaking him. This is actually motivating him."

This is true.

Fields hasn't been shy about stepping in front of the cameras after difficult losses. He did the same after the ugly blowout in Tampa Bay as well. A lot of quarterbacks wouldn't be willing to do that. The rookie was willing to stand there and take his lumps. Both because he's mentally tough and because he wants to show everybody that he is ready to take any shots necessary for his team. That was also evident on the field in Pittsburgh. Olin Kreutz pointed out the play where he took a hard shot from Minkah Fitzpatrick.

"I am. I'm impressed with his leadership. I'm impressed with the things he says after games. The way he carries himself on the field. The way he competes. You know when he got blown up by that Steelers cornerback (safety), I think it was Minkah Fitzpatrick when he tried to lower his shoulder. He bounced right back up. Just the fact that he was going to lower his shoulder at Heinz Field against one of the best safeties in the league, that he is trying to get an extra yard for his teammates, for his guys. Trust me, man. I know these are cliches but that's the kind of stuff football players buy into because we're all meatheads. We love that kind of stuff."

The kid is tough as nails. There is no denying it. The NFL has thrown everything humanly possible at him in the past two months. He hasn't flinched. Now he has started to strike back. Strategies that once stopped him aren't working like they used to. Fields is getting better and gaining confidence with each snap. Kreutz can see it. Everybody can see it. The best feels like it's still to come.

Olin Kreutz buying in is a significant sign

More so that he's done it so fast. Remember he was even reluctant to totally believe in Trubisky back in 2018 even when the Bears were winning. He praised the kid at times but never seemed to buy in all the way. Something held him back. The 2019 and 2020 offered vindication for those feeling. Now for Kreutz to gush over Fields barely halfway through his rookie year. That can't be dismissed lightly. The Bears may indeed finally have their guy. All they can do is hope for two things. Continued improvement on the field and for him to stay healthy. Fields has taken a lot of punishment this year. While he has learned to protect himself a bit better, he has to try avoiding some of the unnecessary hits. That should come with time. Olin Kreutz can see it.