Justin Fields Isn't Hiding His Anger At NFL Refs Anymore

Justin Fields isn't the type of guy that likes voicing his complaint, either during or after games. However, every man has a breaking point. Even dating back to last year, Fields had an issue with not getting penalty calls whenever he'd slide after scrambles or design runs. It became a source of contention with fans and even Bears media. There was genuine outrage over the refusal of referees not to protect him. Now it appears even Fields himself has had enough. That much was evident after the loss to Philadelphia on Sunday.

The source of frustration came on another play where the quarterback clearly gave himself up on a slide. That didn't stop notorious cheap shot artist Ndamukong Suh from taking liberties by clubbing Fields in the head and then landing on him at the end of a play. Predictably, there was no flag.

A few days later, Fields sounded frustrated about the lack of calls during his Wednesday presser. He's begun to realize that simply expecting the refs to do something hasn't worked. It might be time to start bugging them until they do.

Justin Fields is finally learning a fundamental truth.

The squeaky wheel gets the grease. Superstars don't just get calls because they're stars. People will often find that stars openly complain to refs at every opportunity. LeBron James does it. Tom Brady does it. Go down the list and there is a strong likelihood every big name complains to the refs. That is because it works. Voice displeasure at them enough times and they start looking for it more often. This leads to more calls happening. Some people call it whining. Others call it trying to protect yourself and your team.

It doesn't matter if national pundits like it or not. Justin Fields must be smart. If openly complaining is what it takes to start getting calls, so be it. The quarterback can't continue to take these dirty hits without consequences. That will embolden defenders to keep doing it, knowing the refs more than likely won't throw the flag. It is time to take matters into his own hand. If being nice won't get it done, then being annoying is the next step.