Steve Young Thinks Justin Fields Can Shine Regardless Of Bears' Record

Everybody expects the Chicago Bears to be a bad team this year. Some have gone so far as to say they'll be one of the worst in the NFL. That is an argument worth having, but it underscores an interest sub-debate. With Justin Fields being on a bad team, does that mean he is destined to have a bad season? In an interview, David Kaplan of NBC Sports Chicago posed this question to Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young. Young made it clear that the team's record shouldn't impact Fields' development. He believes a quarterback can play well during a season, and the team is still not good. It has to be about improving everything he does. Fields must become more efficient, quicken his operation, and learn how to process. It is all about stacking positive plays and minimizing negative ones. [video width="1920" height="1080" mp4="https://www.sportsmockery.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Steve-Young-Bears-Fields-can-still-show-he-is-a-good-QB-with-bad-team-NBC-Sports-Chicago2022_07_20_21_47_14.mp4"][/video]

Young is correct in his assessment.

Last season alone provided multiple examples of quarterbacks having good seasons and their teams underachieving. Russell Wilson went 6-8 despite posting a 103.1 passer rating with 23 touchdowns and six interceptions. Kirk Cousins threw 33 TDs with seven interceptions and finished 8-8. This should serve as a reminder that while quarterbacks move the needle more than any other position, they still aren't capable of doing it all themselves. Football is a team sport. Even Young himself experienced this reality early in his NFL career. During the 1991 season, he started ten games, throwing 17 touchdowns to eight interceptions with a 101.8 passer rating. The San Francisco 49ers still only went 5-5 during that stretch. Fields may have total control of the Bears' 2022 record, but that should not stop him from improving as a quarterback.

Justin Fields has no excuse not to improve.

He has 12 games of experience under his belt now. He got a lesson in how physical and diverse NFL defenses are. Despite everything he went through, there was an improvement. His passer rating went from 64.8 through the first five starts to 84.0 through the next five. That was behind a terrible offensive line in an offensive that had no sense of identity. The Bears spent the off-season looking to improve both. More depth was secured up front, while Luke Getsy hopes to tailor the new system around what Fields does best. [video width="1280" height="720" mp4="https://www.sportsmockery.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/FIELDS-TO-MOONEY.-DaBears-CHIvsPIT-on-ESPN-.mp4"][/video] It will be a genuine shock if Justin Fields isn't considerably improved this season. He doesn't have to be a star. Expecting that much wouldn't be fair. It must be about incremental improvement. Young didn't start to blossom until his third season in the NFL, which was his fifth professional football season. He spent his first two with the old USFL. Patience paid off with him.

It can for Fields as well.

The key is whether he can go from an excellent athlete with a great arm to a true pocket quarterback that can also run. This was the same challenge that Young faced. Everybody viewed him as a great runner with a strong arm for years. Then Bill Walsh taught him how to play quarterback the right way. Fields must make that same transition. He showed signs of progress last season. Now it's about building on that.