Justin Fields Sends Strong Message on Coaching Preference

Justin Fields

Getty Justin Fields of the Chicago Bears walks off the field after the preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field on August 18, 2022 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

Justin Fields is finding his voice in Year 2 with the Chicago Bears.

After a rookie campaign that was full of peaks and valleys, Fields looks more poised, confident and in control of an offense he’s still attempting to master.

Last year, the second-year signal-caller completed 159 of 270 passes (58.9 completion percentage), for 1,870 yards, seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He also rushed for 420 yards and two scores.

This year, the 23-year-old quarterback had a strong preseason, completing 23 of 30 passes for 243 yards, three TDs and no interceptions, and while you can only tell so much from preseason action, the young QBs growth appears evident.

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In a recent interview with the Chicago Tribune’s Dan Wiederer, Fields’ maturity off the field was equally evident.

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Fields Has Strong Thoughts on Coaching Preferences

Fields appeared on Audacy’s 2400Sports’ Take The North podcast on September 2, and he had some telling things to say to co-host Dan Wiederer about the way he likes — and doesn’t like — to be coached.

“I don’t like when coaches try to be easy on me, this and that, ‘cause I just know that’s not going to make me a better quarterback. That’s not going to make me the best quarterback,” Fields said, before providing an example:

“I’ve always been like that. I remember having a conversation with my quarterback coach my last year in college, I felt like he was being too easy on me just because coming off my sophomore year highs, we had a pretty good year. Then my last year there I just felt like he was being kind of easy on me.”

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Fields: ‘I Don’t Like Losing’

The Bears went 6-11 in Fields’ first year with the team, which was quite the change from his time at Ohio State, where he went 20-2 overall as a starter.

The mobile quarterback told Wiederer that his ultimate goal is to hoist a Lombardi trophy, and in order to achieve it, he wants his mistakes pointed out so he can fix them. He isn’t here to be coddled, either:

I want you to get on my a**, let me know, and boom that won’t happen again. Just coach me hard and I’m not going to take anything personal in that aspect because we’re reaching towards the same goal. We want to win games. We want to win championships. Coach me hard. Make me the best quarterback I can be. Just being coached hard. That’s just how I was kind of growing up in the south, coaches get on you this and that. Don’t whine. Just don’t take it personal because we both want to win at that point.

Since 2010, the Bears have had three winning seasons (2010, 2012 and 2018). At one point last year, they lost five games in a row before going on another three-game skid later in the season. It didn’t sit well with Fields.

“I don’t like losing. I mean I’ve said it a countless amount of times, last year I didn’t like that feeling of losing so many games. That’s the most I ever lost in my life. I don’t like losing. I’m not used to losing. I never want to get used to losing. Really that’s it.”

He also made it clear he’s not here for any individual accolades — all he wants is W’s.

“I don’t care if I’m the MVP, I don’t care if I did this, went 14-for-16, if we win I’m good. If we run the ball 40 times a game and we win the game, I’m good.”

That’s exactly the kind of attitude you want your young franchise QB to have. Now, we’ll see what he and offensive coordinator Luke Getsy put together during the regular season.

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