You sat down in your living room or somewhere in your house that you hold sacred for Bears games. You fired up the TV, rocking your #1 Justin Fields jersey with a hopeful gaze as you anticipated the Bears finally overcoming the Packers and moving towards becoming a modern NFL franchise. 

The ball is kicked, the Bears begin their drive with a run of no gain, then a huge 19-yard play from Justin Fields to Khalil Herbert. Four plays later, the drive is over. The Packers receive the ball and score without a hitch. By the end of the night, you’re empty. 

It happened again. 

The Packers trounced the Bears 38-20. The Quarterback play was underwhelming, and the play-calling would make any other team’s fans feel better about theirs. In a better world, this game is a one-off and not a cause for concern. It’s simply a bad game that you brush off and wish for the best later. But this isn’t a better world, and it’s exactly the type of game you feared.

If you’re a Chicago Bears fan, this is just another disappointing Sunday in what seems like a lifetime of disappointments. This franchise hasn’t had a winning season since last decade, and has not won a game since October 24th, 2022. Despair is no longer an unfamiliar face. It’s the devil on your shoulder who tells you every Sunday, “same shit, different toilet”.

The problem is: it’s correct. 

Despite the coach, the general manager, and the CEO being new, nothing has changed for the Bears. The defense underwhelms, the Quarterback cannot pass. In fact, the only bright spot for almost every Bears season is this: there’s something good at running back, but that is all and it’s not enough. 

While Bears fans watched in hope at Roschon Johnson’s tenacity, effort, and raw talent, they couldn’t help but feel melancholy at the abysmal play from every other part of the ball.

Justin Fields, who fans have placed their hopes in, underwhelmed with a 24 of 37 performance for 216 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Sadly, Justin reverted back to many old and painful habits: holding onto the ball too long, becoming anxious in the pocket and not allowing routes to develop before he takes whatever is left. Meanwhile the defense let first year starter Jordan Love go turnover-free for with three passing touchdowns. It is a painfully familiar scene.

Be clear, It is not all or even solely on Justin Fields. Newly extended TE Cole Kmet played a completely non-physical game while Guard Nate Davis became a turnstile for opposing defensive lineman. In addition, Luke Getsy called one of his more confusing games with designed sneaks to Cole Kmet and bubble screens in more obvious downs situations.

The bad news: this loss is horrible and might be an indicator of the entire season.

The good news: It is Week 1 and the offense had an eerily similar slow start last year before it exploded for several weeks.

The reality: the defense probably won’t get much better.

Second year defensive coordinator Alan Williams has his hands full with a front four who aren’t getting much better. While some blitzing and unique pressure can help keep teams honest, if your interior guys are stonewalled at the line of scrimmage, your blitzing will eventually be countered, and more adjustments will have to happen. 

I’ve said all of that to say this: This is not the end of the Bears season. Justin Fields is not a bust. This defense is not the worst you’ve ever seen. The problem with those statements is that they could eventually become true without major changes from the coaching staff as well as the players. 

The Bears need to find ways to make Justin Jones and Andrew Billings successful and if they can’t do it, they need to shuffle that interior line until someone shows up who can. Justin Fields started off slowly so Luke Getsy must tailor his offense around Justin’s strengths; tempo changes that allow Justin to get the ball out quickly, while taking advantage of his impressive deep ball skills. 

As he builds momentum, they must allow him to be HIM. He has to take shots down the field, audible when he feels comfortable and lastly; to fail. It’s better for Justin Fields to throw interceptions while trying to push the ball downfield than to sit in a conservative offense that is too frightened of turnovers. 

In 2023, every offense in the National Football League is committing more turnovers. What matters is how well you respond, as well as learn from those mistakes. 

A new quarterback is drafted by a charter franchise of the National Football League. He’s the newest hope in town and fans are hopeful that, finally, the luck of their hometown team is about to change. A year later, as the young quarterback goes through the ups and downs of adjusting to the professional level of play, fans are filled with angst. Some are ready to move on from the young QB and look towards the next draft. Others are urging patience as the young QB grows from these experiences, while some are ignoring the struggles with a certainty that he will be “just fine”. Does any of this ring a bell? It should because it’s been the fans of most NFL franchises over the last three decades. Fans have clamored for the new year’s upcoming draft with the hope that a new quarterback will turn the franchise around. It worked for several franchises: notably the Patriots and Packers (the Pats who drafted Tom Brady and started a dynasty, while the packers moved on from Brett Favre and continued success with Aaron Rodgers).

In this instance, however, these are Chicago Bears fans. A franchise that is not used to exceptional QB play and who do not have a recent history of outstanding players at the quarterback position. So, where are Bears fans now? They find themselves in familiar territory as they wait in anxiety for the young quarterback they selected in the draft to blossom into a star. They’ve grown tired of hoping that their team catches up with the rest of the league and have found themselves at a crossroad: Do they move on from the young QB or do they hold out hope? They’re afraid of failing and for good reason; every (recent) QB they have drafted has been a letdown. Talking about QBs directly with Bears fans is the beginning of a depressing conversation. So we’ll try something different. Let’s play a game: Quarterback 1 has started in twelve NFL games, has thrown 196 completions to 330 attempts. He’s thrown for 2193 passing yards, with an even 7 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. He’s also rushed for 248 rushing yards and ran for 2 touchdowns. Quarterback 2 has also started in twelve NFL games, has thrown for 2061 passing yards on 174 completions to 298 attempts. He’s thrown for 9 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. While also rushing for 468 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Both quarterbacks are facing the question of what they can do in the NFL while also adjusting to the prospect of a new head coach and a new offensive scheme. QB1 has the hopefulness of fans and despite average stats, very few (of the vocal fans) are calling for him to be replaced, even if they aren’t quite sure what to make of him yet. His team has only won 5 games since he’s been drafted but without enough talent around him, it’s hard to judge him just yet, so the fans still have hope in him. QB2, however, is facing calls to be replaced. Since he has been drafted the team has only won 7 games, yet his stats are comparable to the first QB mentioned. He’s thrown the ball less times than the first QB but has more touchdowns (more INTs as well) and has put up yards in both rushing and passing that are similar to the first QB. So, why are there calls for QB2 to be replaced? If you haven’t guessed by now, QB1 mentioned is Mitchell Trubisky during his first season (totaling 12 starts) and QB2 is Justin Fields and his first season and first two games of his second season (totaling 12 starts). Both QBs came into their second year with new coaches and new offenses. Both QBs have achieved similar stats and have been a part of a similar number of wins. So, again, why are there calls for QB2 to be replaced? Before jumping the gun, there are some legitimate reasons for the calls. Some fans are simply afraid of having another young QB fail to live up to their expectations. They’ve lived in the shadow of an anachronistic offense and meandering quarterback for most of their adult lives as fans. They’re afraid that this cycle of player angst will never end. That’s a rational fear to have and you won’t hear a rebuttal from me. So what else is left? I’ll tell you the answer: privilege.

Three years ago today, Mitchell Trubisky torched the Buccaneers for 6 TDs in a 48-10 win for the #Bears.

What I would give to relive this game again… pic.twitter.com/W89JT1Zr85

— Jacob Infante (@jacobinfante24) September 30, 2021

.@justnfields magic 🪄

📺: #SFvsCHI on FOX pic.twitter.com/amaGgbiPm7

— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) September 11, 2022

Before you click away in anger, continue reading. This isn’t a history or ethics lesson on white privilege in everyday society. This is simply a lesson in pro sports privilege. Particularly, white QB vs black QB privilege. In a league that is made up of a majority of people of color (71%) the quarterback position has been dominated by white men. White men at QB are the standard. Those who succeed at the position are noted for their “pocket presence” and ability to “move the ball down field. Their athleticism is not the prime point of focus, it’s their mental and arm strength. Its become such a norm that you expect teams to draft a young white quarterback while black athletes are expected to play a skill position to utilize their talent. Black quarterbacks who are athletic are referred to as “dual-threat” or “mobile” while their counterparts who can be very mobile themselves are not. White QBs are lifted up for their ability to “diagnose” a situation while black QBs are praised for their speed but criticized for failing to “read the field” properly (sometimes warranted, often unwarranted). Justin Fields, unfortunately, has found himself in this same position. His athleticism is unquestioned, people know that he can move outside the pocket, but every other aspect of his game is questioned. The former Ohio State Buckeye, who placed 7th in Heisman voting with notable wins over powerhouse Clemson, was even questioned about his work ethic and love for the game. Despite this, his own former Head Coach at Ohio State, Ryan Day, stated that Justin Fields work ethic was “off the charts”[1]. So, how did we get to this position? Its racism that fuels unconscious biases. Do not be mistaken, these biases don’t stop at white people solely, for these same biases can be found in people of color. Unfortunately, these biases prevent people from taking in the entirety of a young players career. It makes them so certain of the potential and talent of young black QBs while abandoning this same certainty for their white counterparts. This reality will probably always be prevalent in the football zeitgeist. We must, however, do our parts in shedding these biases and allowing young players like Justin Fields, to prove themselves on the field and field alone. If it works out? Great. If it does not? Then you move on but not before each player is given their fair due. Justin Fields is only 12 games in, not even a full season, so sit back and let his game speak for itself.

[1] Phil Harrison, Ryan Day responds to criticism of Justin Fields' work ethic, https://buckeyeswire.usatoday.com/2021/04/02/ryan-day-responds-to-criticism-of-justin-fields-work-ethic/

I want Justin Fields to succeed. Even more so, I want him to be the best player in the league, full stop. I want him to be the Most Valuable Player every year for the next ten years. I want his career stats to make Tom Brady’s look like he was a quarterback for a Pop Warner team. The reasoning behind this is not simply because he’s the Chicago Bears starting QB. In fact, it’s probably not even the primary reason for me. This feeling and wanting is one that I feel deeply about on several levels. I’m a Buckeyes fan and have been since I was a child. They were the first football team I ever watched, in fact, the first football game I can ever remember seeing featured them. It was my birthday on November 21st, 1998, and the Buckeyes (the team in red as I called them) were playing a team with oddly colored blue and yellow striped helmets. I watched in joy as the team in red (that I just found out about) came out with a win. Family and friends around me were mostly annoyed at the Buckeyes winning as a few of them turned out to be fans of that team in the weird colors. Seeing them dislike this team in red incited something in me. This red team seemed like the underdog, and I love underdogs. I immediately became enamored with this “red” team and continued to watch them on Saturdays. To this day, I’m still a fan of that team in red and I can’t stand that team with the oddly colored helmets.

So, what does that mean for my attitude towards Justin Fields? It’s that I want him to succeed more than the average Bears fan does. I remember watching Troy Smith take the football world by storm in 2005 only to fail to attain similar success in the National Football League. The same goes for Terrelle Pryor, Braxton Miller, J.T. Barrett, Cardale Jones. The list is full of players whose careers at tOSU ranged from solid, good, great to legendary like the late and great Dwayne Haskins. I want Justin Fields to rise above the belief that Buckeyes’ QBs can’t succeed in the NFL. On an even deeper level, I want this young black man to succeed. My ethnicity, like everyone else’s, is sacred to me. The waters that my people were forced to cross, the violence we were forced to endure is something that never leaves my mind. My ancestors fought for the right for us to exist and to thrive in spaces we were originally not allowed in. So, when I see black players in fields that are typically dominated by white men, I feel a sense of happiness and otherworldly bias towards them…especially in football. I want to see them do more than be good enough to maintain a starting job. I want to see them compete at the highest levels. I want every black quarterback to compile stats that rival Russell Wilson’s. I want the world to know that black quarterbacks are here to stay, and it is no different for Justin Fields. I’ve watched him since he was at Georgia. Anxious to see how great of a player he would become only to be completely shocked to find him transferring to my favorite school. I watched with glee as he dominated the Big Ten and took the Buckeyes to the College Football Playoff each year he was the starting QB. Even getting them to the National Championship game after a thrilling performance vs. Clemson in the 2020-2021 season.

Wanting him to succeed is an understatement for me. It’s something I hope for every night. After his draft day, I found myself kneeling before God during my nightly prayers and asking Him to bless Justin with the ability to play at the highest level possible. I’m as “obsessed” of a Bears fan as everyone, and I understand the hype and anxiety that Bears fans live with. I might have been blessed with covering this team and following their journey closer than I was before, but this doesn’t take away from what I know at heart; that I love this team to an unhealthy level. That withstanding, what are we to take away from reports at Bears training camp of Justin having an “okay” to “bad” camp? Do we ignore it and assume that its apart of the maturation process? Do we give up hope and call him a bust because that just what we’re used to seeing from the QB position as Bears fans? I say neither.

We treat this with a balanced approach. Yes, in the practices since pads came on, Justin Fields has had good snaps and bad snaps. He’s done well with eluding pressure in the pocket and has improved his footwork tremendously when compared to last year. He’s throwing with even footing and trusting his players to make secure catches. On the other side, he’s tended to hold onto the ball longer than necessary. He’s waited for his primary target to get open when he should be going through his progressions, and he’s had balls repeatedly batted down in camp. The reality is that he is growing as a young QB and there has been some bumps in the road. Having all this information at our disposal should not rush us to panic nor should it rush us to jubilee that the Bears finally have a franchise QB. They might…they also might not. What I do know is this: he has the potential to be a star in this league. His arm strength and accuracy rivals anyone’s in the league and his athleticism is second to only someone like Lamar Jackson. When he’s in the zone, there are very few, if any, defenses that can stop him. The only question remaining is will he rise to the occasion? The answer? Who knows. I’m a small speck of dust, on a blue marble floating in nigh-infinite space. If you’re looking for prophecy, you’re on the wrong site. However, if you’re looking for an honest opinion on the team that we all love, you’ve come to the right place. So, depress the panic button and put a hold on your celebration. Wait and watch for this 23-year old’s career to unfold without unnecessary pressure on yourself. Trust me, it’s better this way.

-          Flows