(Audacy) Wednesday was quite the day at Halas Hall. Bears quarterback Justin Fields mentioned coaching as a factor for his overthinking on the field, and that was only the tip of the iceberg.
670 The Score’s David Haugh and Dan Wiederer of the Audacy original podcast Take The North reacted to Fields’ quotes that were a mess of his own making on Wednesday.
“Justin Fields, you’re not in Columbus anymore,” Haugh said (33:18 in player above). “I understand it’s tough. I understand you feel you were taken out of context. But today was another day in the development and the education of a young quarterback.
“This was a mess of his own making. It doesn’t mean that he was necessarily wrong, but you got to understand that if you call out your coaches at a press conference at Halas Hall in the Chicago market – you don’t whisper to anybody in Chicago – it’s going to be loud and it’s going to be noisy and you better own it. And if you don’t, you’re not going to be here very long.”
The 24-year-old Fields stepped in a touchy area during his press conference Wednesday.
“It could be coaching, I think,” Fields said when asked about why he has been overthinking. “But at the end of the day, they’re doing their job when they give me what to look at. But at the end of the day, I can’t be thinking about that when the game comes. I prepare myself throughout the week. When the game comes, it’s time to play free at that point. Just thinking less and playing more.”
After practiced ended, Fields called reporters back to his locker to clarify his previous comments.
“I’m not blaming anything on the coaches," Fields said. "I’m never going to blame anything on the coaches. I’m never going to blame anything on my teammates. … Never will you hear that. So, I just wanted to clear that up. Just know that I need to play better. Point blank. That’s it.”
Fields may have put his foot in his mouth, but it's also fair to wonder if the Bears are doing enough to help bring him along.
“This is one other point that the executive I talked to today said,” Wiederer reported. “They said, ‘Is anyone in there helping him?’”
“Bingo,” Haugh exclaimed.
“Is anyone in there getting him to the podium to allow him to understand which landmines not to step on?” Wiederer continued. “Which traps not to step on?"
This drama in Chicago couldn’t come at a worse time, with the 0-2 Bears visiting the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs (1-1) on Sunday.