LAKE FOREST, Ill. (670 The Score) — On the first play from scrimmage Sunday, Bears quarterback Justin Fields ran to his left, slid to Soldier Field turf and took a hit from Lions linebacker Jack Campbell.
Bears head coach Matt Eberflus pleaded for a penalty flag to be thrown for a late hit, and Fields hoped for the call as well. But there was no flag thrown – on that particular hit nor on any others of Fields in the game. That continued a frustrating trend for Fields, who doesn't seem to receive the same sort of protection from officials as other quarterbacks do.
“I’m very active on that,” Eberflus said Monday. “I’m always in (the officials’) ear about that. Because protecting the quarterbacks in this league is big. Those guys are the league. So, it’s important that we do that and we continue to do that. If you have a guy who’s a runner, he slides down like that, we got to protect him. I wasn’t happy about that first one. I let them know about it. It’s just not the right thing to do. We just got to make sure we take care of our quarterbacks.”
The Bears will turn in that first play to the league for review, Eberflus said. Previously, they've sent in other examples of what they believe were obvious late hits on Fields.
In the Bears' 28-13 win Sunday, Fields went 19-of-33 for 233 yards and a touchdown. He added 12 rushes for 58 yards and a score while playing turnover-free football.
The Bears know that Fields is a large, fast, physically gifted quarterback, and that can seem to work against him on such plays. Center Lucas Patrick was among the teammates who were quick to Fields’ defense in skirmishes Sunday.
“We don’t like it when he gets those extra hits,” Patrick said. “We try to run up there and get there. We’re just not as fast as he does. Not everybody runs a 4.3 (40-yard dash time) like he does.”
Throughout his three NFL seasons, Fields has made pleas for greater protection from late hits. Those calls seem to have gone unanswered.
Now, it’s the Bears asking on behalf of Fields to gain greater protection from late hits.
“They should just treat him fair,” safety Jaquan Brisker said. “He is a quarterback. I know he’s 230 (pounds) and he’s running a 4.3, but it doesn’t really matter. He’s a quarterback and you have to protect him. It’s disappointing. Obviously, the other team is being told to do dirty stuff after the play, hitting him a certain way. It’s obviously being told by how they have treated him the last couple of weeks. A lot of shots to the head. It's very disappointing seeing a guy like that take hits like that.
“One of those hits, God forbid, could be something very bad. I think the league needs to get on that and notice that. It’s bad."
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago’s sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.