Justin Fields gets backhanded praise from NFL analyst - “He shuts the hell up”
Justin Fields has been in a difficult situation with the Chicago Bears since being selected in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft. The franchise has been going through a full rebuild of its roster, so Fields has had little to work with in each of the last two seasons. The Bears featured some of the weakest offensive weapons and the worst offensive lines in the entire NFL.
NFL analyst Kyle Brandt, who is from the Chicago area, recently appeared on an episode of Good Morning Football to praise Fields for the way he's handled being in this challenging scenario:
"I represent the 847 north suburbs. I represent them all day long. It is the smart thing to do with how they're treating Justin Fields. And you know what? Damn it, it's the right thing to do. I understand from the second that Justin Fields has become a Chicago Bear, he's basically been run over by the team bus, over and over and over again.
"If you're familiar with the punishment that he has taken in the first two years as a Bear, and we're not even showing it. This is morning television. It's a family show, as they say. We're not showing that stuff to you. He has been demolished. He has been a crash test dummy. He's been a rodeo clown. He has been a speed bump.
"And never once, never once has he so much as been thrown off guard or spiked the football or pointed at a lineman he plays with. He shuts the hell up and he goes behind an offensive line that is not suited to protect him and targets that are not suited to guard him."
What do you make of the Bears faith in Justin Fields?
"It is the smart thing to do... And you know what, it's the right thing to do..."
@KyleBrandt https://t.co/Mo6OLzSUUp
Justin Fields received credit for never publicly complaining or showing visible signs of frustration with his team, though it likely would have been justified if he did. His attitude and leadership, as well as his statistical progress in his second season, are likely one of the reasons why the Bears seem to believe in him.
Justin Fields made a huge leap in year two with the Bears
Despite the lack of legitimate offensive weapons and an offensive line capable of protecting him, Justin Fields made significant progress during the 2022 NFL season as compared to his rookie year. While his passing numbers improved in just about every category, it was really his incredible rushing statistics that broke out in a huge way.
After recording a solid 420 rushing yards in ten games during his rookie year, he exploded for 1,143 rushing yards in 15 games last season. He also led all NFL players with an excellent 7.1 yards per carry in one of the best rushing seasons by any quarterback ever.