Justin Fields' press conference Wednesday at Halas Hall was unlike any other he's conducted since being drafted by the Bears last year.
The second-year quarterback was reflective and transparent, delving deeper into his thoughts than he's ever done before in front of the media. Fields detailed why Sunday night's loss to the Packers hurt more than other defeats he's experienced and how it has changed his approach this week. He also addressed a statement he made in Green Bay that blew up on social media after it was taken out of context.
"I am just kind of testing the waters a little bit," Fields told reporters. "I want to show you guys more personality. I don't want to be a robot up here … I just have to be more descriptive [with] my words and really just describe what I'm trying to say. I mean, I could be up here and be like, 'yes, we're going to do this and that,' and just be a robot. But I try to show my personality to the world, try to show my personality to you guys, to show that I am a real person and, yes, I do make mistakes."
Fields showed that he's "a real person" when he revealed that he was mad and frustrated following Sunday night's defeat in Green Bay and that "it hit different than all the losses last year."
"Well, first it was the Packers, and then it was just the emotional investment that you put in every day," Fields said. "It just sucks losing. I've never liked losing. Even as a little kid, my dad used to be playing me in basketball in the backyard, I used to cry a lot when I lost. I don't like losing at all. It just doesn't sit right with me."
Falling to the Packers has provided Fields with additional motivation as he prepares for Sunday's game against the Texans at Soldier Field. The Bears quarterback said he's been waking up about 5:45 a.m. this week instead of the usual 6:45 or 7 a.m. and watching more film.
"I'm trying to change up my routine a little bit," Fields said, "just trying to get in as much work as possible just knowing that I can't do anything more than prepare for this game mentally and physically."
Fields also delivered a message to any Bears fans who may have felt slighted after one of his post-game quotes was taken out of context. When asked after losing to the Packers if the game hurt more because of the rivalry and its importance to fans, he said that it hurt more in the locker room because the players are the ones who put in the work.
On Wednesday, Fields brought up the situation unsolicited.
"I was mad after the game," he said. "I'd like to address this now to get everything cleared up. There was a thing I said on Sunday after the game where I said the fans don't put in work. First off, I was frustrated after the game. No. 1, I didn't want to talk to you guys. I wasn't in the mood to come and talk to you guys.
"So I should have done a better job of explaining what I meant by that. What I meant by that is I'm talking about work regarding the game on Sunday, winning the game. I don't know any fans. I don't know what they're doing in their personal lives. I respect every fan that we have. I'm glad that we have fans. I would never disrespect anybody on what they do or what they love to do. It came off like that.
"Some social media outlets, they quoted my quote and they got a big buzz out of it. They did a great job doing that. Social media is going to do that. But I just wanted to clear that up."
Fields also shared his thoughts on other topics:
• He didn't view attempting only 11 passes against the Packers as an indication the coaching staff doesn't trust him.
"No, I don't think so," Fields said. "Our run game did a great job on Sunday. Not at all."
The Bears rushed for 180 yards and one touchdown on 27 carries, an average of 6.7 yards per attempt. Running back David Montgomery ran for 122 yards on 15 carries, the third most productive outing of his four-year NFL career. Khalil Herbert added 38 yards on four attempts.
• While coach Matt Eberflus said Wednesday there's "always going to be input from the quarterback" before, during and after games, Fields said that he has not spoken to offensive coordinator Luke Getsy about throwing more passes.
"No, I haven't," Fields said. "I mean, I have a say into what pass plays I like, what concepts I like. But in terms of when we're going to call a play, how many passes, how many runs we're going to call, that's Luke's job and everybody in the building knows that Luke knows what he's doing. We put full trust in him knowing that he's going to put us in the best position to win."
• Fields hopes the Bears start as quickly against the Texans as they did versus the Packers, but this time sustain that success. In Green Bay, the offense scored its lone touchdown of the game on its first possession as Fields capped a 7-play, 71-yard drive with a 3-yard run.
"We had a good start last Sunday," he said. "Just sustaining that start and playing like that for four quarters."
Fields said that what bothered him most against the Packers was "just the little mistakes that we had, false starts and really it was just not really finding a rhythm. So it's kind of just getting in that rhythm and putting everything together and making sure we make the least amount of mistakes possible."
The Bears returned to the practice fields at Halas Hall Wednesday afternoon to continue preparing for Sunday's matchup with the Houston Texans at Soldier Field.