In the Bears quarterbacks room, there is a mini basketball hoop mounted on the wall. When Darnell Mooney attended a QB meeting for the first time during training camp, Justin Fields immediately handed the third-year wideout the ball to start shooting.
Instead of starting the meeting, Fields challenged Mooney to a game of "HORSE." Although Mooney had no idea where to shoot from, Fields didn't take it easy on him and beat his receiver. Mooney sees that competitive nature from Fields every day, whether it's at practice or in meetings; Fields just doesn't back down.
Luke Getsy also sees that non-stop drive every day. The Bears' offensive coordinator says that's what fuels Fields' ability to bounce back after a tough practice or a missed play.
"He's a competitive dude, man," Getsy said. "You get in that film room, and you can see the hunger, you can see the fight. That's part of our job is to make sure he has clarity through all that. He has that competitive edge that you need to play in this league, especially at this position. We just need to make sure that when we finish those meetings, there's clarity in where he can get progressively better."
Getsy has seen Fields take those lessons from meetings and apply them on the field every day. The constant progression is how Getsy knows his quarterback is right where he should be with the Bears' new offense.
Coach Matt Eberflus has incorporated a lot of situational football into the early training camp practices, causing Fields to think and make decisions on the fly instead of scripting everything out. Part of what has enhanced Fields' progression is the way he takes the game-like experience and applies it right away in the team's nightly walkthroughs.
"It's the intent," Getsy said. "It's the passion that you can just feel from someone when you're sitting in the room with them and you're talking through your responsibilities. It's not like Justin is this outspoken guy that makes everyone let him know what he's saying, but he lets you feel what he's feeling, and he communicates really well in that room. So, where he's going, I feel really good about where he can grow as the leader of this football team."
While Fields often leads with his display of work ethic and focus, he's more than willing to speak up when necessary. Receiver Byron Pringle said Fields has gotten on him for lining up in the wrong spot. When a play goes wrong in practice, Fields often pulls teammates aside and gets them back on the same page before the next play.
Getsy is also pleased with how Fields handles the natural ups and downs of learning a new system. While he knows his quarterback has high expectations for himself and the unit, Getsy doesn't see Fields internalizing any of it. He knows Fields understands the mistakes and successes are just part of the process.
"I think he feels like we're getting better," Getsy said. "I think we all do. I think we're getting better every single day, and it shows up. When we watch the film, we can see how close we are. But being close isn't good enough. He has that competitive edge to where he's trying to help his teammates along."
