Wondering about a player, a past game or another issue involving the Bears? Senior writer Larry Mayer answers a variety of questions from fans on ChicagoBears.com.
Following one of Justin Fields' runs Sunday, he ended up near Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel. McDaniel said something that caused Fields to smile. Do you know what McDaniel said to him?
Eric H.
Hong Kong
After one of his many runs took Justin Fields out of bounds on the Dolphins sideline, Miami coach Mike McDaniel told the Bears quarterback to "stop it." As you probably know, Fields rushed for 178 yards, the most ever by a quarterback in an NFL regular-season game. McDaniel was asked about his comment to Fields Monday and joked: "I just wanted him to stop scrambling and it was pretty irritating because he didn't listen at all. He didn't take the coaching." Fields had eight runs of at least 10 yards, the most by a player this season, including a spectacular 61-yard TD. More good stuff from McDaniel: "I think Justin is really starting to get a feel for when he can utilize his full scale of gifts and he's making plays more and more and becoming more and more difficult to defend. So at that stage of the game, I figured no one had asked him to stop it, so I gave it a try. I think other coaches can learn from my experience that he does not listen, so rely on other tactics."
How many quarterbacks have rushed for more than 1,000 yards in a season?
Paul T.
Evansville, Indiana
Only two quarterbacks have accomplished that feat. The first was Michael Vick, who ran for 1,039 yards on 123 carries in 2006. Lamar Jackson has done it twice, running for 1,206 yards on 176 attempts in 2019 and 1,005 yards on 159 carries in 2020. Jackson and the Bears' Justin Fields are both on pace to top 1,000 yards rushing this year. Entering Week 10, Jackson leads NFL quarterbacks in rushing with 635 yards on 88 carries, while Fields is second (and 11th overall among all players) with 602 yards on 91 attempts. The single-season rushing record by a Bears quarterback is 968 yards on 141 carries, set by Bobby Douglass in 1972 when the regular season was just 14 games.
I was really impressed with Chase Claypool, coming into a new system with little time to prepare. Is this the new norm when learning a playbook a player is expected to be ready this quickly?
Andy W.
United Kingdom
It's not the new norm at all. I was very surprised that Chase Claypool was able to digest enough of the playbook in less than a week and play 26 snaps against the Dolphins. It says a lot about his football intelligence and dedication. He told reporters after the game that he spent 6-7 hours a day studying the playbook. Said coach Matt Eberflus: "I thought it was good for him to be able to operate in that short amount of time to get those plays down. We had a lot of plays in there for him." Tight end Cole Kmet also was impressed with how quickly Claypool was ready to play, saying: "I can't imagine. We've been learning this offense since back in April and you come in on five days, six days, and try and really get a whole game plan. He played a lot of plays, given he's just been here for a little bit."