Justin Fields and the Bears have gotten off to a cataclysmic start in 2023 and the quarterback appeared to point the finger when talking to reporters Wednesday. When addressing the team’s latest loss against the Buccaneers, he talked about how he felt “robotic” on the field and that he wasn’t playing his game. He added that he’s at his best when he’s playing off of instinct and not thinking too much.
Then he was asked why he was thinking so much and he emphatically said “coaching.”
“They’re doing their job when they’re giving me what to look at, stuff like that,” Fields said. “But at the end of the day, I can’t be thinking about that when the game comes.”
Here's the full video of Justin Fields talking today to the media about his struggles and what he needs to get back to doing, along with his full explanation on "coaching" potentially being part of the issue.
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) September 20, 2023
Fields opened up... https://t.co/18iViHWfoj pic.twitter.com/37ocE7e7zQ
He added that if he was playing like his “old self” against Tampa Bay there would have been significant improvements. The former first-round draft pick was mercilessly ripped by the NFL world after his team’s 27–17 loss Sunday where he threw two interceptions including a pick-six. He also took six sacks, fumbled the ball twice and completed just 55% of his passes.
Just hours after making his initial comments, Fields addressed reporters in the Bears locker room where he walked back on his comments, saying, “I’m not blaming anything on the coaches.” He also appeared to accuse reporters of not reporting his entire quote and not giving context.
“Never will you hear anything come out of my mouth to where I’ll blame it on somebody else,” Fields said.
Justin Fields wanted to speak to the media again inside the locker room following his comments on #Bears coaching earlier. @GNSportsTV @WGNTV pic.twitter.com/vG2kU3QDGb
— Kaitlin Sharkey (@KRoseSharkey) September 20, 2023
Chicago has started the year 0–2 and they’ll now travel to Arrowhead Stadium to face the Chiefs in Week 3. Hopefully for Fields, it doesn’t get any uglier than it already has. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:25 p.m. ET on Fox.
