Chicago Bears: Getsy Doesn't Feel Fields Had A Rough Month

Despite what the numbers say, Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Luke Getsy doesn’t feel Justin Fields had a rough time in the first month of the season.

The Chicago Bears are preparing to start the second month of the season. They went 2-2 in September. That was better than what many experts expected. In fact, not many of them expected more than three wins all season.

Despite what some fans with rose-colored glasses think, this Chicago Bears team isn’t built to contend for a playoff spot. Winning two games already is big for them. However, there are still a number of concerns with this roster. They have to play hard and not make any mistakes just to have a chance at winning games. It won’t be a pretty sight, but that’s what we need to expect from this team.

One of those concerns, perhaps the greatest one, is the development of quarterback Justin Fields. He carries the hopes of a new era in Chicago Bears football on his shoulders. The Bears have been looking for their franchise quarterback. They feel they found him in Fields.

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Fields has a rough first month

Having all that hope and expectations means everything Fields says and does is scrutinized. For example, after the loss to the Green Bay Packers, a reporter asked him a question about who hurts more after another frustrating loss to their most hated rival — the fans or the players.

Fields answered the question honestly and simply. Of course it hurts the players more because they put all their blood, sweat, and tears into every game. They are the ones who put in all the work to pull out a win.

Yes, the fans are important, but they just sit there and watch games. They are not in on the game plan, and they don’t practice with the players.

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However, that answer caused a revolt among some fans. It grew so much that Fields basically had to clarify a statement that was already clear. It was an apology without officially calling it an apology.

Of more importance is what happened on the field. The numbers say that he is struggling. So far this season, among qualified quarterbacks he ranks dead last in touchdown passes, pass attempts, completion percentage, passing yards per game, interception percentage, and passer rating. In fact, he has a passer rating of 58.7 while no other qualified quarterback has one lower than 70.

In a season whose main priority is developing Fields, the numbers say he is having a rough time.

Getsy disagrees with popular opinion and numbers

Looking at those numbers the overwhelming sentiment is that Fields is struggling.

However, Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Luke Getsy disagrees with that. He doesn’t feel that Fields had a rough month, despite evidence to the contrary.

I don’t think he’s had a rough month. I think he’s gotten better each week. I think he’s growing tremendously. And you know, it’s not easy. We’re playing good football teams, and it’s not easy to become the level of quarterback that he wants to become, and I know that he can become. The important thing is that we stay focused, keep our eyes on that progress or on that process and we make sure we get better each and every week, and I believe that we’re in that phase.

Getsy understands that everyone wants to talk about Fields’ development. However, he says they have others they have to evaluate and see what everyone on the field does.

It’s all good. This is a process for all 11. There’s so many factors going into what’s going on around Justin, and to just sit here and say, ‘Oh, we’re only focused on is this guy going to be the guy or not,’ that’s literally not even on my mind or I don’t think that’s on anybody’s mind in this building.

That is an interesting quote. It basically says that the struggles are not all on Fields. That is an admission that the Chicago Bears front office, led by general manager Ryan Poles, didn’t surround Fields with a lot of talent.

Chicago’s offensive line has given up 16 sacks already and Fields has been pressured on 45 percent of his dropbacks. Additionally, his receiving targets have struggled to gain some separation. That makes it difficult for Fields to complete passes.

What Getsy said is as close to an admission as we’ll get from the Chicago Bears brass that Fields needs more around him. While many people have speculated that this new regime might not be all in on Fields. With this statement, perhaps that speculation is wrong.

As we’ve mentioned far too many times to count, Poles has all of his eggs in the 2023 basket. If Fields can survive the onslaught this season, he will be in good shape for the next.