Bears QB Justin Fields knows something has to change: 'Not playing like myself'

The answer to what is wrong with Justin Fields is simple and not too promising for the Chicago Bears: It's everyone and everything.

The Bears came into the season with a little buzz, but that's completely gone after two games. They look like the worst team in football after an 0-2 start. They have more laughable social media clips of embarrassing plays than the rest of the league combined. The scheme is bad, and Fields has been bad, too.

On Wednesday, in one of the more honest media conferences you'll see a quarterback give, Fields said he wants to go back to what works for him. Interpret Fields' comments however you wish, but he seemed to be saying that the Bears' coaching has caused him to overthink the game.

"I felt like I wasn't playing my game. Felt like I was robotic. Not playing like myself," Fields told the Chicago media. "My goal this week is to say, 'Eff it,' and play football how I know to play football."

After practice, Fields elaborated, saying he wasn't blaming the coaches.

"I’m never going to blame anything on coaches, never going to blame anything on my teammates," Fields said, per WGN's Kaitlin Sharkey. "I will take every — whatever happens in a game — I will take all the blame. I don’t care if it’s a dropped pass, it should have been a pass. Put it on me."

Whatever the issues with Fields and the Bears' offense, something has to change.

Justin Fields wants to play off instincts

In the second half of last season, Fields was a revelation. He almost broke the NFL's single-season rushing record for a quarterback. There was a lot of room for him to grow as a passer, but there was also a lot to be excited about. That ramped up after the Bears added star receiver DJ Moore by trading the first pick of this year's draft.

Through two games this season, however, Fields has been bad. He has a 70.7 passer rating, which isn't good enough for any starting quarterback. He has 62 rushing yards. His rushing average per game is less than half of what it was last season.

Everyone has some blame in it. Fields hasn't progressed as a passer. The coaching staff isn't playing to Fields' strengths. Teammates such as Chase Claypool were called out for lack of effort. Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Lavonte David said the defense "knew what was coming" on a key pick 6 that practically ended the game, which is not a good look for the Bears' coaching staff.

Fields' solution focuses on himself, though with an interesting subplot of perhaps suggesting that the coaches are overloading him.

"That includes thinking less and going out there and playing off instincts, rather than so much info in my head, data in my head, and going out there and playing football," Fields said.

Fields said he wasn't "playing free" and promised to change that.

"I'm going to go out there and be me," he said.

He was asked what was causing him to think so much on the field.

"Um, you know, it could be, you know, coaching, I think," Fields said. "But at the end of the day, they're doing their job when they're giving me what to look at and stuff like that. But at the end of the day, I can't be thinking about that when the game comes. I prepare myself throughout the week, and then when the game comes, it's time to play free at that point."

Fields' challenge as a quarterback

Playing NFL quarterback is very difficult. Coaches are proud of putting in 100 hours and sleeping at the office, and their over-preparation makes the game complicated on both sides of the ball. Defenses today are more complex than ever, and a quarterback needs to be prepared for every possibility.

The problem is when you're preparing for every possibility, it can be overwhelming. Fields indicated that has been his problem through two games.

"You're trying to process so much information to where it's like, if I just simplified it in my mind, I would have done this," Fields said. "I saw a few plays Sunday to where, if I was playing like my old self, we would have had a positive play."

It's hard to know what will break Fields out of his slump. He needs to make progress as a passer, but how the Bears are trying to get there with him isn't working. But can Fields make the significant progress he needs as a passer if he remains an instinctual, improvisational player?

It's difficult to develop a quarterback and develop as a quarterback. That's why so many QBs don't reach their best possible career outcomes. Fields is just two games into his third season. It's too early to make conclusions about what he'll be as an NFL player. But he and the Bears can't keep doing what they've been doing and expect better results. Fields understands that.