The rookie season for Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields wasn’t the best as the former Ohio State standout struggled in then-head coach Matt Nagy’s offense in 2021. From the start it felt like Fields was playing from behind as he was the backup to Andy Dalton.
Now, Fields is speaking out more about the previous year and he may have taken a shot at the former head coach and the culture with the Bears. In a recent interview with Fox News Digital, Fields told Ryan Gaydos of the culture the Bears had last season was a problem:
“We’re kinda just trying to re-culture or getting the culture in the building. I don’t think our culture was the best culture last year.”
That’s an understandable statement from a sophomore quarterback who saw his first season end with Nagy’s ouster. Fields himself struggled in Nagy’s offense, throwing only seven touchdowns to 10 interceptions. Fields also played in a scheme that got him hit a lot as the Bears gave up a league-high of 58 sacks in 2021.
The team looked out of sync for the duration of the year. And while Nagy and the team tried to spin that the locker room was fine, Fields is dropping a clear hint the morale under Nagy was lacking. Signs of trouble in Halas Hall were evident when Fields complemented offensive coordinator Bill Lazor taking over playcalling duties from Nagy.
Nagy, to his credit, took the high road in the pair’s relationship, praising the young quarterback, saying in an interview with Kyle Brandt that Fields would be a “star” in the NFL.
Eberflus, implementing the H.I.T.S. principle, seems to be rebuilding the culture that was lacking under previous leadership.
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