QB Justin Fields, Bears seem to be building a winning culture
The Bears are 3-8, but they apparently are developing a winning culture in the locker room, starting with second-year quarterback Justin Fields.
On Tuesday, Sports Illustrated senior NFL reporter Albert Breer tweeted about Fields’ postgame address to the team following the loss to Atlanta on Sunday. In the locker room, Fields took responsibility, saying the defense gave Chicago a chance to win.
Under the previous regime of head coach Matt Nagy and GM Ryan Pace, the Bears were defined by a lack of accountability and disorganization. There were reports of players wanting the head coach gone, a lack of transparency over who was calling plays and even a no-show at postseason exit meetings.
In the offseason, Chicago hired Ryan Poles as GM and Matt Eberflus as head coach to fix those issues. As defensive coordinator in Indianapolis, Eberflus had been praised for his disciplined culture and management skills.
In the previous four games before playing Atlanta, the Bears had scored 29 or more points. Despite those strong offensive performances, the Bears went 1-3 largely because of a lackluster defense that is 30th in points allowed in the NFL.
The Bears were down by three when the offense got the ball with 1:47 left and three timeouts. Atlanta sealed the win, however, on an interception of Fields, who overthrew running back David Montgomery.
Fields, who threw for 153 yards and rushed for 85, suffered a dislocated left shoulder during the game, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.
Fields taking accountability is a striking contrast to Jets QB Zach Wilson’s embarrassing inability to do the same.
The Bears may have a shortage of talent, but they appear to be building a winning culture under the Poles-Eberflus regime.
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