Six months of offseason excitement turned into high expectations that fueled a swirling wind of uncontrollable hype that propelled the Bears — yes, Bears who went 3-14 just nine months ago — toward the start of the pivotal 2023 season.
Quarterback Justin Fields excited with his legs last season. There’s no doubt that half of Chicago can close their eyes and still see Fields leave the Miami Dolphins in the dust or pass the Detroit Lions on their way to their season-high 1,000-yard rush.
Fields’ superhuman playmaking ability has allowed Bears fans to dream about what might come next. General Manager Ryan Bowles, head coach Matt Eberflus, and offensive coordinator Luke Gitsi see potential and potential. They know what fields it can be when fully implemented.
Those beliefs, along with the hopes of a starved fanbase for quarterbacks, the acquisition of wide receiver DJ Moore, and a supposedly rejuvenated offensive line, have placed high expectations on the Bears’ third-year quarterback.
Fields would enter the season among the top 10 favorites on the scoreboard. Fields was absolutely amazing with the ball in his hands last season. When they see the light of day, everyone holds their breath. But he also averaged 12 completions and 149 yards per game last season.
The 2022 Bears have attempted the third-fewest number of passes of any NFL team since 1980. They did so despite being behind in a large portion of their games. No matter how great Fields is, the Bears have told you what they think of his ability to win his arm. Part of that is down to a dreadful offensive line and a bunch of players with non-electric skills, but if the Bears thought Fields could get them back in games, they would have let him try.
MVP hopes are high. I think Fields has that kind of ability in his arms and legs. If he fails in the NFL, it won’t be because he doesn’t have the talent. It would be because he found himself in the worst possible position to start a career in the NFL, and sometimes even the most elite talent can’t pull you out of the hole fate has put you in.
dread it. run away from him Reality arrives all the same.
For The Fields and the 2023 Bears, the truth is that this campaign probably won’t bring a giant leap to greatness. This applies to the hopeful quarterback and roster of what really amounts to the first year of rebuilding after the breakup campaign.
Can fields be cool? Can he become an MVP-level quarterback? He has that in him, yeah. Sportsmanship is elite. Sometimes, he’ll throw a laser or drop a penny 50 yards into a bucket, and your jaw will drop. You can really see where it all comes together, but we’re still at the beginning of this road, and we’re nowhere near the end.
Bears need the fields to take a step or two forward as a passerby. Overseas prospects may be hovering near the International Space Station. There’s excitement inside Halas Hall about Fields leading the offense as a sophomore and the leap he can make. But expectations are measured. You can’t run before you walk.
“Just to keep getting better,” General Manager Ryan Bowles said when asked about his expectations for Fields. “I want the sacks numbers down, the interceptions down, the good reads to go down, the protection himself, just to see him take the next step.”
Fields threw for 2,242 yards last season while completing 60.4 percent of his passes. He said he can throw for 4,000 yards this season. That would be a huge leap. If Fields can raise his completion percentage to close to 65, get better at making easy throws, and throw between 3,000 and 3,400 yards, it would be a great sign that the Bears have found their long-range solution under center.
Shooting 3,000 or 35,000 yards is a good target before shooting more than 4,000 yards. Fields should show better pocket presence, make faster decisions, and trust what he sees to fly.
There has been a lot of talk about Fields following the path of Jalen Hurts. On a large scale, this is true. But in 2021, Hurts threw for 3,144 yards while completing 61.3 percent of his passes. Those numbers jumped to 3,701 and 66.5 in the Super Bowl runner-up season. Hurts entered a better position, but Fields has more natural talent. Asking fields to go from 2,200 yards to over 4,000 yards is a tall order.
It’s okay to have MVP dreams at Fields. There is a reality where it all comes together, and takes off. But going from below average as a passer to a good passer is a necessary step before climbing into the NFL’s top 10.
The 2023 Bears find themselves in the same position as the team.
The Poles have injected so much talent into the roster that he’s unbuttoned. Only 11 players remain from the previous regime. The rest are Polish guys. Midfielders Tremaine Edmonds and TJ Edwards feature. Defensive sides Yannick Ngakoye and DeMarcus Walker. Right guard Nate Davis and first-round right tackle Darnell Wright make up the fresh-looking right side of the Bears offensive line that fits the “bad” Poles mold.
The NFC North is wide open with the departure of Aaron Rodgers. The conference has three good teams — the Eagles, 49ers, and Cowboys — and a bunch of cooked spinach. yeah.
There is talk of the Bears getting a Wild Card berth or winning the NFC North.
A defense that could be described as dog food in 2022 declares that it will be dominant in 2023.
Again, going from corrupt to respectable is a necessary step before jumping to the original.
The Bears’ 2023 roster is day and night compared to what was presented at Soldier Field for the opener in 2022.
These bears Will be better.
Division is the goal every year. Yes, the NFC North is open with Rodgers now based in New Jersey. But the Detroit Lions have a better overall roster, the Green Bay Packers just need Jordan Love to suffice, and the Minnesota Vikings still have more than enough firepower.
The Bears are a team with seven or eight wins. A huge leap from the fields could get them nine wins. But what this rebuilding process needs is efficiency on both sides of the ball. This team full of Polish men chosen for their scheme and apt attitude must fit together and show that the grand vision, on his assessment, will succeed.
We must see that these players – Edmunds, Wright, Tyrek Stephenson, Davis, Kyler Gordon, Jaquan Brisker, etc. – are the winning players this crew can take to the next level and, in doing so, raise the Bears to the next level. The land of the eternal competitor.
Perhaps the Bears will speed up, take advantage of a softer schedule, and surprise everyone on their way to a six-game turnaround. It has happened before.
However, such lofty expectations can lead to needless disappointment.
The Bears will win more games in 2023. There should be no doubt about that.
But the finish number in the win column is not the most important. The collection the Poles have put together should take to the square every Sunday and give you the feeling that things make sense, and that although a few pieces are needed, the man who pushes the buttons presses the right ones.
Defense in progress will likely remain a work in progress. The offensive line may need more revamping. But the pieces must make sense. The big swings on Edmonds, Wright, Stephenson, Davis, and Jervon Dexter should mostly pay off and not make you question the logic that drove the bears into those moves.
Having high expectations is not a bad thing. Hope means you can feel change coming. But this does not mean that he will arrive tomorrow.
victories. dominance. best player.
All of this may come for Fields and the Bears in the future. But they have to walk before they can run or fly.
For Justin Fields and the 2023 Bears team, don’t let expectations cloud the success of the necessary progress forward. Because if bears take these not-so-amazing steps in 2023, it’s only fair to let those lofty predictions run wild in 2024.
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(tags for translation) Bears Insider