Teammates Say They Have Justin Fields' Back

Not a down has been played, so talk is cheap yet but Chicago Bears teammates say they have full confidence in Justin Fields' ability to win his first NFL start over a strong Cleveland Browns team on the road.

Bears tight end Cole Kmet might do some extra running after practice to make sure he's in better shape because Justin Fields is starting at quarterback.

"Well, with Justin there's a play that's called and then there's the second play that turns into kind of some back(yard) football," Kmet said. "You've just got to be aware of that.

"The scramble drill is really alive now with Justin and he's going to keep his eyes downfield for those throws."

The Bears saw what Fields does on the run against Tennessee in preseason when he drilled a perfect throw on the run for a touchdown pass to Jesper Horsted near the sideline in the end zone.

The Bears are about to enter a bold new world of football with extra dimensions beyond the X's and O's in the playbook and they'll have to be prepared. Fields already is.

"I think I'm ready," Fields said. "I've been preparing for this moment for a long time."

The fact it's because of injury doesn't matter as much as the goal.

'My mindset doesn't change," Fields said. "I'm still going to have to play my football and just prepare the best I can."

Teammates have seen how ready Fields is in a few instances during preseason and during his spot play, as well as with the scout team.

"He makes plays in practice," wide receiver Marquise Goodwin said. "I mean, he goes against our No. 1 defense every day and you see what they did on Sunday.

"I've seen him make plays in practice. I know he's definitely prone to make some throughout this week's game."

Fields brought energy to Soldier Field when he played last week, and Goodwin said the team felt it when fans picked up. This week it will be different.

"He brings different elements, so I'm excited to see how it will be being an away game this time and not being at home," Goodwin said.

Fields said it likely will require going on silent counts because of the crowd noise. How he'll handle it remains to be seen. Last week he was called twice for moving his body back too much, a false start penalty for simulating the start of a play.

There's also the problem of facing a pass rush with two strong edge rushers in Jadeveon Clowney and Myles Garrett.

"Of course, those guys are game-changers," Fields said. "They're great players. We're definitely going to have something set for them."

Last week Fields only threw for 60 yards and completed 6 of 13 with a fumble that he recovered, and also a key interception thrown. Those numbers didn't diminish the bottom line.

"Just him coming in and being so poised, he wasn't, like, flustered or anything," Bears defensive tackle Mario Edwards said. "He was put in some difficult situations and he was a pro about it, and he came out with the W."

It is different getting thrown into a game when you haven't taken all the first-team snaps in practice. Now he's part of the game plan. He's also not going to be approaching the start with a case of rookie nerves, if what teammates have seen of him holds true.

"At the end of the day, he's a football player, regardless of if he's a rookie or not," Goodwin said. "So, I mean, I don't think he's approaching it like, 'This is my very first start, a lot of pressure.'

"I think he's approaching it like, 'Hey, I'm a football player. It's a game I've been playing since I was a little boy. I'm just gonna go out there and execute and have fun.' That's what I'm thinking. I'm pretty sure that's what's in his mind, too."

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