Justin Fields Makes Presence Felt

Coach Matt Eberflus sees his QB starting to play like he's comfortable with the offense.

Bears coach Matt Eberflus is starting to see it.

Teammates are seeing it.

Bears fans have wanted to see it for a while and kept thinking they did, but to no avail.

Justin Fields is getting comfortable with the team's offense and with playing in the NFL. Where this can lead is in quite the opposite direction of where many skeptics and analytical websites saw the Bears quarterback going only a few weeks ago. 

"You can feel Justin comfortable where he is right now in the offense," Eberflus said on Monday. "He's taking command. I can see him in practice, and I've seen in the last couple weeks–him taking control of route depths and talking to receivers: 'Hey, I want you to run it this way. Run it that way.'

"Whatever the detail is he's right there on top of it and he's been growing in that way, and that's been really good."

TICKETS TO SEE JUSTIN FIELDS AND BEARS AVAILABLE FROM SI TICKETS

Field's best day as a passer this year occurred Sunday in the loss to Minnesota, when he went 15 of 21 for 208 yards with a touchdown and a passer rating of 118.8, his career-high rating. The 15 of 21 was also a career-high percentage (71.4%).

After the game, Fields described how he's feeling.

"I mean it's just like just trying to stay calm," he said. "I think when I first got here, you'd see big guys flying around, D-linemen going fast. Like, you just think you have to speed everything up.

"I'm just starting to figure out you just try to play within your own rhythm, the way, you know, how to play and stay calm in the pocket."

The pocket can be the issue. The Bears have had problems pass blocking all year.

However, against a Vikings defensive front totally dangerous at rushing the passer, Fields got sacked just twice and had time to set up and throw downfield.

"The guys are growing," Eberflus said. "The players are getting used to the scheme. The timing's getting better, the rhythm's getting better.

"Yesterday the (pass) protection was good and the protection's been good at times and it was better yesterday. The guys are just getting used to it."

Fields was particularly clutch in the second half when the Bears needed it most. He went 12 of 13 for 135 yards then.

Eberflus called the change in Fields that made a second-half comeback possible simply poise.

"He had great poise," Eberflus said. "He's always had good command of that huddle and the calls, that's for sure. But I just felt poise and him calm and confident back there."

Running back David Montgomery sees this change in Fields' confidence and hopes it helps balance out the attack. He calls Fields someone who influences everyone on the offense

"The way he's playing and how he's bringing this aura to have everyone behind him, following, to the way he plays, his poise, how calm he is–if your quarterback can be calm in hostile situations, I have no other choice but to be calm, because he’s the one calling shots.

"So if he's out there calm and he's chilling, I've got to be the same way. I can't flinch if he ain't flinching." 

Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven