Another Recent Chicago Bears WR Just Took A Shot At The Coaches

Who is the problem? Justin Fields or the Chicago Bears coaching staff? Both sides have their defenders. Several fans feel head coach Matt Eberflus and offensive coordinator Luke Getsy have done a poor job working to Fields’ strengths as a quarterback. On the flip side, many have grown tired of Fields’ constant inability to make quick decisions, leading to being late on throws and taking way too many sacks. The truth is it may not matter in the end. With the Bears 1-5, both will likely be gone after the season is over.

Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune alluded to this reality in a recent column. He also got early notes from talent evaluators around the league about Caleb Williams and Drake Maye, the top two quarterbacks in the 2024 draft class.

This is where it gets interesting. Bears fans might remember the name Daurice Fountain. He signed with the team last October and was with them through August this year, making some nice plays in training camp and the preseason. He had a front-row seat for both Fields and the coaching staff. He responded directly to Biggs’ article on Twitter, making it pretty clear where he thinks the problem is.

The Chicago Bears can’t reset again.

It sounds simple to cut loose Eberflus and his staff and bring in another one to help Fields. The problem is that it never works. It takes time for a quarterback to become enmeshed in an offensive system. This would be the third Fields will have to learn in four seasons. Everybody remembers what happened with Jay Cutler. He went from Ron Turner to Mike Martz, Mike Tice, Marc Trestman to Adam Gase, and finally to Dowell Loggains. It’s probably not an accident he never found consistency in Chicago. Their mad dash to find an instant fix led to disappointment.

There is also the issue of contracts. Fields will be in the final year of his rookie deal next season. The Chicago Bears have to make a decision about whether to pick up his 5th-year option, knowing he’d be playing the final cheap year he’ll ever have in the first year of a new offense. Considering what he’s put on tape to this point, that doesn’t feel like a smart business decision. Fountain is probably right about the coaching staff, but saying the quarterback isn’t the problem is too simplistic. He’s been a problem.

The best thing for the Bears to do is draft a quarterback next year and reset the contract clock. This time it will hopefully be with a better coaching staff.