The Prince That Was Promised
I want Justin Fields to succeed. Even more so, I want him to be the best player in the league, full stop. I want him to be the Most Valuable Player every year for the next ten years. I want his career stats to make Tom Brady’s look like he was a quarterback for a Pop Warner team. The reasoning behind this is not simply because he’s the Chicago Bears starting QB. In fact, it’s probably not even the primary reason for me. This feeling and wanting is one that I feel deeply about on several levels. I’m a Buckeyes fan and have been since I was a child. They were the first football team I ever watched, in fact, the first football game I can ever remember seeing featured them. It was my birthday on November 21st, 1998, and the Buckeyes (the team in red as I called them) were playing a team with oddly colored blue and yellow striped helmets. I watched in joy as the team in red (that I just found out about) came out with a win. Family and friends around me were mostly annoyed at the Buckeyes winning as a few of them turned out to be fans of that team in the weird colors. Seeing them dislike this team in red incited something in me. This red team seemed like the underdog, and I love underdogs. I immediately became enamored with this “red” team and continued to watch them on Saturdays. To this day, I’m still a fan of that team in red and I can’t stand that team with the oddly colored helmets.
So, what does that mean for my attitude towards Justin Fields? It’s that I want him to succeed more than the average Bears fan does. I remember watching Troy Smith take the football world by storm in 2005 only to fail to attain similar success in the National Football League. The same goes for Terrelle Pryor, Braxton Miller, J.T. Barrett, Cardale Jones. The list is full of players whose careers at tOSU ranged from solid, good, great to legendary like the late and great Dwayne Haskins. I want Justin Fields to rise above the belief that Buckeyes’ QBs can’t succeed in the NFL. On an even deeper level, I want this young black man to succeed. My ethnicity, like everyone else’s, is sacred to me. The waters that my people were forced to cross, the violence we were forced to endure is something that never leaves my mind. My ancestors fought for the right for us to exist and to thrive in spaces we were originally not allowed in. So, when I see black players in fields that are typically dominated by white men, I feel a sense of happiness and otherworldly bias towards them…especially in football. I want to see them do more than be good enough to maintain a starting job. I want to see them compete at the highest levels. I want every black quarterback to compile stats that rival Russell Wilson’s. I want the world to know that black quarterbacks are here to stay, and it is no different for Justin Fields. I’ve watched him since he was at Georgia. Anxious to see how great of a player he would become only to be completely shocked to find him transferring to my favorite school. I watched with glee as he dominated the Big Ten and took the Buckeyes to the College Football Playoff each year he was the starting QB. Even getting them to the National Championship game after a thrilling performance vs. Clemson in the 2020-2021 season.
Wanting him to succeed is an understatement for me. It’s something I hope for every night. After his draft day, I found myself kneeling before God during my nightly prayers and asking Him to bless Justin with the ability to play at the highest level possible. I’m as “obsessed” of a Bears fan as everyone, and I understand the hype and anxiety that Bears fans live with. I might have been blessed with covering this team and following their journey closer than I was before, but this doesn’t take away from what I know at heart; that I love this team to an unhealthy level. That withstanding, what are we to take away from reports at Bears training camp of Justin having an “okay” to “bad” camp? Do we ignore it and assume that its apart of the maturation process? Do we give up hope and call him a bust because that just what we’re used to seeing from the QB position as Bears fans? I say neither.
We treat this with a balanced approach. Yes, in the practices since pads came on, Justin Fields has had good snaps and bad snaps. He’s done well with eluding pressure in the pocket and has improved his footwork tremendously when compared to last year. He’s throwing with even footing and trusting his players to make secure catches. On the other side, he’s tended to hold onto the ball longer than necessary. He’s waited for his primary target to get open when he should be going through his progressions, and he’s had balls repeatedly batted down in camp. The reality is that he is growing as a young QB and there has been some bumps in the road. Having all this information at our disposal should not rush us to panic nor should it rush us to jubilee that the Bears finally have a franchise QB. They might…they also might not. What I do know is this: he has the potential to be a star in this league. His arm strength and accuracy rivals anyone’s in the league and his athleticism is second to only someone like Lamar Jackson. When he’s in the zone, there are very few, if any, defenses that can stop him. The only question remaining is will he rise to the occasion? The answer? Who knows. I’m a small speck of dust, on a blue marble floating in nigh-infinite space. If you’re looking for prophecy, you’re on the wrong site. However, if you’re looking for an honest opinion on the team that we all love, you’ve come to the right place. So, depress the panic button and put a hold on your celebration. Wait and watch for this 23-year old’s career to unfold without unnecessary pressure on yourself. Trust me, it’s better this way.
- Flows