Keep Justin Fields
No team in the NFL is better at playing dull and uninspired football than the Chicago Bears. I was a pretty passionate fan when I was younger; but after ten plus years of misery, I was well on my way out. Then came Justin Fields. The first part of this season was pretty rough, but I can now see him starting to make more good throws, take less sacks, and play cleaner football, all while doing the magic with his legs that he's always been known for. The O-line is leagues better than they were at the beginning of the season. The defense is playing with swagger (give Coach Eberflus credit where it's due). The defense line is getting to the quarterback at a borderline-acceptable clip now since the addition of Montez. The secondary is grabbing takeaways like it's 2010. We've got some good, hungry young players back there. Jacquan Brisker. Tyrique Stevenson. Jaylon Johnson. For the first time in a while, I can say that I'm genuinely excited about the Chicago Bears.
Now is not the time to tear it all down. Justin is electrifying to watch. Every time he scrambles down the field, outrunning the pursuing d-linemen and dodging linebackers and safetys, it's football heaven. I won't pretend like he's a good passer, but I don't think he's that bad, either. He's been taking advantage of the better weapons around him this season. The Fields to DJ Moore connection is real. He's developed a solid rapport with Cole Kmet. He's shown a good work ethic, and is a class act. I'm proud to have him as the face of our franchise. Are we really about to ditch this man for a guy who couldn't win more than seven games this year with USC? And set our franchise's trajectory back two years in the process? It's not like Caleb Williams is going to start lighting up the league immediately. And given that the NFL is very different from the notoriously-soft Pac-12 (RIP), and that the Chicago Bears is literally where quarterbacks go to die, I'm highly skeptical that Caleb Williams would be for us even half of what some seem to expect him to be. The grass is always greener on the other side.
Here's what we need to do. Say byebye to Luke Getsy and his weird fetish for screen passes. Keep Coach Flus, who despite his highly questionable in-game decision-making and assistant hires, has proven his defensive acumen and never seems to have lost the team despite our struggles. Keep Justin Fields. Grab an up-and-coming offensive playcaller who's willing to adapt to Justin's unique skillset. Extend Jaylon. Trade our number one pick for a king's ransom. Grab Marvin with our first pick. Then put the rest of our picks -- along with our considerable cap space -- toward stuffing the trenches with physical, hard-working dudes. Next season, with a talented committe of running backs, a pair of star receivers, and an O-line that can protect well, all the conditions will be right for Justin to take the next step. And I believe that he can. I repeat -- now is not time to tear things down. Stay the course. Thank you for listening to my TED talk.