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Justin Fields pins playing ‘robotic’ on coaching, vows to play freer this week
By Paul Harvey
Published:
Justin Fields has drawn some heat for his early-season performance as the Chicago Bears have dropped their first two games of the season. So far, Fields has completed just over 60% of his passes with 2 touchdowns and 3 interceptions while only rushing for 62 yards.
At his weekly press conference, Fields admitted he hasn’t been playing his game to begin the season. He said his goal for the week is to “say ‘F it'” and just go out and play football the way he knows how as opposed to playing robotic.
“I felt like I wasn’t necessarily playing my game. Felt like I was robotic and not playing like myself. My goal this week is to say ‘F it’ and just go out there and play football the way I know how to play football,” said Fields. “That includes thinking less and just going out there and playing off your instincts rather than so much info in my head… That’s when I play my best is when I’m just out there playing free and being myself.”
Asked for a potential reason he’s playing robotic, Fields pinned some of it on coaching. He noted the coaching staff is doing its job but also believes it can sometimes be a bit of information overload.
“Could be coaching, I think. They’re doing their job when they’re giving me what to look at, stuff like that, but at the end of the day, I can’t be thinking about that when the day comes,” said Fields. “I prepare myself throughout the week, and when the game comes, it’s time to play free at that point. Just thinking less and playing more.”
Fields did dispute the idea of having too many coaching voices in his ear. However, he did admit there’s a point where too much information prevents him from playing like his normal self.
“I don’t think it’s too many coaching voices but I just think when you’re fed a lot of information at a point in time and you’re trying to think about that info when you’re playing, it doesn’t let you play like yourself,” said Fields. “…I saw a few plays on Sunday where if I was playing like my old self we would have had a positive play, we would have had a few more third-down conversions.”
We’ll see if he’s able to find some of the magic he displayed during the 2022 season, but the Bears need a spark and soon to avoid an 0-3 start.
Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.