During two radio interviews Friday morning, Bears general manager Ryan Poles reiterated his unwavering commitment to quarterback Justin Fields.
"My level of belief [in Fields] is sky high," Poles said on the Mully & Haugh Show on 670 The Score. "The way this guy is moving around the building right now is he is locked on, he is focused, he wants to be great.
"He's a first-in last-out guy and he's pulling this team together. And you can tell the effect he has on other people. All these guys, they're showing up, they're going to work, they're doing extra with him."
The Bears expect Fields to make a big leap in his second NFL season. As a rookie last year, he appeared in 12 games with 10 starts, throwing for 1,870 yards with seven touchdowns, 10 interceptions and a 73.2 passer rating. He also rushed for 420 yards and two TDs on 72 carries.
Fields showed flashes of his dynamic dual-threat ability, most notably on a spectacular 22-yard touchdown scramble against the 49ers and by engineering a 75-yard TD drive to give the Bears a late lead over the Steelers. But he also committed miscues that need to be corrected, such as taking too many sacks and failing to protect the ball at times.
Since the offseason program kicked off April 4, Fields has worked closely with offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, who joined the Bears this year after spending five of the last six seasons as a Packers assistant coach.
"He's locked in with Luke," Poles said. "It's really cool to see. His presence is showing up and he's starting to take over. Obviously, we've got to get to camp and we've got to get to preseason games and there's a long journey here and there will be some ups and downs, especially with a new system that he's got to get through. And I know he's cleaning up some techniques. So, it's all not going to be perfect. But it's coming and my belief is sky high with him."
Poles later shared a similar sentiment about his commitment to Fields on the Kap and J. Hood Show on ESPN Chicago.
"We're all in on Justin," Poles said. "I believe in Justin. Our staff believes in Justin. And like I've said from the beginning, we're going to set this up for him to succeed. I've gotten a lot of questions: 'But what about receiver?' We're going to do the best we can with the roster. We're going to improve the roster as well, but we're also going to [focus on] the scheme, the technique.
"Our coaches are hard at work, and so is Justin. Justin is grinding right now. He's putting in the time. The leadership is coming out of him, so I'm excited. I'm excited about him and what he's going to become here."
