Folks have been saying things that make it easy to dream on Justin Fields’ upside all summer long.
We’ve heard Allen Robinson II rave about Fields’ mental capacity as “a guy who has all the talent in the world.” Jimmy Graham has given Fields a favorable comparison to Russell Wilson. Jesper Horsted was discussing “the power of Justin Fields” via The Athletic at the end of the preseason. And most recently, David Montgomery was calling Fields special while mentioning the rookie’s aura after his five-snap cameo in Week 1.
And now, we can add Bears Offensive Coordinator Bill Lazor to the Justin Fields fan club:
Bears offensive coordinator Bill Lazor on Justin Fields' first NFL snaps: "From the outside looking at it, he looked like he belonged. He looked like he could be successful. Nothing was too big for him, which we didn’t think it would be. Looked like he had fun."
— Kevin Fishbain (@kfishbain) September 15, 2021
OC Bill Lazor was asked about Justin Fields. Said the QB was ready to handle 'anything' back in the preseason.
— Zack Pearson (@Zack_Pearson) September 15, 2021
Interesting exchange between #Bears OC Bill Lazor and @AlexShapiroNBCS today: pic.twitter.com/hGK47NcYMK
— Adam Hoge (@AdamHoge) September 15, 2021
Back in May, Bears Head Coach Matt Nagy said “we’ll all know” when it’s Justin Fields’ turn to be QB1 in Chicago. And while we know his time will come soon, if you let the players and Lazor tell the story, it seems as if there are a growing number of people who might fall in that camp of knowing it’s time to start Fields. It’s just that whomever has the ability to make that call hasn’t done it yet.
And while I don’t think we’re at risk of in-fighting between a head coach, staff, and players is on the horizon, it sure feels like just a matter of time until the voices grow too loud to ignore. Their rumblings right now are loud as it is…