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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Alyssa Barbieri

Bear Necessities: Justin Fields displayed great leadership in postgame comments after Lions loss

It’s been a downright ugly season for the Chicago Bears, who are sitting at 3-13 and in the middle of a nine-game losing streak, the longest in franchise history.

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The latest loss came at the hands of the Detroit Lions, where the Bears were blown out 41-10. While Matt Eberflus has kept his team together during this losing streak, there are going to be frustrations.

When looking at receiver Chase Claypool, it’s been a rough ride since he was traded to Chicago in November. Claypool hasn’t been a factor on offense, as evidenced by his first target, an incompletion, coming with 2:04 left in Sunday’s game.

But before that, Claypool had a moment of frustration on the sideline, as detailed by Kevin Fishbain. Claypool was upset as he went to the sideline after a third down play, where he tossed his helmet to the ground. He shared his frustration with receivers coach Tyke Tolbert before quarterback Justin Fields came over to talk to him.

After the game, Fields was asked about Claypool’s blow up, and Fields showed once again why he’s a great leader with the perfect response.

“Yeah, he was frustrated. He’s a passionate player. He’s passionate about the game,” Fields said, via Fishbain. “He was just showing his emotion. It’s great to have emotion in the game, but you have to know how to control it. You can’t let it come out like that because at the end of the day, that’s not helping anybody. That’s not helping the team. Everybody’s frustrated. We’re getting blown out. Just call it what it is.

“We got punched in the mouth. Everybody feels that way. We talked to him. I talked to him. That’s not going to do anything. That’s not helping anybody. That’s just spreading everybody apart. We need to be here for each other, stick with each other and fight. Not many teams in this league are going to fight the way we did.

“I don’t know. I’m getting really passionate. But just like, every drive, we were getting blown out and I’m like, ‘Yo, I don’t care what the scoreboard is. We’re going to go out there, we’re going to play our hardest.’ They know that I’m doing that. Going back on Chase, he’s passionate. Just has to learn how to control those emotions and keep them inside and know what’s going to be best for the team.”

Fields has grown a lot in his second season, both as a player and a leader in the locker room. He was voted a captain by his teammates, and he’s shown why he’s worthy of the honor in moments like this.

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