Bears quarterback Justin Fields said he wants to return to playing like himself — freely and less “robotic.”
“That includes thinking less and going out there and playing off instincts,” he said Wednesday at Halas Hall.
Asked what caused him to think too much, Fields pointed at his coaches.
“You know, could be coaching I think ... ” he said. “They are doing their job when they are giving me what to look at, but at the end of the day, I can’t be thinking about that when the game comes. I prepare myself throughout the week and then when the game comes, it’s time to play free at that point. Thinking less and playing more.”
Fields had three carries for four yards in Sunday’s 27-17 loss to the Buccaneers. The rushing yards were the least he’s had since his rookie year.
“My goal this week is to say, ‘F it — just play football,” he said. “That’s when I play my best, when I’m out there being free. I’m going to go out there and be me.”
Fields said that he’s a natural perfectionist and is trying to learn that not everything needs to be perfect for it to work. That includes waiting for the ideal view to throw a pass. He said he needs to become more “a football player” and less of a “thinker” on the field.
“It’s not going to work out perfectly every time,” he said.
Coach Matt Eberflus said Fields wants to “let it flow.”
This isn’t the first time Fields has voiced similar concerns. In August 2022, Fields told the Sun-Times that, as a rookie alongside Andy Dalton and Nick Foles, “I felt like I had to be a certain type of quarterback rather than play my game ... I felt like I was trying to be a little bit robotic.”
