Bears QB Justin Fields Grew Up a Falcons Fan; Set For 'Exciting' Homecoming
Justin Fields might be in the visitors' locker room when the Chicago Bears travel to take on the Atlanta Falcons this Sunday, but the second-year quarterback is returning home at heart.
Fields grew up in Kennesaw, Georgia, and went to high school some 30 miles away from Mercedes-Benz Stadium. As he fell in love with football, Fields began to gravitate towards the local team and was a regular in the crowd.
"I actually was (a Falcons fan) growing up," Fields admitted Wednesday. "My dad had season tickets, so I'd always go to the games with him."
The 23-year-old Fields revealed that his favorite players were receiver Julio Jones and quarterback Matt Ryan, both of whom no longer frequent the sidelines but made a lasting impact on the franchise during the 2010s.
Now, it's Fields, a 2021 first-round pick out of Ohio State, who's electrifying crowds and becoming a model of hope for a fanbase - but not Atlanta's.
The Falcons had their chance to draft Fields No. 4 overall but opted for Florida tight end Kyle Pitts ... who responded by being one of just six rookies to make the Pro Bowl and put up the second-most receiving yards for a first-year tight end in league history.
Nonetheless, quarterbacks hold a higher positional value than tight ends, drawing some to question the Falcons' decision to pass on Fields - especially considering they traded Ryan this past offseason and now have big questions under center moving forward, as Marcus Mariota has struggled of late and third-round rookie Desmond Ridder has yet to take a regular season snap.
When asked about the decision to take Pitts over Fields, Falcons coach Arthur Smith danced around the topics of team environment and scheme when discussing draft fit, mentioning that some passers are simply better suited for certain offenses. Smith didn't directly acknowledge that this was the case with Fields but did reiterate the scheme/character message multiple times.
Fortunately for Fields, he appears to have found the correct fit under his second coaching staff in as many seasons. Statistically, his numbers are right on par with Mariota's, as both have thrown 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions while ranking bottom-two in the league in passing yards among quarterbacks who've started all 10 games.
However, Fields has become one of the most explosive runners league-wide over the last several weeks and sits with over 700 yards on the ground entering Week 11, good enough to rank sixth among all ballcarriers. He has 48 first downs on 104 attempts with six touchdowns mixed in, guiding Chicago's top-ranked rushing attack along the way.
The Bears are averaging 201.7 rushing yards per game, which is first in the NFL over 33 yards. They've fostered an identity, and Fields is leading the charge, recording 325 yards rushing and three scores in the last two games alone. He's found the endzone via the ground in each of the last four games, embodying the definition of a "dual threat" quarterback and beating defenses both within and outside of structure.
"Their run game is rolling, and he's been a big part of that," Smith said. "Designed runs and then play extension, those can be the back breakers."
While the Bears have lost six of their last seven games, Fields looks to have taken the proverbial second-year leap. Still, Atlanta's defense knows what it has to do to slow down the former Ohio State star, though it's proven to be easier said than done.
"He's gotten better throughout the weeks and gotten a lot better from last year as well," All-Pro cornerback A.J. Terrell said. "He's got some weapons, he knows how to move the ball around, he knows how to use his legs and make big plays. We've just got to key in on the details and make sure we attack him the right way, don't lose contain and let him get outside the pocket."
Sunday will mark Fields' first time back at Mercedes-Benz Stadium since losing the 2018 SEC Championship Game to the Alabama Crimson Tide while serving as the backup quarter for the Georgia Bulldogs.
His role - and life - is much different now, and he dubbed his return to Georgia "exciting." It'll be another Sunday of Falcons football for the Fields family, as Justin's parents and sisters will be in the stands, but with one less member present.
It's only fitting that the former Mr. Georgia Football gets to continue his rise to stardom in Mercedes-Benz Stadium, but with a cruel twist that he's doing so against the team he grew up cheering for.
Only time will tell whether Atlanta made the correct decision in passing on one of its own, but one thing's for certain: Sunday's 1 p.m. kickoff promises to be "exciting."
You can follow Daniel Flick on Twitter @DFlickDraft
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