Bears' Getsy praises Fields' leadership despite 'a lot of shit' going on
Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Luke Getsy likes what he's seen from quarterback Justin Fields despite the team's early struggles this season.
"Our expectations have always been the same," Getsy said Thursday, according to ESPN's Courtney Cronin. "It's about (Fields) getting better every single week and making sure that he's mastering what we're doing from our perspective. And being the leader of that unit. And I think he's doing a really nice job in the midst of a lot of shit right now and going on.
"So, it's been good to see him be able to put it on his shoulders and be the guy that wants to help make this thing get right."
The Bears headed into the 2023 season as potential breakout candidates after an aggressive offseason. Chicago added starters on both sides of the ball while trying to upgrade the supporting cast around Fields. Among the team's biggest acquisitions were wide receiver D.J. Moore and linebacker Tremaine Edmunds.
Chicago, however, started the season 0-3 while ranking 27th in points scored and 29th in total yards. The Bears, who host the 0-3 Denver Broncos in Week 4, have now lost their last 13 games dating back to last year.
Fields also hasn't met the expectations around him. The 2021 first-round pick has completed 58% of his passes and posted a 67.7 passer rating. Despite the slow start, the 24-year-old recently said he still believes the Bears can make the playoffs.
Getsy and Fields seem to be on the same page.
"We're in the process of building something special," Getsy said. "I think that we're in the phase of it's Week 3 going into Week 4 and we're going on to find a way to attack Denver in a completely different way than we did Kansas City. That's a week-to-week challenge that you have. There's different schemes. There's different mentalities of coordinators that you're playing against. ... It's a 17-week process. It is not a three-week process."
Chicago has also struggled defensively, ranking 31st in points allowed. Defensive coordinator Alan Williams also resigned from his position on Sept. 20 to focus on his "health and family." Inappropriate activity was also part of Williams' decision to leave the team, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Head coach Matt Eberflus is expected to replace Williams as the club's defensive play-caller for the remainder of the year.