Bears QB Justin Fields (9.26.21)
On being one of the really hard working NFL QBs and how he feels after today:
“Good. I talked to (Bears QBs) Nick (Foles) and Andy (Dalton) on the sideline, and it is football. When you have these days, you just have to bounce back and come back better. We just have to get better as a whole. I know me personally, I want to get back to working harder than ever and just try to keep getting better each and every day.”
On the tone of the conversation with Dalton and Foles:
“They were just telling me there are going to be days like this and of course games like this, but it is about how you respond and stuff like that. I am just trying to keep my spirits up and stuff like that. It is great to have those guys as a support system and just knowing that we support each other.”
On if his hand is OK:
“Yeah, it is good.”
On if he is talking about his throwing hand:
“Yep.”
On if there were opportunities to run today:
“Yeah, I ran a couple of times, but I think we played a great defense. I just went out there and tried to play my best.”
On if he has ever had a day like this on any level of football:
“No.”
On what he will lean on to bounce back from today:
“The way I feel right now, I am not used to this. I do not like feeling like this. Me not wanting to feel like this – literally while I am saying this I am getting goosebumps because I just don’t like feeling like this – I am just going to get back and I am going to work. That is it.”
More on that feeling:
“It is kind like you are in a dark space and you just want to do everything you can to just get a win. No matter what it is, no matter how long I have to stay in the facility or no matter what, you just want to come out and after the game on Sunday, you want to come out with a win no matter what you have to do.”
On Bears Head Coach Matt Nagy’s message to him after the game:
“I did not get a chance to talk to him after the game. I had to go get X-rays so I have not talked to him.”
On if the X-rays were negative:
“Yeah, I did not even need an X-ray, but they were just being safe and precautious. I am fine.”
On the build up to his first NFL start and what the letdown is like after the loss:
“I was just expecting to win. I did not necessarily have an expectation on how many touchdowns we were going to throw or stuff like that. I think every game we should approach it to expect to win. It is that simple. As far as it being my first start, I was not trying to treat it as my first start. I was trying to treat it as a game that I was trying to go out there to play and not make the moment bigger than it is and go there and ball out. That is kind of how I approached the game.”
On being even-keel and if he was able to stay that way throughout the game:
“Yeah, I think you have to keep that kind of mentality throughout whatever situation you are in. When things don’t go your way, it shows who you truly are on the inside [by] the way you bounce back and the way you react to those moments.”
On how he will feel if people in the public eye say negative things about the way he played today:
“At the end of the day, those people don’t matter. When it comes to wins and losses, they are not helping us win and they are not helping us lose. They can really say whatever they want.”
On learning how to play against players of the caliber of DE Myles Garrett:
“I think you answered your own question. You are going to play guys in this league, and you just have to get used to it.”
On if anything surprised him today:
“No.”
On if he would have liked more opportunities to move outside of the pocket, rollout or use his legs:
“I like to score touchdowns. That is it. Whatever way – whether that is dropping back in the pocket or moving out of the pocket – it does not matter to me. I like to score touchdowns.”
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