Chicago Bears: New attitude signals new era for franchise

Ever since the draft in April, there seems to be a new attitude around the Chicago Bears. This could be the sign of a new era of success for the franchise.

Well, what a difference a draft makes. For the Chicago Bears, there was doom and gloom surrounding the franchise. Two 8-8 finishes, a struggling offense, and no franchise quarterback tested the patience of the team’s fans. Throw in the retention of key figures responsible to turn things around when the fans wanted all of them gone and hope was severely lacking.

Then the draft happened and everything changed. Very few people thought general manager Ryan Pace could have the draft of his life and take a step towards reversing the team’s fortunes. Somehow, someway, however, he pulled the trigger on some trades that changed everything.

You say the Bears need a franchise quarterback? Well, Pace moved up from 20 to 11 to pick up what many draft experts felt was the second-best quarterback prospect in the draft, Justin Fields. Fields played went undefeated playing in one of the top conferences in college football, the Big Ten.

When the conference announced that there would be no games in 2020 because of the COVID pandemic, Fields created a campaign to reverse that decision. It worked. If you want a proven winner with incredible leadership skills, Fields is the guy. Now he is with the Chicago Bears.

You say the Bears needed to solidify the offensive line? Well, Pace again moved up to select Teven Jenkins. Draft experts expected the Bears to take him in the first round with their 20th overall pick. Instead, they picked up a quarterback AND the linemen projected to them. A big win for the Bears and Pace but he didn’t stop there. He drafted Larry Borom to add to the offensive line.

Both Jenkins and Borom are big, physical, and nasty linemen. The line got pushed around without pushing back for far too long. That changes now.

New attitude surrounding the Chicago Bears

We’ll see a new attitude along the offensive line for the Chicago Bears. That isn’t the only change, however. There is a new pep in the Bears’ step since the draft. Take a look at Fields.

The Bears announced that free agent signee Andy Dalton is the starting quarterback for 2021. With Fields on the roster now, does that change? Well, head coach Matt Nagy reiterated that Dalton is the QB1, per Pro Football Talk:

"Andy is the starter…I know that time is the biggest question right now for Justin, and I completely understand that, because there is an excitement. There is that want for all of us to see what Justin can do. We’d be lying to you if we didn’t say that or believe that. But we’ve got to make sure as we go through this thing that we also do what’s best for the Bears and for Justin."

Being the outspoken leader he is, Fields isn’t deterred. He wants to be the starting quarterback and wants to change Nagy’s mind, via Bleacher Nation:

"I think everybody on our team should be striving for a starting job. If you’re not, there’s no reason for you to be here. Coach Nagy has set a plan for my development. But I’m just going to work hard, keep my head down, and keep grinding every day."

This is exactly what you want to hear from your quarterback. Not only did he show that he wants to start he also showed his leadership by including everyone else on the roster. Everyone should want to start or else you don’t belong here.

The attitude also changed among the coaches. Late last week, wide receivers coach Mike Furrey raised eyebrows when word came out about what he told struggling wide receiver Anthony Miller.

Miller has had maturity problems since having a strong rookie season in 2018. Many thought the Bears would trade him leading up to draft day. It didn’t happen, though. He is still on the Chicago Bears roster and has a chance to change the narrative about him.

Furrey gave Miller some tough love, however. While he acknowledges that Miller is a talented receiver, he has to change what he’s done or at some point, the team will cut him. He said it in a more forceful way, though.

The Bears added Marquise Goodwin, Damiere Byrd, and drafted Dazz Newsome. Where once the Bears offense needed Miller to come through to help it succeed, that isn’t the case anymore. Furrey told Miller that the Bears don’t need him now. If he changes, that makes the wide receivers corps much stronger. If he doesn’t, he’ll be looking for a job. He’s on the final year of his rookie contract and getting cut late in the preseason will affect how big a deal he receives on his second contract.

Miller knew the Bears had trouble with their wide receivers. He did just enough for the coaches to hope he could come through. Now, he doesn’t have that. He lost snaps to rookie Darnell Mooney last season. This season, he could be relegated to Riley Ridley status, finding out on game day whether he’s active on the roster or not. It’s amazing how attitudes change when you’re told you aren’t as important as you thought you were.

This is a great attitude change for the team. Before, they were just mozying around. Now there is a thinking that the time is strong. This could be a team on the upswing and both players and coaches feel it. Let’s see if the feeling continues and we look back at 2021 as the start of a new era of Chicago Bears football.