Chicago Bears fans hope Justin Fields can lead the team to championship glory. The second-year quarterback showed flashes of what he can do in 2021 but finished the year with a 2-8 record while completing 59% of his passes for 1,870 yards, seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions. PopCulture.com recently caught up with Bears legend Mike Singletary, who shared his thoughts on Fields and the Bears for the 2022 season.
“I think the biggest key is really being the trust of the new regime that’s coming in and really buying into what they have to offer as a staff and the development of the quarterback and taking it to the next level,” Singletary exclusively told PopCulture. “It’s really important that he takes another step. I saw some incredible things as a rookie, but really excited about what the possibilities are for him. And then the defense really taking another step and really getting back on the right track and being great again.”
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The last time the Bears won the Super Bowl was during the 1985 season. Singletary was a member of the team and played a big part in the team’s success, being named to the All-Pro and Pro Bowl team that year. He was also named Defensive Player of the Year after posting 109 tackles, three sacks, one interception and 10 passes defended. Singletary, who played linebacker, was the defense leader that was considered by many as the best in NFL history.
The Bears today don’t have a defense like the 1985 version, but if Fields can be the franchise quarterback, they have a chance to be a Super Bowl contender. Last year, the Bears selected Fields No. 11 overall after having a successful career at Ohio State. During his time with the Buckeyes, Fields was selected to the All-Big Ten First Team twice and the All-America Second Team in 2019. In his two seasons at Ohio State, Fields threw for 5,701 yards and 67 touchdowns while rushing for 1,133 yards and 19 touchdowns.
For Singletary, he can currently be seen on the CBS series Beyond the Edge. The Pro Football Hall of Famer has also launched a new charity called Changing Our Perspective, which is “all about bridging the gap in our country between the haves and have nots, being able to provide an education for our young people and health and mental wellness programs that are better suited and really help our people get the help that they need in the areas that are underserved in our country.” He also said there would be an app for the charity that will “be launching sometime around April or May, late April or early May and just excited about that. Excited about providing the education platform and the health and mental wellness platform for those that are really looking to make a difference.”