Tag: Jaquan Brisker

Bears players make it clear they want Justin Fields back in 2024

Justin Fields’ teammates continue to rally around him as the Bears gear up for an important offseason decision.

Bears quarterback Justin Fields faces an uncertain future heading into the final week of his third season.

With Chicago securing the first overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft — thanks to the Panthers — general manager Ryan Poles has an important decision to make at quarterback this offseason. Stick with Fields or start over with his chosen rookie.

But Bears players once again made it clear they want Fields to be the quarterback moving forward. That includes wide receiver DJ Moore, who’s had a career year with Fields as his QB. And Moore wants to make sure Fields stays with him.

“I’ve said it before I’m going to keep saying it: What makes him not the quarterback?” Moore said. “The Houdini act should’ve put the nail in the– he’s not a running back. He is him… I want him to be the quarterback.”

Defensive end Montez Sweat praised Fields for his rare playmaking ability, something he doesn’t always get credit for.

“He makes plays like Lamar Jackson, Patrick Mahomes but guys don’t really hype it up like they would other quarterbacks bro,” Sweat said. “But he’s one of none. I’m happy he’s on my side.”

Fields shined in what could’ve been his final home game with the Bears, where he accounted for 313 total yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. He made the kind of plays that no other quarterback in the NFL can make.

The Soldier Field crowd showered Fields with praise in the form of “We want Fields!” chants, where they made it clear they want him back in 2024. And rest assured Fields and his teammates heard them.

“Of course I heard them,” safety Jaquan Brisker said. “I want Justin. We all want Justin. Let’s go!”

“I did hear those chants,” Moore said. “And I know (the front office’s) box is right there. So I know they heard that stuff, too.”

There’s no doubt Fields has got his teammates’ support, along with the fans. But the decision ultimately comes down to whether Poles believes Fields can lead this team to a championship.

Buckle up, Bears fans, it’s going to be an eventful offseason.

Jaquan Brisker talks ‘growing chemistry’ with Bears secondary

The Bears defense has transformed into one of the NFL’s best, including an ascending secondary filled with young stars.

The Chicago Bears defense has transformed from one of the worst into one of the best in the NFL this season. The addition of star defensive end Montez Sweat has impacted the entire unit, including an ascending secondary filled with young stars.

Cornerback Jaylon Johnson, in a contract year, has been having a career year with Chicago. He’s been one of the top cover corners in the league, and he’s also posted a career-high five interceptions. Safety Eddie Jackson has been a strong veteran leader in the group.

Cornerback Kyler Gordon and safety Jaquan Brisker have really come into their own in their second season, along with rookie cornerbacks Tyrique Stevenson and Terell Smith.

Brisker spoke about the unit’s “growing chemistry,” which is starting to flourish in these final games.

“The secondary has been crazy,” Brisker said on the Bernstein & Holmes Show on Tuesday, via Audacy. “We’ve just been getting better and better each and every single day, every single week. Our chemistry is growing. You can just tell that guys are out there healthy, guys are out there flying around, having fun with a lot of great energy, passion. It showing. I can’t wait to get back with those guys.”

It was a rough start to the 2023 season, which included injuries to key starters in the secondary. But the defense has really started to come into its own over the past six games. Chicago has held opponents to 17.2 points, totaled 14 takeaways and 17 sacks. The secondary has stepped up, and they’re really finding their rhythm.

“It’s amazing,” Brisker said. “You know where they’re going to be. You know what communication they’re going to make. And playing with confidence, you don’t have to second-guess yourself. You know they’re going to be there where they’re supposed to be. You trust them. And then those guys, they make plays.

“We all just know we’re going to make plays and fly around. We all are all happy for each other, and we like to make plays.”

Bears aren’t happy about those Justin Fields late hits: ‘Just treat him fair’

Bears QB Justin Fields continues to be the exception to the rule protecting (most) quarterbacks from late hits.

Bears quarterback Justin Fields has been subjected to some big hits during his three-year career, including plenty of late hits that haven’t been flagged by officials.

That was once again true in Sunday’s game against the Lions — as early as the first play from scrimmage — when Fields ran to his left and slid only to be hit late by linebacker Jack Campbell. And, as Bears fans would correctly guess, there was no flag thrown.

Head coach Matt Eberflus, and Fields himself, pleaded with officials for a flag for the late hit, but they didn’t get it — not for that first hit or any of the others Fields took during the game.

“I’m very active on that,” Eberflus told reporters Monday. “I’m always in (the officials’) ear about that. Because protecting the quarterbacks in this league is big. Those guys are the league. So, it’s important that we do that and we continue to do that. If you have a guy who’s a runner, he slides down like that, we got to protect him. I wasn’t happy about that first one. I let them know about it. It’s just not the right thing to do. We just got to make sure we take care of our quarterbacks.”

Unfortunately, this has developed into a trend where Fields doesn’t receive the same protection other quarterbacks are afforded in the league. While it’s true Fields is a dual-threat quarterback who often finds himself on the run — making him more prone to these late hits — there’s also a clear rule in place about late hits on mobile quarterbacks who give themselves up.

But, for whatever reason, officials don’t seem to think that rule applies to Fields. According to Nicholas Moreano, Fields hasn’t drawn a single unnecessary roughness call all season.

Safety Jaquan Brisker didn’t hold back when asked about the officials’ treatment of Fields — and how those late hits are putting his teammate at risk.

“They should just treat him fair,” Brisker said Monday. “He is a quarterback. I know he’s 230 (pounds) and he’s running a 4.3, but it doesn’t really matter. He’s a quarterback and you have to protect him. It’s disappointing. Obviously, the other team is being told to do dirty stuff after the play, hitting him a certain way. It’s obviously being told by how they have treated him the last couple of weeks. A lot of shots to the head. It’s very disappointing seeing a guy like that take hits like that.

“One of those hits, God forbid, could be something very bad. I think the league needs to get on that and notice that. It’s bad.”

Bears’ Jaquan Brisker had harsh criticism for NFL refs not adequately protecting Justin Fields

Chiefs players weren’t the only ones who had a bone to pick with league officiating after Sunday’s games.

Third-year quarterback Justin Fields had a rough start to the 2023 season, but since returning from injury in Week 11, he’s led the Chicago Bears to two wins in three outings.

Fields has been shaky at times in his career passing the ball, though he’s made some strides down the stretch this season. Where he’s a real threat, however, is running the ball.

He rushed for more than 1,100 yards in 2022, and he’s already at 458 yards and two touchdowns on the ground this season. But that kind of usage hasn’t come without a cost.

Fields has missed four games this season with a dislocated right thumb, and while injuries can come with the territory of being a mobile quarterback, Chicago safety Jaquan Brisker echoed the sentiments of many Bears fans in saying that the officials are not doing enough to protect Fields from hard hits after the play is dead.

Brisker wasn’t the only player who took issue with league officiating this weekend, and the instinct to protect his quarterback, who has the Bears at 5-8 after a 1-5 start to the season, is certainly understandable.

Bears safety Jaquan Brisker posts cryptic tweet following Jaylon Johnson’s trade request

Bears safety Jaquan Brisker posted a cryptic tweet that appeared to voice his displeasure with the Jaylon Johnson situation.

The Chicago Bears have granted cornerback Jaylon Johnson’s trade request, which comes after the two sides weren’t able to agree to a contract extension ahead of Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline.

Last week, Johnson said contract negotiations had picked back up after his impressive two-interception game. Unfortunately, it sounds like both sides weren’t able to find common ground, which led Johnson to request a trade late Monday night.

Someone who probably isn’t happy with how the Bears are handling things is safety Jaquan Brisker, who took to X (formerly Twitter) with a cryptic tweet that appeared to voice his displeasure with the Johnson situation.

If the Bears trade Johnson before the 3 p.m. CT deadline, he’ll be the second defensive leader in as many years to be traded away. Chicago traded linebacker Roquan Smith to the Baltimore Ravens last year, and the team didn’t win another game for the remainder of the season — heck, until Week 5 of the 2023 season.

General manager Ryan Poles is sending a message to the rest of the Bears locker room — and it’s not a positive one. Johnson has been one of the team’s best defensive players — and one of the best cover corners in the NFL this season — and Poles isn’t prepared to sign him long term.

With the trade deadline just hours away, we’ll soon know for sure whether Johnson will finish the season as a Bear or if he’s played his last down for Chicago.

Matt Eberflus details ‘unique’ situation where Bears’ Jaquan Brisker landed back in concussion protocol 

Jaquan Brisker cleared concussion protocol early last week. Bears HC Matt Eberflus describes how Brisker landed back in the protocol.

Chicago Bears safety Jaquan Brisker battled an illness last week, which kept him sidelined in Sunday night’s loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.

Head coach Matt Eberflus detailed the “unique” situation involving Brisker, who initially cleared concussion protocol following a Week 7 win over the Las Vegas Raiders. He checked out fine Monday and Tuesday with the independent neurologist.

But Brisker later reported a fever and didn’t feel well. While Brisker improved Saturday, the symptoms returned, and the Bears ultimately ruled him out. But Brisker still felt off, so he was re-evaluated and is now back in concussion protocol.

“I’ve never had that happen before,” Eberflus said. “But he got ill during that process and then when he was done being ill he still had the symptoms.”

It’s certainly a “unique” situation, as Eberflus described, and it’s something worth monitoring heading into this Week 9 contest against the New Orleans Saints.

Chicago was without both Brisker and Eddie Jackson, who was available but didn’t play, against the Chargers. The hope is at least one of them will ready to go. Otherwise, it’ll be Elijah Hicks and Duron Harmon getting the starting nods once again.

Good, bad, and ugly from Bears’ Week 6 loss to the Vikings

The Bears suffere another loss to the Vikings in Week 6. We break down the good, bad and ugly from the Week 6 game.

The Chicago Bears failed to take down a shaky Minnesota Vikings team in Sunday’s 19-13 loss, and several questions have been raised about the team’s future.

People are concerned on how serious the injury quarterback Justin Fields suffered in the third quarter of the game is, but the whispers of replacing the quarterback in the long term have only gotten more brazen. The same goes for head coach Matt Eberflus and offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, who failed to give the team the tools it needs to string together a potential win streak.

Week 6 was an absolute mess, so let’s try to sort through the muck as we go over the good, bad and ugly from the Bears’ Week 6 loss to the Vikings.

5 biggest storylines ahead of Bears vs. Vikings in Week 6

The Bears are aiming to build a winning streak against the Vikings. Here’s a look at the biggest storylines for Week 6.

Week 6 is upon us, and it’s shaping up to be a good one. The Chicago Bears will host the Minnesotqa Vikings for Sunday afternoon action.

The two teams are surprisingly evenly matched, as Minnesota has fallen well short of the expectation they set following their 13-4 season that included a postseason berth. It’ll be a game of two explosive offenses, with two fittingly bad defenses that will allow the opposing offense to do their work.

Chicago has the chance to create a winning streak, and the Vikings have the opportunity to begin to right a disastrous start to the season. With so much at stake, there are bound to be interesting narratives to keep track of.

Let’s discuss the five biggest storylines ahead of Bears vs. Vikings in Week 6.

3 key matchups ahead of Bears vs. Vikings in Week 6

The Bears are looking to get a divisional win against the Vikings in Week 6. We breakdown some key matchups to watch.

The Chicago Bears square off in a divisional Week 6 showdown with the Minnesota Vikings this Sunday, and it’s shaping up to be one of the more exciting NFC North battles in a long while.

Justin Fields and the offense finally began to click, averaging 34 points in the past two games, and the defense took some big steps forward in getting sacks and turnovers. Conversely, the Vikings find themselves in an extremely winnable game, even without star receiver Justin Jefferson.

Whether the Bears win or lose, the game should be a fun one. Let’s go over every key matchup from the game and discuss what Chicago needs to do move up the ladder of the NFC North.

Good, bad and ugly from Bears’ Week 5 win over the Commanders

The Bears got its first win of the season against the Commanders. We break down the (mostly) good, bad and ugly from the victory.

It’s been a couple of days since the Chicago Bears’ triumphant victory over the Washington Commanders on Thursday Night Football, and victory has never tasted sweeter.

Quarterback Justin Fields now has a two-game sample size of elite play, the offense is firing on all cylinders, and the defense actually stood its ground and didn’t allow a miraculous comeback victory two weeks in a row. The Chicago faithful now get to enjoy a full slate of football knowing that their team has done its job.

Before all the exciting action kicks off tomorrow, let’s wax poetic about what the Bears did right in Week 5, and where they can improve with the extra time off this week.

Let’s break down the good, bad and ugly in the Bears Week 5 win over the Commanders.