What we should expect from Fields' return

Justin Fields is back.

Woot! Woot!

Or maybe: Woot, woot.

Or perhaps: Woot? Woot?

Indeed, it's difficult to know how Bears fans should react to Fields' return after he missed four games with a thumb injury.

In the big picture Tyler Bagent did an admirable job filling in. But Bagent also struggled in the second half against New Orleans and looked like a true game manager in an ugly 16-13 victory over the Panthers.

Normally, young QBs improve with every start.

Not so with Bagent.

But I digress.

Now that Fields has watched for a month, what should we expect?

How about this: Hang with the Lions on Sunday, beat the Vikings (6-4) the next week, hang with the Lions again, then beat the Browns (6-3), Cardinals (2-8), Falcons (4-6) and Packers (3-6) to finish the season.

If Fields is your franchise QB, this is what should happen.

The defense is much improved, with the addition of Montez Sweat. Khalil Herbert returns this week to bolster the running game.

And - most importantly - Fields should have learned that it's OK to throw to guys like Cole Kmet and D.J. Moore even if the 1-on-1 coverage looks solid. Give those guys a shot, and there's a decent chance they'll make the catch.

Look, most would agree Fields has had a disappointing start to his career.

He's averaging 2,737 passing yards, 18 TD passes and 14 interceptions per season. He also averages 927 rushing yards and 5.7 rush TDs per season.

Of course, the number everyone cares about is .194 - Fields' winning percentage as a starter. He's 6-25 heading into Sunday's game at Detroit.

But should the lion's share of the blame go to Fields?

I'd say no.

If you want to play the blame game, start with Matt Nagy. The former Bears coach ruined Fields as a rookie. Instead of letting him drop back and sling the ball around so he could learn what an open receiver looks like in the NFL, Fields just sat in the pocket and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

That kind of mentality has affected him to this day.

Lay blame at the feet of the defense too. Not many QBs have a winning record when their team allows 33 points per game - which is what happened during the last 10 weeks of 2022.

Finally, how can we give Luke Getsy a pass? While the offensive coordinator often calls a good drive or has a good quarter or half, rarely - it seems to me - does he make proper adjustments and call an excellent game.

This seems to be a disease that affects all Bears coaches. Not sure why.

Getsy's biggest flaw this season is not understanding that Moore should be targeted a minimum of 10 times a game. And 12-15 would be more like it.

Instead, Moore has 10 targets once, 9 targets three times and 8 or fewer in the other six contests. He ranks 23rd among WRs with 7.1 targets per game. The top five all have 10.2 or more.

Moore does rank 14th with 79.3 receiving yards per game, but that number is inflated because of his 230-yard day against Washington. He's only averaging 62.6 yards in the other nine games.

As you can see, Fields has had much to overcome in his 2½ years with the Bears.

Now's the time for him to show how much he's learned and to guide the Bears to a strong finish.