Justin Fields, The Natural

Pardon me for mixing my sports, but Bears’ second-year quarterback Justin Fields keeps reminding me of Robert Redford/Roy Hobbs in “The Natural.” The kid on the football field is like the old guy in the movie in that they both possess a ton of talent. What gets me is all the forces arrayed against Fields’ success, just like in the movie. Yesterday in Atlanta, Bears’ offensive coordinator Luke Getsy and head coach Matt Eberflus both did spot-on imitations of Harriet Bird. Or was it Max Mercy, or the Judge, or Gus Sands (somebody explain to me again why Darren McGavin went uncredited for what has to be the best role of his life)? Any or all of them desperately want Hobbs out of commission, if not dead. Getsy and Eberflus would be different how, exactly? They are literally running their young star into the ground. Preparing for the Falcons’ game, Fields said his legs were feeling heavy. No matter. He ran the ball eighteen times, one more than running back David Montgomery. Was calling a run with 1:38 left in the game and the Munsters down by three just dumb, or were Getsy and Eberflus doing their best Gus Sands? I can see one or more of the McCaskey clan conniving a la The Judge (thank you, Robert Prosky, for personifying oleaginous evil, happiest in dark places). They don’t want Fields dead. No, they just want to monetize him for the benefit of the family fortune, holy be the name of Halas. The Judge knew enough baseball to understand talent along with its limits. If only the McCaskeys were near as smart. They and their coaching staff seem to think they can run their best player again and again, game after game, without consequences. But life ain’t Hollywood. There’ll be no happy endings here if the Munsters don’t figure out—and fast—the best way to use Justin Fields.