LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- In three simple sentences, rookie quarterback Justin Fields provided the city of Chicago with the kind of reassurance not felt in these parts in more than a generation.
“I’ve been kind of in the spotlight since high school,” Fields, the Bears first-round draft pick, said last week when questioned about his readiness to occupy the headlines in the NFL's third-largest market.
“So, I kind of feel like I’m made for this. I’m built for this.”
Those words sent most Chicagoans into an even greater fever pitch. The overwhelming majority of Bears fans are not on the fence about Fields. General manager Ryan Pace’s aggressive move to trade up nine spots for the Ohio State quarterback was met with almost universal praise.