People have talked about Justin Fields coming to Chicago in more of a spiritual sense the past few months. For the first time in many years, both fans and media were united in the belief that the Bears had actually gotten the quarterback decision correct. Here was a young man with elite physical talent, a terrific work ethic, and had proven himself at one of the best programs in college football.
When was the last time this organization added somebody like that through the draft? Never. So it isn’t hard to understand why people are excited. Yet this has made it easy to overlook the other reason. Scheme fit. This hasn’t been discussed nearly enough. Is Fields even the right guy for the type of offense head coach Matt Nagy wants to run? Some people weren’t sure.
They should be though.
Any self-respecting football fan needs to learn the name Brett Kollman. He has established himself as one of the best film experts on YouTube. Something true for a few years now. Recently he did an in-depth study on the Bears’ drafting Fields and if it is good for both sides. Not only does he think the quarterback landed in a good spot. He makes it clear Fields may have landed in the perfect spot.
The “Spread Coast” offense is something that really began to formulate in the NFL over the past decade. Nobody championed it more than Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid. So it’s hardly a surprise that Nagy, one of his many disciples, is a big believer in it as well. The fact that Fields ran something so similar at Ohio State and ran it extremely well no doubt added to his charm when the Bears were preparing for the draft.
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Justin Fields has to clear far fewer hurdles than normal
As Kollman said, learning the scheme itself won’t be an issue. The rookie QB saw the same formations and tendencies across two years in college. His primary challenge will be learning the Bears’ offensive verbiage. Something that figures to be considerably different. This is why the coaches have been working him hard at calling plays in the huddle and learning how to handle the language. It gets complex and Nagy won’t be handling everything from the sideline as Ryan Day did.
This means Justin Fields must have a firm command of what his responsibilities are. Once Nagy’s voice goes quiet in the headset, the quarterback must know every read and check available to him on each play. If he doesn’t, he will get results similar to what Mitch Trubisky delivered for most of the past three years. Every time he’s challenged with complex coverages, he folds because he doesn’t have a grasp of what he must do.
Fields proved at Ohio State he is different.
He ran this scheme to near perfection for two years against some of the best defenses in college football. If he gets a proper grasp on NFL speed, then things should get fun rather quickly in Chicago. Even as early as this season depending on when the rookie sees action.
