The offseason for the Chicago Bears thus far can’t exactly be called eventful. GM Ryan Poles has made some new additions to the roster, but most of them would be categorized as cheaper mid-to-lower tier players. The only player that can be called a proper “swing” would’ve been Larry Ogunjobi, but he fell through because of a failed physical. What has fans so frustrated right now is why the organization hasn’t shown more urgency in trying to help Justin Fields.
Though Poles has said he’s a big believer in the young quarterback, it’s difficult to take him seriously with such limited action on the offensive side of the ball. His only notable moves were signing center Lucas Patrick and wide receiver Byron Pringle. Both of them were backups on their former teams before the 2021 season. They could be solid contributors, but nobody is confusing them for true needle-movers.
Poles admitted he wants to do more but doesn’t want to press the issue. He believes the offense has improved somewhat with those additions, but there is another reason he is confident Fields will be better in 2022. That is the scheme. Matt Nagy and his staff were scorched by critics for their failures to help the young QB last season. Poles thinks Matt Eberflus and offensive coordinator Luke Getsy will do a better job crafting the scheme to Fields’ strengths.
The obvious concern is whether that means anything. After doing some research, there is some precedent out there.
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Justin Fields can look to Marcus Mariota for inspiration
That may terrify some people but don’t look away yet. Mariota is the closest example of what Fields is experiencing right now. He was a 1st round quarterback that saw the entire regime that drafted him fired after his first season. The new one brought in a new offensive system, and he actually experienced the best production of his career that second season despite minimal changes to his overall weaponry.
2015 Marcus Mariota: 2,818 yards, 19 TDs, 10 INTs
- Harry Douglas
- Delanie Walker
- Kendall Wright
- Dorial Green-Beckham
2016 Marcus Mariota: 3,426 yards, 26 TDs, 9 INTs
- Delanie Walker
- Rishard Matthews
- Tajae Sharpe
- Kendall Wright
Unfortunately for Mariota, while the scheme change did initially help, the coaching still proved inadequate. The Bears are hoping to avoid that same result with Justin Fields. They think they’ve built a quality staff of teachers led by Getsy. He has a diverse background in coaching both quarterbacks and wide receivers. QBs he’s worked with rave about his intelligence and attention to detail. Whether that translates into good play calling remains to be seen.
The bottom line is Fields has to take control of this situation too. Good quarterbacks often find a way to be good, even if the system and weaponry are somewhat average. Go back and look at Tom Brady’s arsenal in the early 2000s. Matt Ryan didn’t have much outside of Roddy White during his first couple of seasons. Good quarterbacks find a way to elevate others around them. The coaches will do what they can to help, but Justin must take control of his own career moving forward. He believes he can be that “win because of” quarterback.
Time to start proving it.
