One of the more puzzling things about Justin Fields this season is how unwilling at times it seemed he was to run with the football. Despite possessing rare speed and athleticism for a quarterback, it felt too often like the rookie would only run when he had no other choice. He was deliberately holding himself back in order to play the position from the pocket. That appeared to change last Sunday against San Francisco where it was clear Fields took off and ran deliberately multiple times.
As a result? He hit 103 yards for the afternoon including an electric 22-yard touchdown in the 4th quarter. It is difficult to determine what changed in his mindset. Could it be possible he’s been getting advice from people other than the Bears coaching staff? Matt Spiegel of 670 The Score made it seem that way when he revealed on Twitter that former Pro Bowl quarterback Michael Vick has been on the rookie to use his legs more often.
Mike Vick told us that he's been on Justin Fields to take off and run more….that getting in a confident running rhythm can help in all facets of the game. That makes all the sense in the world to me, and feels applicable to the quality of play overall this past Sunday.
— M@ (@MattSpiegel670) November 4, 2021
Vick explained the reasoning during his interview on Parkins & Spiegel.
“And what I’ve learned about him over the last four or five months is that he runs a 4.4 40, is very mobile. I would like to see him use them (legs) more. He did last week. It helped him. It helps your confidence. Moving the chains always helps your confidence. I want to see him use them more. I want to see him to continue to be mobile and exhaust all options as a quarterback.”
The man speaks from experience. Despite great success at Virginia Tech in college, Vick wasn’t ready for the complexities of the NFL when it came to attacking defenses through the air. His completion percentage through his first five appearances as a rookie was 44.44%. He only ran the ball 14 times in that span. By the beginning of December, he seemed to change his mindset and began running more often. In his final three appearances, he had 17 rushes.
Vick’s connection to Fields isn’t hard to find. Both made names for themselves in Georgia. The Bears rookie was born there and starred in high school. He attended the University of Georgia too before deciding to transfer to Ohio State. Combine that with their similar athletic skill sets? It isn’t hard to imagine the two connecting. The former Pro Bowler isn’t wrong either.
Justin Fields should use all of his tools whenever possible
Wanting to be a good pocket passer isn’t a bad thing. Every good quarterback in the NFL must be that. However, learning to become one is difficult and can take time. Until that happens, why not use other advantages he has in order to help his team win football games. Deliberately choosing not to run and force himself to be a passer makes little sense. Not when he has the speed to make defenses pay.
A quarterback has a responsibility to do whatever is necessary to help his team score points and win football games. Justin Fields seems to finally be reaching that realization. The pocket passing should come with more work and experience. Until he has that mastered, there is no crime against him using his legs whenever the situation presents itself. Lamar Jackson used that advantage for years in Baltimore. Now he’s almost as good of a passer as he is a runner.
Fields can do the same.
It is difficult not to wonder if this approach has the fingerprints of head coach Matt Nagy on it. Former Bears center Olin Kreutz once said the man sees the game from the pocket. Nagy played the position that way in college and the Arena league. His offense seems designed to be played from there. Hence the limited number of designed QB run, RPOs, and play action bootlegs before last week. Perhaps another sign that he is not the best man to be guiding Fields’ career beyond 2021.