Justin Fields has certainly done his part in getting Chicago Bears fans hyped for the 2021 season. His play during training camp practiced has elicited plenty of positive reactions. Especially in the past few days. This makes it the perfect time to transition from Halas Hall to Soldier Field for his first official NFL game action. While the preseason is obviously not a clear barometer of whether he’ll be good or not, it should offer an idea of where he is in his development.
Everybody knows that there is nothing physically wrong with Fields. His talents are many. Everything from his mobility to his strong arm and deep accuracy has been on display. What head coach Matt Nagy and the staff want to see is how he handles the offense in general. Getting in and out of the huddle. Calling plays. Making adjustments to his protections while reading what the defense will do pre-snap. It’s a lot for a quarterback to juggle. According to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN? It seems Fields is progressing fast.
“I’m told the Bears feel that Fields’ command of the offense is improving every single day. They know he can make the athletic play, the spectacular play. They want to see tonight, him mastering the nuances of their offense.”
This is exactly what you want to hear.
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It is one thing to have pure physical tools in the NFL at quarterback. The bigger challenge is whether one can apply those tools to full effect inside the structure of an offense. Fields was able to get away with many things at Ohio State because he was so much more talented than most of the defenses he played against. That isn’t going to be the case at this level. Every defense he plays against will have guys who are fast, smart, or more often both.
This is why Fields can’t just lean on his physical gifts anymore. He has to master the offense from top to bottom. This will allow him to maximize his effectiveness. When defenses aren’t able to confuse him with anything they do, it’ll be nearly impossible to stop him. It sounds like the rookie is well on his way to reaching that goal.
Justin Fields is going to get plenty of opportunities today
Nagy made that clear during his most recent press conference. Expect the 11th overall pick to step in around the second half of the 1st quarter and to play through at least the 2nd and 3rd quarters. The goal is obvious. To get him as many reps as possible of live game action. They want to see the rookie go out there and let it rip. Don’t think so much about things. Play within himself and have some fun.
The trick for Bears fans will be not getting carried away with his performance. One way or the other. If Justin Fields plays well? Great. If he doesn’t? No sweat. Preseason games don’t tell the story of what kind of career a player will have. Don’t forget Mitch Trubisky had 166 yards passing, 38 rushing, and a TD pass in his debut. Everybody thought he was going to be the real deal.
We all know how that went.
For Fields, this is about learning new lessons and using them to make his game better moving forward. Above all? Stay healthy. The last thing anybody wants to see is him getting hurt in games that don’t count. One thing is for sure. If he does play well, Andy Dalton better hope his own performance is at least passable. If he flubs his own first appearance and Fields stand out? The starting job discussion may shift.
