Justin Fields has become one of the most divisive talking points of the 2023 off-season. On the one hand, he had a rushing season for the ages, finishing with the second-most yards in NFL history. At the same time, he underwhelmed as a passer with 17 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He also fumbled an alarming 16 times. There is no denying he’s one of the most electric athletes to play the quarterback position. However, many people who have worked in the league don’t feel that is enough to justify keeping him as the starter. Not when the Chicago Bears hold the #1 overall pick.
Two former executives in Mike Tannenbaum and Joe Banner have already said they should trade Fields and start over. Now another prominent name has offered a bleak assessment of Fields. Rich Gannon played in the league for over a decade at quarterback, winning MVP honors in 2002. While writing a breakdown of the NFC North quarterbacks for The 33rd Team, his assessment of Fields wasn’t pretty. He sees way too many flaws to be comfortable with.
The Bears will be taking a huge risk if they decide to stick with him for another year.
“They’ve got a problem. It was not a good season, and if you are Matt Eberflus and the folks in Chicago, you are keeping your fingers crossed that Justin Fields can make the same leap as Jalen Hurts. This kid is very athletic but has to learn to function and process.
His anticipation is not very good. In his eyes, guys are almost always covered. Part of it is he doesn’t have the experience. If I were coaching him this spring, he would not be allowed to run with the football. In any period of practice, he has to do something other than run. Teach him how to sit in there and take the extra hit, learn protections and understand defenses, fronts and tendencies.”
Plenty of fans don’t want to hear the Justin Fields slander.
It is easy to understand why. He played with arguably one of the worst supporting casts in the NFL. His offensive line was porous, and his wide receiving corps was underwhelming. This is true. There is plenty of visual evidence to back it up. That said, what Gannon said is also true. There are several passing plays where Fields showcased an unwillingness to throw the ball even when his receivers were open. That led to him holding it too long, forcing a scramble or a sack. This issue improved somewhat towards the end of 2022, but it is still a problem.
The obvious hope is that an influx of better protection and more weapons, along with another year in the same offense, can help Justin Fields take a big leap forward in 2023. It isn’t impossible. He’s plenty talented and is highly intelligent. It comes down to whether GM Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus believe he can take that leap as a passer. Do not discount the fact these men didn’t draft Fields. That matters in a situation like this. If somebody like Bryce Young or C.J. Stroud makes a strong enough impression, it is very possible they may look to make a change.
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eecummings — The reason things seem “silly” is that you’re confusing and conflating: opinions (some that matter; others that don’t); on-field production with on-paper talent evaluations; as well as temporal measurements (“quick pass” and “in-rhythm” release times) and the value of predictive tendencies (p2s%). It’s not your fault — I blame that devil, Erik Lambert, and his cohorts in the Chicago sports media for prematurely elevating Justin Fields to “franchise NFL QB” status. And, even worse, denigrating JF1’s teammates — simply to provide believable excuses for Justin Fields’ shortcomings. Let’s move on to: Brock Purdy (evaluated on-paper as a “no… Read more »
RICH GANNON WHO??
LETS COMPARE
FIRST 14 GAMES SEASON THREE YEARS IN
Total RICH G
CMPATTPCTYDS AVG TD TD% INT INT%LNGSCSC RA
182 349 52.1 2,278 6.5 16 4.6 16 4.6 78 34 188 68.9 2,546 17 10
JUSTIN FIELDS
2ND SEASON
15 GAMES TD’S INT PR
318 192 60.4 2242 7 56 17 11 91 28.6 32 55 359 85.2
BEAT IT GO HELP THE RAIDERS OUT THERE WERE PREDICTIED TO DO WAY BETTER THIS SEASON
Sometimes there is a difference between suggesting that someone ISN’T CAPABLE of doing something, and simply NOT DOING it because of other reasons. JF’s running ability was the most productive aspect of the offense. he maybe fighting his own instincts in order to throw to a half-open muppet of a receiver in hopes he maybe catches it? thereby validating his ability to a bunch of pundits, but resulting in likely WORSE offensive output? have you seen a muppet catch a football? i never have. this guy is a special talent, even if he doesnt fit the early 2000’s prototype. DON’T… Read more »
Thomas Gena This is just getting to be silly. Purdy is playing behind on of the best O-lines in the league (including the best left tackle in the league) while throwing to Aiyuk Samuels, Kittle and McCaffrey. Purdy is an amazing story but if he played for the Bears this year, he would not be in the playoffs but in the hospital. Every player you listed would have higher pressure to sack rates if they played with receivers and oline on a par with the Bears – they would have fewer passing outlets, rushers getting to them sooner, fewer escape… Read more »
Fields QB play up to now has been mediocre. He definitely has ability. He is supposed to be smart. The QB part he hasn’t developed is the stand in the pocket and stepping up in the pocket. He has a tendency to continue dropping back and peeling off to the left or right. The question is can Fileds become a passer. His reaction times and going through his progressions are TOO slow. The offensive scheme also doesn’t allow freeing up the receivers. The line up of the two receivers creating soft picks on one side with the TE & other… Read more »