The narrative around Justin Fields is interesting. When examining the national landscape, most are skeptical that the second-year quarterback will do anything of note in 2022. Yet their reasoning isn’t typical. It comes not from a lack of belief in Fields himself but more from his supporting cast. They don’t like his protection or weapons outside of one or two exceptions. One of those critics is former player Ross Tucker.
He decided to broach the subject with a pair of Bears staples in analyst Adam Rank and former scouting director Greg Gabriel. Tucker put his cards on the table. He doesn’t feel Chicago will be good this year, like a five-win team. If that happens and Fields struggles again, he believes the team may consider drafting a new quarterback next year. Gabriel disagreed. While the Bears aren’t a playoff team in his mind, he still sees them winning 7-8 games. More importantly, he expects a big step forward from Fields.
It is a fair point with Justin Fields.
Not enough people are discussing the coaching for all the talk about his receivers and his protection. In the past few months, evidence has become overwhelming that Matt Nagy and his staff badly mismanaged the Bears offense last year. They stubbornly refused to adjust the scheme to Fields’ strengths and were surprised when he struggled. From the moment he took over, new offensive coordinator Luke Getsy made one thing clear. This new system would be built around what the quarterback does best.
The encouraging part is the scheme already has an extensive history of elevating quarterbacks. Hall of Famers like Steve Young, John Elway, and Aaron Rodgers have won MVPs and championships in it. Even okay guys like Jake Plummer, Jared Goff, and Joe Flacco had career years playing in the system. It is built to run the football well and utilize heavy doses of play action. Something Justin Fields was quite adept at both in college and as a rookie.
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So what Gabriel says isn’t wrong. If the offense is even semi-coherent this season, Fields should play better. He may not put up star numbers, but it will be a welcome step in the right direction.
