Justin Fields was having a decent preseason going into Cleveland on Saturday night. It wasn’t anything special. He’d made a few nice throws and led one scoring drive in three tries. He also made some poor decisions. The biggest positive from them was that he hadn’t turned the ball over. He was at least efficient. The preseason finale was his last chance to build positive momentum for the opener against the San Francisco 49ers on September 11th.
It didn’t start well. After two runs that went nowhere, Fields faced 3rd and long. Right tackle Larry Borom missed a block and the QB was forced to throw the ball away. Chicago had to punt. Fields took off running on a scramble for nine yards and a first down in the next series. A Browns defender hit him high as he gave himself up on a slide. That resulted in a penalty, but it was the latest in a string of dirty shots he’d taken dating back to last year.
His teammates had seen enough, rallying to his defense before refs broke it up.
That play proved a turning point. The quarterback proceeded to dice up Cleveland’s defense for the rest of the half. He finished 14-of-16 for 158 yards and three touchdowns. It was his most complete performance in months. His talent isn’t only what stood out. It was his operation. Fields looked in full control mentally. He knew where to go with the ball, made quick decisions, and didn’t open himself up to unnecessary hits. Brian Baldinger of NFL Network loved what he saw, pointing out how offensive coordinator Luke Getsy was excellent at giving his QB options.
.@ChicagoBears @justnfields Yo Chicago…it looks like you have both a Coach & a QB. How long has it been? Decades? Time for #DaBears to rejoin the NFCNORTH #BaldysBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/SbgSJTswA2
— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) August 28, 2022
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Other national analysts were impressed. Dan Orlovsky of ESPN has been quite vocal about Fields over the past month. He didn’t have many good things to say when watching the game in Seattle and has railroaded the Bears for not giving the QB more weapons. He changed his tune after watching the Browns game. What stood out the most was how much better Fields has become at reading the defense both before and after the snap.
Can’t run this play any better @justnfields
What’s problem-what’s answer?!?!? pic.twitter.com/08Mep0DoXR— Dan Orlovsky (@danorlovsky7) August 28, 2022
Justin Fields is finally in a position to succeed.
Yes, the Bears would’ve liked to add more high-end talent around him. GM Ryan Poles didn’t have that luxury. His predecessor Ryan Pace left the team with limited cap space and no 1st round pick thanks to his actions in 2021. Poles had to make do with what he had. This meant the most important change would be the offensive scheme. The Bears had to find somebody that could work to Fields’ strengths. It is why head coach Matt Eberflus hired Getsy. The 37-year-old had experience running the famed wide-zone offense guys like Kyle Shanahan, Sean McVay, and Matt Lafleur have utilized to great success.
It is an offense built around running the football and utilizing heavy doses of play action. It also likes to get the quarterback outside the pocket. So more athletic types tend to find great success in it. See Steve Young, John Elway, Jake Plummer, Jay Cutler, Aaron Rodgers, and Matthew Stafford. It fits Justin Fields like a glove.
There were multiple examples in that game.
Yes, it was the preseason. The Browns sat their three best defenders in that game. Then again, the Bears were missing multiple starters too. What mattered was whether the offense executed well. They did, and it was their quarterback leading the way.
