Justin Fields had what can best be called a mixed bag of a 2022 season as a passer. On one hand, his efficiency took a step forward. His completion percentage, passer rating, and TD-INT ratio all improved. However, his yards per game were the lowest in the NFL. People search for the problem. It wasn’t any tendency to settle for constant checkdowns. Fields averaged a healthy 11.7 yards per pass attempt. No, the problem was much simpler than that. It was his unwillingness to actually pull the trigger.
Fields averaged 21.2 passes per game. For context, the league average is 33. The Bears QB wasn’t throwing the ball a lot. Much of this stemmed from his tendency to avoid attacking tight windows in coverage. He preferred either waiting for guys to be wide open or using his legs. It was a persistent criticism. Some wondered if he had enough confidence in his arm to make those throws. It’s the NFL. Tight coverage is a fact of life. Good quarterbacks deal with it.
Thankfully, Bears training camp highlights show that this may no longer be a problem.
Justin Fields clearly trusts himself more this year.
There are reasons for this. It starts with the offense itself. This will be his second year in Luke Getsy’s system. Quarterbacks usually start showing improvement by Year 2, especially in a wide-zone scheme. Fields knows everything now. He understands which routes receivers are supposed to run and where the ball should go at which time. His footwork has improved, and that leads to his better accuracy on these throws. That dime to Cole Kmet, in particular, showcases how much better he’s gotten at just “letting it rip,” as Kurt Warner says.
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The next step is showing this same mentality in pads. It’s easy enough to make such throws in shorts when you know nobody can touch you. Justin Fields must do this in live drills and the preseason. If he can do that, it will be undeniable evidence that he’s overcoming arguably his biggest handicap. Nothing cripples a quarterback more than fear of throwing interceptions. If he can conquer that, Fields has the arm to make any throw there is to make in this sport.
