Snap judgments of a player’s career after one game is legendary among fans. Just look at what is happening to Justin Fields. He didn’t have a good game last Sunday in Cleveland. The rookie finished 6-of-20 for 68 yards. He took nine sacks and missed a number of opportunities for completions. The kid looked overwhelmed, both by his responsibilities but especially the relentless Browns pass rush.
It wasn’t easy to watch. Yet plenty of experts have made it seem like the game was a portent of things to come. That Fields’ failure to look superior in that game means his career is forever doomed. Is this overreaction? Just a bit. It’s not like Fields is the first rookie to struggle so mightily in his first start. There are plenty of examples of noteworthy quarterbacks doing the same. In fact here is a list of examples to give people an idea.
- John Elway: 1-of-8 for 14 yards, 0 TDs, 1 INT
- Eli Manning: 17-of-37 for 162 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs
- Matthew Stafford: 16-of-37 for 205 yards, 0 TDs, 3 INTs
- Alex Smith: 9-of-23 for 74 yards, 0 TDs, 4 INTs
- Randall Cunningham: 14-of-34 for 211 yards, 0 TDs, 4 INTs
- Ryan Tannehill: 20-of-36 for 219 yards, 0 TDs, 3 INTs
Impressive list, yes?
A Hall of Famer, a two-time Super Bowl MVP, one of the hottest QBs in the league right now, and a former league MVP. It’s worth noting that Peyton Manning also threw three interceptions in his first start. In fact, he threw 11 interceptions in his first four starts. The point is there is overwhelming evidence to suggest that a bad first start in your NFL career doesn’t mean you’ll be a bad player. Far from it.
The reality is nobody has a clue where this training is going to end up. It’s way too early to tell. Fields is talented, a hard worker, smart, and confident. He has the ability to learn. It is a matter of him adjusting to the speed of the NFL and hopefully the Bears getting him more help.
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Justin Fields needs to keep stacking snaps. He should get there
It’s okay to say he didn’t play well in Cleveland. He didn’t. The rookie could’ve played better. At the same time, that game wasn’t all on him. Not even close. The offensive line struggled. The game plan from head coach Matt Nagy was ill-advised, to say the least. This was a systemic failure rather than just the quarterback. Odds favor things getting better. Especially this week against the Detroit Lions.
They have the 23rd ranked pass defense in the league. Their secondary is banged up. If the line can protect Justin Fields, he should find openings. They also don’t have the linebacker speed to handle his running ability. The point is don’t get swept up in what happened last Sunday. It was bad, but it was still just one game. If one game determined Fields’ career, he wouldn’t have been the 11th overall pick.
Sit back, try to relax, and let this play out.
Starting rookies can always be a misadventure. Things didn’t start out much better for Trevor Lawrence or Zach Wilson either. This is about the long view for the Bears. Their goal must be a steady improvement and getting Fields up to speed on the complex challenges of the NFL. Something Ohio State was never going to prepare him for. If he is still that bad two months from now? Then feel free to panic.