Justin Fields knew by the end of 2021 that things had to change. There was no way his body could survive another season like that without consequences. So he’d have to spend the off-season finding ways to protect himself better. One of the most vital was figuring out how to get the ball out faster. His elongated throwing motion was a constant knock on Fields coming out of college. It took too much time for him to get it out. He got away with it at college, but NFL pass rushers made him pay.
The past few months were spent trying to correct that. Early video clips suggest he’s had some success. The arm motion looks more concise with less of a windup. QB specialist Wesley Tshimanga of Weezy Football noticed the improvements as well. He even saw similarities in how Fields adjusted his motion to another prominent quarterback in the Buffalo Bills’ Josh Allen. He, too, had throwing motion issues coming out of college. After doing some evaluation, he noticed where the problems were.
“(It is supposed to be) my hips, then my torso then your elbow and your hand is supposed to fire, but my hand and elbow were firing near before my hips were. I wasn’t really incorporating any part of my legs in my motion.”
Tshimanga noticed the same thing and offered visual evidence of it for both Allen and Fields on Instagram. Fields is doing a better job of using his hips and legs to drive the ball.
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Justin Fields should get the ball out much faster now.
That is what happened to Allen. It took some time to figure things out after his rookie year. There were some improvements in 2019, but everything came together in 2020. Over the last two years, he has had 73 touchdowns and 25 interceptions. Defenses can’t defend him because not only can he throw the ball anywhere on the field. He can also get it out before defenders get their hands on him. He no longer has to use his legs to buy time out of necessity.
Justin Fields is trying to reach that same moment of clarity. It will take time. Doing it in practice is one thing. The repetition is good for him. However, one must apply it to game situations to work out the kinks. He’ll get his first opportunities next month when the preseason begins. The throwing motion alone won’t fix Fields’ issues. That said, if he is taking the same route Allen did, then favorable results should follow.
Its not just the mechanics. Fields is slow reading defenses. His pocket presence is below average at best. If you are relying on perfect protection in order to compete in the NFL as a QB youre not going to last. Fixing his mechanics is nice and all but that wont fix his mental processing. This is it for him. Id be looking for his replacement after the Bears roll out a 6 win season.
While Fields has all the physical aspects needed it comes down to his ability to read defenses and get the ball out quick.
I can see the difference in Allen’s delivery, but the funny thing is Fields’ looks exactly the same in both