People will look at the stat line from Sunday and think one thing. Justin Fields was bad. Going 6-of-13 for 60 yards and an interception is hard to justify to the numbers people. However, anybody who watches football knows stats can lie all the time. In the case of the Chicago Bears rookie quarterback? They are lying quite a bit. Former quarterback and ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky found that out when he reviewed the tape.
He posted a video on social media to discuss his findings. By the sound of it, he came away far more impressed than expected. As a quarterback, he views the position with a different eye than fans. When seeing the film through Fields, he realized the young quarterback made a lot of good decisions. Both as a passer and a runner. What stood out the most was how the QB often threw with anticipation and timing rather than waiting for receivers to get open. A common complaint about Fields in college.
Were there bad plays? Sure.
Orlovsky noted only two that stood out. The interception to Logan Wilson was the obvious one. A case where Fields failed to see the linebacker drop into zone after faking a blitz. This is a common thing that catches young quarterbacks by surprise. The other was a missed opportunity to hit Jimmy Graham on a shallow cross in the red zone that might’ve scored a touchdown. Outside of that? Every decision he made throwing the football was good.
It is often easy to get lost in the numbers. This is why re-watching the games can be so crucial to getting a proper sense of a player. If not for a few dropped passes and a couple of others that were just a bit off? Fields would’ve had a much stronger afternoon. The fact he looked as sharp as he did with no practice time with the #1 offense speaks to his excellent preparation.
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Dan Orlovsky senses what everybody else does
Fields is learning fast. He is already overcoming some of the issues he had as a passer at Ohio State. Throwing with timing is one. Setting his own protections is another. The fact Cincinnati failed to get any free rushers in his face despite blitzing him several times speaks to his ability to communicate with the offensive line on where to block. Again, for a rookie coming in cold off the bench? That is pretty impressive.
Next for Dan Orlovsky and everybody else is to see what he can do with a full week of preparation. Andy Dalton suffered a bone bruise against the Bengals. He will likely miss a few weeks recovering. That means Fields will start against Cleveland this Sunday and perhaps the next one or two games after. If he can deliver some strong performances, that will go a long way towards him locking up the starting job.
Not to mention providing hope for the future of this franchise.
The Browns aren’t going to make it easy. They feature one of the strong pass rushes in the NFL and some talented young cornerbacks. Fields will likely get harassed and have tough windows to throw into. Can he remain poised and not get out of control trying to make plays? Early signs are he can.
