Like any head coach, Kyle Shanahan has a job to do each week. That is evaluate the opponent he is going to face and determine how his San Francisco 49ers can beat them. If anybody needs a win right now, it’s him. His team has lost four in a row and suddenly the calls are growing louder for him to get fired. A byproduct of his team having a losing season every year he’s been the head coach except for 2019 when they reached the Super Bowl.
So this game means a lot to his status moving forward. To that end, a lot of his tape study has involved Chicago Bears rookie quarterback Justin Fields. Opinions on the 11th overall pick haven’t been in short supply lately. After his rough outing against Tampa Bay that saw him commit five turnovers, many are wondering if he is trending in the wrong direction. Shanahan doesn’t see it that way. When having a chance to speak on Fields according to Martin O’Donnell of BOLAVIP, he sees a young QB learning on the fly.
“He’s getting thrown in there and playing and he’s having some up and down moments, which is expected. But you have to always be ready for him. If he breaks away, he’s got the size, and he’s got the speed to outrun almost anybody, he throws a great deep ball, has got a big arm, can make every throw and he’s getting better each week.”
Shanahan would know what he is talking about.
The man has coached rookie quarterbacks multiple times in his career. He went through the full experience himself. In 2012 as offensive coordinator in Washington, #2 overall pick Robert Griffin III exploded to become Rookie of the Year. He made the Pro Bowl and led the team to the playoffs. Three years later he was gone. Then in 2014, he had another 1st round pick in Johnny Manziel. When the rookie finally started a couple of games late in the year, it was a disaster as he posted a 29.6 passer rating.
So he understands better than anybody that first impressions don’t mean much. Griffin looked like a star in the making for Washington. Manziel flopped hard. Both ended up becoming busts in the end. So judging Fields right now is somewhat inadvisable. Yes, he is struggling but that is not a true determination of whether he’ll be good in the long term. This is why most call the rookie season of any QB a learning experience.
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Kyle Shanahan did pass on Fields in the draft
In fact, he was never even considered one of the top options at the time. Almost every insider pinpointed either Mac Jones of Alabama or Trey Lance of North Dakota State as the preferred options for San Francisco when they traded up to #3 in the draft. In the end, the 49ers chose Lance. The head coach made it clear in the interview he didn’t dislike Fields. He liked him a lot. It was merely a case of Lance making a bigger impression.
The 49ers rookie made two extended appearances this season and didn’t look any more consistent than Fields has. He completed barely 51% of his passes for 349 yards, two TDs, an interception, and an 80.9 passer rating. He also already has an injury he is dealing with. So Kyle Shanahan has another reason to offer his current stance on Fields. He isn’t the only rookie that is struggling to adjust to the NFL.
These things take time.
The big challenge for the Bears is whether they can bring in proper help for Fields. Right now they don’t have enough offensive talent and also don’t have a coaching staff that seems capable of supporting him. The next offseason will be about finding both. As for the next 10 games? They should help the kid continue to learn the speed and complexity of the pro level. Hopefully, he can survive that long.
