Justin Fields was sacked 55 times last season, tied for the most of any quarterback in the NFL. Part of that was inconsistent blocking from his offensive line. However, it’s also important to note a lot of those sacks were his own fault. His tendency to hold the ball too long rather than sticking to his timing and rhythm led to him running into pressure that wasn’t initially there. Pro Football Reference had some interesting data. According to their numbers, Fields had an average of 2.7 seconds in the pocket. That was the most of any quarterback in the league.
Patrick Mahomes, Derek Carr, Lamar Jackson, and Marcus Mariota all had 2.6. Yet all of them were sacked fewer than 30 times. How is that possible? Well, Russell Wilson was the only other QB sacked as much as Fields last year. He had 2.5 seconds on average in the pocket. For him to go down that many times speaks to the same problem Fields had. He held the ball too long. The lingering concern is whether the Bears quarterback can overcome this. Teams have already begun adjusting their game plans to keep him in the pocket, or the Trubisky Strategy as it’s known these days.
Green Bay first made it famous in 2019 when they shut the former Bears QB down in a 10-3 win, stating their goal was to “make him play quarterback” rather than use his dangerous legs to create. It’s expected they will do the same with Fields.
He doesn’t seem bothered by the idea.
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Justin Fields isn’t stupid. He knows exactly what the Packers will do.
Everybody knows how dangerous he is as a runner. That is why he’s worked for months on improving his footwork and processing speed from the pocket. Every indication from training camp is that he’s gotten much better in this department. His processor has sped up, and he’s doing a better job of getting the ball out of his hands. That will be tested by a talented Packers defense who’s had his number since he arrived in the league two years ago. He’s yet to post a passer rating above 90 against them.
You can’t win games against tough opponents if you’re quarterback is consistently a weak link. Justin Fields has said multiple times how much he wants to beat the Packers. He’s 0-4 against them. For a competitor like him, that is unacceptable. It doesn’t matter how the Bears win. If it takes him playing from the pocket, fine. He’ll find a way to make it work. If they happen to give him some opportunities to run, then he’ll do that. Whatever it takes. Winning is the only end result that matters.
Unluckyirishman76 if you are gonna take the 30 snaps in the preseason without the oline playing to make your argument you might be less intelligent than TGena and I thought that was impossible for a lot of people
It’s the middle of the o-line I worry about the most. Whitehair is better at C than LG. Patrick is a big question mark at C and Davis has barely practiced.
If they can’t be stout up the middle and the Puke Yellow/Slime Green Packers get pressure there, it won’t matter how quick JF1 releases the ball. That’s the quickest path to the QB and the hardest to escape from.
Hope Getsy has a counter.
I didn’t realize the pocket went from sideline to sideline because I can’t remember a single snap between the tackles where he had even 1.7 seconds. Oh well, this article says Fields is horrible and the next one will say he is great.
Remember Matt Eberflus talking about the goal of: “Eleven playing as one”?
If Justin Fields involves all his teammates (as Luke Getsy’s offense is designed to operate) the Bears offense will be fine.
If Fields panics — and tries to do it all, himself; the Bears will be forced to make changes at QB — and, probably sooner, rather than later.
Ryan Poles is not completely stupid.
“Every indication from training camp is he has gotten alot better in this department.” Not true because everyone was saying and we saw in the preseason this was not the case except maybe in 7 on 7 drills. We will know by week 4 or 5 if hes the real deal or not. I hope he is.