Lamar Jackson is NOT a pocket passer. However, Jackson has already won MVP honors in the NFL, and his name is often mentioned as one of the favorites to win the MVP award this season. Lamar’s game is about as close to what Justin Fields can be with the right coaching. Fields is every bit as athletic, and some say he possesses a stronger arm. Greg Roman designed an offense in Baltimore to maximize Jackson’s athletic abilities. This year, Todd Monken, the former University of Georgia offensive coordinator, has added a deep passing game to the Ravens’ offense.
This is what Fields needs, rather than the failed coaching of Luke Getsy.
Take a step back before the comments come rolling in, blasting this article. Greg Roman also created an offense for another athletic quarterback in San Francisco. His name? Colin Kaepernick.
Former Bears QB Erik Kramer, the Bears’ single-season record holder for both yards (3,838) and touchdowns (29), was a recent guest on NBC Sports Chicago. Listening to a player looking at the Bears’ quarterback situation, it would be prudent to pay more attention to his comments than any so-called insider.
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“I’m not a fan of luke getsy and what they’ve done. I think there needs to be some changes made offensively, coaching wise.”
Former Bears quarterback, Erik Kramer
More and more, Fields’s teammates are voicing their opinions in support of their quarterback. Conversely, one would expect that with three weeks still remaining in the season. It could be what players like Eddie Jackson, Cole Kmet, D J Moore, and Darnell Mooney actually think, or it may be rhetorical. Justin Fields has not made any decision easy. He has been inconsistent week in and week out, although he has shown improvement yearly.
Playoffs?
The Bears’ playoff chances have been all but extinguished due to the epic losses to Denver, Detroit, and, most recently, this past Sunday. However, there is a minute possibility of a postseason berth. A long and nearly impossible scenario exists, and it starts tonight. In order for the dream to stay alive, the Rams must win tonight. If New Orleans defeats L.A., the dream of the most optimistic fan dies.
If the Rams win tonight, you will find this weekend’s scenario to keep the Bears’ playoff hope alive tomorrow.
I think everyone is distracted by Fields athleticism. Great. Other defensive coordinators can be, but I’m not seeing the physical aspects. What I see is a highly disorganized offense that doesn’t know itself, or how to use what it says it wants to run. EVERY route should be 2 sec. Hit the sticks and turn, or cross the field at the sticks. Hit the sideline and take off. I see people running into each other, no clear spacing. And if I see it, the quarterback sees the same thing. When you throw quickly to a wide out, who is blocking?… Read more »
@Beardown54
I disagree. You don’t dial up limited plays anticipating poor execution from your QB. You dial up the best you have and expect execution.
I see so much mismanagement, that I can’t blame any player without blaming the architects of the offense first
@Slip Knotz Purdy fits because Shanahan crafted the entire team BEFORE he got Purdy. Actually, Shanahan designed the system for Trey Lance who is closer physically, to Fields, than Purdy. But Purdy understood the system from college. This is the issue. The system needs SKILLED, skill players. They have to be COACHED to those skills. Watch Kittle, Aiyuk, McCaffrey (who picked it up at Stanford, watching the Niners, so he’s essentially sitting for 4 years). There are never less than three options. Before McCaffrey, there was Raheem Mostert who is making the Miami offense work. I’m down on Getsy because… Read more »
Michael, thank you for writing just this question. I’ve written about how John Harbaugh, when Lamar signed his extension, and Roman left, looked at 14 candidates and did 21 interviews before landing in Monken. Monken has discussed modern offenses utilizing more athletic quarterbacks, many of whom are smaller than the 6’4″ prototypical Peyton Manning QB. Monken feels that utilization of the entire field, both width and depth, forces defenses to choose coverages, or miss coverage on sections of the field, BUT, the players have to be coached on how to synchronize their abilities to take advantage of those opportunities. Seeing… Read more »
Eberflus and Poles wanted to run the Shanahan Offense. It’s a proven Offense that wins in the NFL. There is no basis to knock the original choice of plan or scheme. That said, the nuances needed to fit your personnel have been contested for almost the entire duration of Getsy’s hire. Field’s has required a ton of customization as he really doesn’t fit the scheme. We can see that Brock Purdy fits the scheme fine. We can see that Fields doesn’t. Getsy has designed lots of different plays to accommodate Fields. You’ve all seen the rollouts, WR runs, and read… Read more »