Justin Fields carries a heavy responsibility going into 2022. Even as the Chicago Bears enter a rebuilding phase, he is still expected to take a significant step forward in his development. The quarterback took his lumps as a rookie. That experience should be valuable in furthering his progress. That said, plenty of people are skeptical about what he can accomplish. It’s the first year of a new offense. The wide receiver group was already considered thin and is now ravaged by injuries. The offensive line doesn’t look too stable either.
Beat reporters Adam Hoge of CHGO and Adam Jahns of The Athletic did an entire episode on Fields for their Hoge & Jahns podcast. There they discussed an interesting question. What were the second training camps like for current stars like Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, and Justin Herbert? They interviewed team insiders from Buffalo, Cincinnati, and Los Angeles to get answers. Some fascinating information came to light here, especially during the talk with Bills writer Joe Buscaglia. It had to do with a specific change Allen made to his game that summer of 2019.
A change that Hoge and Jahns have seen in Fields.
Justin Fields has completely revamped his lower body mechanics.
His footwork is smoother, and he appears to use his hips to snap forward when throwing the ball. This leads to better velocity and more consistent ball placement. When a quarterback starts trusting his feet, they find it far easier to navigate crowded pockets and avoid pass rushers. Fields didn’t do that much last season. As Jahns pointed out, he wasn’t coached on it enough. That changed the moment Luke Getsy took over.
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Things didn’t click for Allen right away. His first four games of 2019 were ugly, with three touchdowns and six interceptions. However, he soon gained comfort with the new playing style and finished the year with 17 touchdowns and three interceptions. The belief is the same can happen to Justin Fields. Once he starts playing actual NFL games, his progress will be far more noticeable.
Signs are already there. The past two days were probably the best sequence of practices he’s had since joining the Bears last year. He is operating with more precision. He processes quickly, and the ball comes out on time. It is far from perfect, but Fields is getting there. With guys like Hoge and Jahns feeling optimistic, it’s hard not to feel excited.
