Justin Fields shouldn’t look this bad. He has way too much natural talent to struggle this much in the passing game. It is almost impossible to go three complete NFL games without reaching 300 yards total. Yet that is where he is at. Experts have struggled to determine the cause. It isn’t arm strength. He has more than enough to make any throw in a playbook. It isn’t accuracy either. He’s proven multiple times that he can uncork some absolute lasers down the field when given a chance.
No, a big part of Fields’ issues stems from something else: his greed. An NFL analyst last year had an excellent description of the young Chicago Bears quarterback. He is a “big-game hunter.” In other words, he wants to attack down the field. When people talk about him holding the ball too long, it isn’t always because he’s lost and doesn’t know what to do. It is because he’s looking for the big play. Now there is nothing wrong with being aggressive, but there comes the point where it works against the best interests of the team.
Fields is an NFL version of Adam Dunn.
For those who don’t know, Dunn was a two-time All-Star in professional baseball. He played from 2001 to 2014. His calling card during his career was his incredible power. Dunn ended up slugging 462 home runs. Only 37 other players in baseball history reached that mark. However, nobody mentions his name among the greats of his era. The reason why isn’t hard to find. Dunn had a career .237 batting average.
Put simply, he was only good for one thing. That was hitting dingers. If his team needed a bloop single to the opposite field or an extra-base hit to the gap, they would wait a long time. More often than not, Dunn either hit a home run or struck out. He had 2,379 career strikeouts, the 3rd-most in major league history. The man was the definition of all or nothing. That is Fields. If he can’t deliver a long ball, he often throws an incompletion, an interception, takes a sack, or scrambles.
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Justin Fields must learn to embrace the layups.
It’s almost like he views throwing the ball to checkdowns as an admission of defeat. The numbers back it up. Fields ranked second last season with 9.8 intended air yards per pass attempt. So far in 2022, he’s 5th with 9.7. He’s not taking what the defense gives him. Fields doesn’t have the offensive line or wide receivers to make a long-ball offense work right now. The Bears are built for ball control. They have a strong running game that steady doses of play action can complement. Accepting five or six-yard completions on a more regular basis would make his life so much easier.
Stringing completions together builds confidence. With confidence comes precision. The deep shots will be there. He must learn to accept it won’t happen as often in the NFL as it did in college. Everybody is fast at this level, and opposing coaches guard against big plays with universal paranoia. That is especially true with Justin Fields, who they know is an accomplished deep thrower.
They’re basically daring him to take the layups.
He hasn’t done it. The Bears are the ones paying the price for it. Matt Eberflus and Luke Getsy have the tricky task of teaching their young quarterback to accept checkdowns more often without crushing his aggressive spirit. It must be about finding a happy medium. That isn’t easy. Still, it must be done if Fields is ever going to join the NFL’s elite.
I totally agree. He was very successful at the long game in college because of the great receivers he had to throw to and the mismatched defense. Now, it’s not there but his brain can’t acclimate to take what the defense will give you. I don’t know if he can change or not. He is a smart guy and maybe one of his previous coaches, colleagues or someone he admires can get his mind right.
I would hate to see all that talent get wasted.
Another stupid and worthless article this pseudo-writer does… Comparing Fields to Dunn, just complete idiocy
??? No Fields looks lost. He can’t anticipate receivers, read defenses and he can’t feel pressure. 5 more sacks and another lost fumble… not greedy. He’s terrible. There’s a reason the Bears didn’t get more help. Because developing Fields isn’t the plan. Drafting his replacement IS. Expending draft capital on a trade for help is stupid.
Bye Bye Fields. Enjoy the CFL.
If that was the case the coaches would tell him to stop doing that and he'd an immediate star……….. don't you think? 🤔
For all the people saying Erik is full off s&*t, prove him wrong.
I’ve been saying Fields needs to learn how to throw sort balls, take what the defence gives him, instead of waiting for the deep pass all the time.
Last week when he got picked of, #81 was wide open, no way Fields didn’t see him, he ran right past him over the middle, still Fields took no notice as he wanted the deep pass, which again failed.
Hes done it heaps, its like he doesn’t believe in the short pass game, unless it’s screen’s.