Seeing Justin Fields post workout videos all the time is comforting. It serves as a reminder that the second-year quarterback is more focused than ever on his mission. That is to be the best QB in the league and win the Chicago Bears a championship. There isn’t much else to take from them. That is unless you’ve seen several over the past few months and began to notice a pattern. While Fields has gone through several passing drills in every clip, there continues to be an emphasis on one particular motion.
It was spotted again at Chad Johnson’s camp in Texas, which Fields and other young quarterbacks attended.
Don’t be fooled by the headline. Yes, Fields has worked on his release, but it was evident from that entire sequence what he was truly focused on. His play action fake. He is tinkering with how he turns his back to the line of scrimmage, fakes a hand-off, and then turns back to survey the field. It might seem simple, but it isn’t. A quarterback must have quick eyes to evaluate his options after turning his back to the line. Not only that, but so many of them do a poor job of selling their fakes. Fields seems to be working on both.
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Justin Fields isn’t doing this by accident either.
Most likely, new offensive coordinator Luke Getsy told him to work on that part of his game this offseason. That means what many speculated is true. The Bears will be a run-first team with heavy doses of play action. That is the meat and potatoes of the wide-zone offense, after all. Mike Shanahan wanted a steady, capable ground attack so his quarterback could feast on defenses with play fakes. Nobody can say it doesn’t work either. That offense has participated in six Super Bowls since 1998 and won three.
Former offensive lineman Ross Tucker went so far as to call the system perfect for Justin Fields. Not only will it help to slow down opposing pass rushers, but it will also take full advantage of his athleticism and speed with rollouts and bootlegs. Fields had a passer rating over 100 when the Bears used play action last year. Everything about this plan makes sense. It is a matter of whether the team can run the ball to maximize its effectiveness. It shouldn’t be impossible with David Montgomery and Khalil Herbert in the backfield.
I’ll be happy with Fields becoming more poised in the pocket, taking what the defense gives him and take less hits. In Nagy’s offense, he held the ball too long trying to make something happen because Nagy had all his wideouts run deep patterns. 8-9 would be my guess and I can live with that as long as the QB and offense looks decent.
I want some of whatever ManGod is smoking, but hope he is right! lol
The surprise of the 2022-23 season will be just how improved and effective this offense is and becomes as the season enters the second 4-game series and potent it is in the second half of the season. If this defense can just be competitive and a top 15-D, the Bears will make a strong push for the playoffs in the last 8 games, and there is a very likely chance they make the playoffs. I predict this offense scores an average of 24-28 points per game and surprises with a 10-11 win season.