Defensive coach or not, Matt Eberflus has studied quarterbacks for a long time. He knows what the good ones are supposed to look like. When he took over the Chicago Bears in January, one of his first orders of business was to evaluate every piece of tape on the 2021 season regarding Justin Fields. To help his new quarterback improve, he had to figure out what needed to be fixed. Once that was done, he set about constructing an offense staff that could accomplish those goals.
His offensive coordinator was somebody he’d had an eye on for years in Luke Getsy. Eberflus liked the 37-year-old for his innovation and his reputation for attention to detail. His ability to teach players rather than just telling them what to do was crucial. Somebody like that would be needed to help Fields take the next step. From what the head coach has seen, Getsy’s influence is already being felt.
He explained during his recent press conference.
Eberflus has already praised Fields for his work ethic and impressive deep ball. His progress was already apparent on Monday this past week when he had a big day against the defense. When asked what has stood out the most with his young quarterback, the head coach had an answer ready. Based on the tape he watched from last year, it is clear as day that Fields has improved his footwork and timing.
One of the persistent issues last year for Fields was how sporadic his footwork became when defenses applied pressure. He’d often immediately bail out to scramble or make throws off-balance, leading to incompletions or interceptions. He also had a bad tendency to unload the ball late because his processing through a play took too long. This often led him to take unnecessary hits.
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Matt Eberflus seems encouraged by Fields’ progress.
Maybe he’s overly optimistic, but the fact that he had an answer ready like that speaks to the work the QB and his coaches have put in. Videos put out by the team show Getsy and quarterbacks coach Andrew Janocko putting Fields through specific drills designed to connect his feet to the rest of his body. They want to get him to a point where it feels natural to stay balanced inside the pocket, feeling and avoiding pressure while staying on time within the play. They don’t want his first instinct to be to run.
The tricky part is for Matt Eberflus and the staff to get Fields to a point where he’s willing to take check-downs without sacrificing his natural instinct to seek the big play. That is always a delicate balance. They want the quarterback to have that aggressive mentality, but not at the cost of his body taking extra punishment.
Helping him to avoid pressure and get the ball out faster is a critical first step.
The Bears are keeping their expectations under control this season. They know Fields is in a new offense with a supporting cast that can best be called a work-in-progress. This season isn’t about seeing him morph into a star. It is more about seeing signs of improvement.
