Justin Fields showed improvement over his three years with the Chicago Bears. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough. He was still too flawed in key areas to justify GM Ryan Poles passing on a quarterback with the #1 overall pick. That is how the Bears came around to drafting Caleb Williams. Among the list of issues that likely got Fields traded was his ball security. People talk about his slower processing speed and a bad tendency to take sacks all the time. They often overlook the 38 fumbles he had in 40 games.
Fields was too nonchalant with his handling of the football, and defenses didn’t take long to figure this out. They were swiping at it whenever they got near him. It didn’t take Williams long to show signs that he is learning the lessons that the former Bears quarterback never did. Lorin Cox of Locked On Bears picked up on it during the rookie’s preseason start against Buffalo. On his first pass play, Williams scrambled to his right after his drop. As he left the pocket, he extended the ball away from his body with both hands while glancing behind him to see if somebody was chasing him.
He was clearly mindful of getting stripped from behind.
Caleb Williams shows he’s big on details.
Coaches and teammates have said the quarterback is somewhat obsessive about such things. That might be annoying in everyday life, but it is essential on the football field. One mistake can mean the difference between winning and losing. Chicago was 6-18 in games where Fields fumbled. Even if you don’t lose the ball, they almost always kill drives, putting the offense behind the sticks. This is why things never seemed to click for long periods with him at quarterback.
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It is too early to say Caleb Williams will be much better. That said, it is clear he is mindful of the danger. Protecting the football is paramount, and offensive coordinator Shane Waldron seems to have drilled that into his head. Doing things like that extension doesn’t impact the overall flow of the play. It merely limits the risk of a major setback. Quarterbacks who do such things often have success. Chicago hasn’t had somebody like that in a long time, or at least it doesn’t feel like it.
Garrett Podell, CBS NFL noted the game Velus “BallsHateMe” Jones Jr. had and wrote:
The bad: Velus Jones Jr.’s unsteady play. Transitioning from wide receiver to running back, Jones tripped over Bears backup quarterback Tyson Bagent to lose some yardage. He did bounce back with a four-yard touchdown, finishing with 34 yards on six carries. However, he muffed a kick return before recovering to gain 13 yards. If he keeps being somewhat unreliable, Jones may be cut in a few weeks.” — Podell (8/12/24)
That’s bound to break some hearts among the Lambert fanboys.
Poor little things.
Okay, “Velus ‘BallHateMe’ Jones Jr.”
Better?
Also gena did you get a wif of the stink coming from Pittsburgh where all their QBs are stinking up the town? Ya great job by Omar Khan to get the two worst players in the league at the most important position. This after trading up to get Kenny Pickett who washed out in Pittsburgh as well. Who even trades a 6th round pick for a guy that can’t throw and will be a career backup? Omar Khan…tell me what I said that was wrong, as you like to say.
I like the “TD Velus Jones ” has a better ring to it. Maybe gena you didn’t watch long enough to see Jones score….I did.
“Velus ‘ball insecurity’ Jones, Jr.”
The name has a certain ring to it — wouldn’t you agree?