Peyton Manning is one of the three best quarterbacks in NFL history. That isn’t up for discussion. He retired with every passing record and won two Super Bowls with two different teams. If anybody knows what success is supposed to look like, it’s him. That is why getting his opinion on Justin Fields is interesting. The Hall of Famer will watch the Chicago Bears visit the New England Patriots on Monday Night Football. So he’ll get a close-up view of the young QB.
Jason Lieser of the Chicago Sun-Times had a chance to speak with Manning days before the game. It would’ve been easy to criticize everything wrong with Fields. Everybody else does. However, Manning was more sympathetic. Believe it or not, he didn’t get off to the most glorious start in his career either. He threw more interceptions (28) than touchdowns (26) through his first 16 games, and he already had two Hall of Famers on the roster with him in Marshall Faulk and Marvin Harrison. Manning admitted he was anything but polished at the time.
“I remember my rookie year just hoping the first read was going to be open because I couldn’t remember where the second and third reads were all the time,” said Peyton, who threw a league-high 28 interceptions in 1998. “You only have about 2½ seconds. But the more you practice those plays and the more you start playing, you’re doing it quickly…
…Said Peyton: “Watching film, you see his toughness, his athleticism. And you can tell when he really is comfortable in certain plays, he can make all the throws. It’s just natural if you’re not comfortable sometimes, things don’t look so good.
“Reps and playing is the best way to do it. And sometimes you have to go through some growing pains.”
Bears coaches echo the same words about Justin Fields.
Luke Getsy said almost the same thing this week during his presser. He thinks Fields is trending in the right direction. It takes time to learn the intricacies of an NFL offense. The only way for him to get better is time, reps, and patience. There will be more mistakes to come. It is on the Bears to help him through them and do everything possible to keep the QB healthy. They’ve already made adjustments to the offensive line in hopes of improving the protection. N’Keal Harry should also make his debut at wide receiver.
Any little bit helps. Justin Fields has shown progress in recent weeks, upping his passer rating from 50.0 to 87.3. It hasn’t been pretty, but it’s something. These next three games should be an excellent barometer for how far along he is with New England, Dallas, and Miami. Peyton Manning knows what he’s talking about. These are the challenges every young quarterback faces. Some need more time than others to figure it out.
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Da Bears will Never get to playoffs w/Fields. Look at his passing stats. OSU QBs are use to all day to throw to open 5-star receivers. Then NFL reality and look at how many OSU (overhyped ND quarter backs) have become stars.
@Ghost – Now it makes sense. You are waist deep into carrying tiki torches and wearing white sheets.
Ghost, how do you type with that sheet over your head?
And what’s everyone’s point? He’s struggling yes but so is this team. I keep hearing about he’s not the GM’s pick! And? So f’ing what? All of you guys say you’ve played QB or you’ve watched other people play and Fields doesn’t have “it”. We are talking on a free app. If he wasn’t special, he wouldn’t be on the field. Several men making billions say otherwise. Let this play out. The line will get better. The receivers will get better. And then watch this young man get better. If you’re not interested in the growth of this team, then… Read more »
Peyton was being nice. These minority QBs have to be critiqued with care these days. When Chris Simms assessed Fields he got roasted… too bad he was right and everyone was wrong.
Fields has regressed. He’s back to being an RPO QB. Yes the line is sketchy. Yes the WRS are weak. But Fields isn’t making the reads and he’s taking sacks looking for homeruns