Any self-respecting great quarterback will say the same thing. It isn’t the most talented ones that have the most success. Sure, ability plays a big part in that. However, what separates the best from everybody else is their work ethics. Guys like Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Drew Brees, and Joe Montana were famous for their relentless drive in the film room. They obsessed over the details. Nothing was left to chance. It appears Justin Fields is cut from the same cloth.
Longtime trainer Simeon Kelley has documented the Chicago Bears quarterback’s journey from Ohio State to the NFL. He provides updates regularly. His latest via Instagram helped illustrate who Fields is better than any photograph of him throwing a football or handing it off. It’s just him alone in a dark room with a tablet grinding on plays for the new offense. People always talk about how he lives in the weight room. They rarely mention how he has the same approach to the mental side of the game.
Fields isn’t stupid.
He knows the scrutiny he’s under going into 2022. Quarterbacks are expected to take a considerable leap from their first year to their second. Failure to do so will inevitably lead to questions of how good they can be and whether they’re a possible bust. People say the Bears haven’t done enough to help him with their wide receiver and offensive line moves. In truth, Justin Fields has an equal responsibility to help himself.
Subscribe to the BFR Youtube channel and ride shotgun with Dave and Ficky as they break down Bears football like nobody else.
Good quarterbacks find a way to make things work even if their situation isn’t always ideal. They do this by mastering the speed of the game and learning how to protect themselves with pre-snap processing, and learning to exploit weaknesses in the defense. That photograph encapsulates Fields trying to do exactly that. The faster he learns the new offense, the better he’ll be able to play and, more importantly, protect himself.
