Week 3 Bears @ Browns

That's the best article I've read about starting/sitting a young QB.  My take is that there isn't a definitive right/wrong answer that fits every player and every team's situation.  Every player in the NFL is unique.  Every team situation is unique to some extent.  What is best in one situation may not be what it best in another rookie QB's situation.

In that article one of the QBs stated he really needed 4 years before they started him... he got 3.  He said he wasn't ready.  Other QBs have started day-1 and they ended up being great players with Hall of Fame careers.

There isn't a perfect time to start Fields. 

He will struggle and have bad plays and bad games - even if he sits the full 4 years that one QB said he needed before starting.  I liked that statement in the article about not learning to swim by reading a book.  At some point you need to get in the swimming pool and begin learning.  Granted, there are countless factors to this.  And some players bust because, well, they can't cut it at the NFL level and were destined to bust. 

They were not "ruined" but rather they never had what it takes to succeed.

That article gave good points for sitting a young QB.  It also gave reasons for starting one sooner rather than later.  Every player and situation is unique though.  I don't believe Justin Fields needs 4 years of sitting on the bench.  I think in his situation, we have a guy who is said to have exceptional "off the charts" football IQ.  He has played on the biggest stages of football.  He is used to being under a microscope on a national level.  In his own words, he "was born for this" moment.  I believe he will be fine starting him sooner rather than later.  I do believe he's going to need those 3 or 4 years to fully mature as an NFL quarterback, but not sitting on the bench during that span.  Let him start.  Let him begin to make mistakes and learn from them - and get better as a result.  Don't expect much this year or next.  But it is time invested well here.  Time invested in the learning curve that really only begins in real games - if - the kid does have the mental gears to handle it, and from what we see and hear, Fields has the mental part.  It's a strong point with him.  He's gifted there. 

We've had decades and decades of failed QBs here in Chicago.  The problem wasn't that they "started" too early in their careers.  The problem was that they simply didn't have what it takes to be a good NFL QB, and also I suspect it was a lack of supporting talent, scheme, coaching etc. etc. etc...

Us fans, and the sports media, over-simplify these things.  It's not all back-and-white though.  Lotta factors and moving parts.

+1

J.T. O'Sullivan gives an excellent breakdown of Fields' play in that 2nd game.  It is a good one to view (I do like JT's QB breakdowns a lot).  Here's the thread: