Something I heard, not sure source, yesterday and today is that teams are not allowing the RPO to stay w/Fields b/c they have 2 guys spying him. They aren't going to allow him to escape the pocket and making him stay and read the field an throw the ball. Need to just throw it out along w/the screens and run a more traditional O based on the RB's and slants, go's, hooks and posts.
And hope that CC and Kmet know how to run their routes; and that the OC knows that 2 guys cannot end up in the same area and be actual options to throw the ball to.
Which speaks to the fact that his success last year isn't sustainable as a PRIMARY source of offense. If Justin can't win from the pocket, every single team is gonna force him to do it.
you have to be able to at least (minimum standard here) look like you can function from a pocket. Even if that turns in to 2 reads and run, it would be better than what we are seeing now.
It worrying to me that even his running looks slower, more timid. That might be a function of the spied being faster than the guys he was out running last year, but I'm not seeing the decisive runs he showed us in 22-23.
What QB's have less and are outperforming him? I'm interested and waiting on baited breath. Not saying Fields could have or would have ever developed regardless, we'll never know. But part of the problem is the bears gave him no chance to ever know.
I'll put it this way:
There's 31 other starting QBs in the NFL. Drop the 3 rookies (though Stroud just threw for 387 yards and Fields can't even crack 250) and that leaves 28.
How many of those guys is Fields better than RIGHT NOW?
Dobbs (AZ)? -- ok, but Dobbs is actually outplaying Fields right now and he's just a placeholder until Murray returns Zach Wilson (NYJ)? -- yep, but he's also a #2 who's only playing currently cuz Rodgers tore his achilles in his first series Sam Howell (Wash)? -- ok, but again he's just a placeholder and not the long-term starter going forward Pickett (Pitt)? -- yeah, I agree
Did I miss anybody? If not, that means Fields is at best the 24th best starting QB in the NFL right now. A bottom-25% QB.
You have for years here ragged on teams "overpaying non-elite QBs".
You gonna pay him? You gonna exercise his 5th year option?
[PS: I take no joy in this whatsoever. I'm bitterly disappointed he is failing rather than breaking out into stardom like I had hoped.]
What other qb's do on other teams is irrelevant, they are not Fields, they are not on the Bears, they are not being coached by Getsy and they are not throwing to the WR's/TE's and RB's on this team or have this OL. What they do is irrelevant to Fields and Chicago.
What have I said in the last month that makes you think I want Fields re signed? Hell what have I written that makes you think I want him re signed since Sunday? logical fallacy arguments have no place here, and your comment is stacked with them. At no point have I said anything since the off season that says that Fields is the answer, merely could have been and the team F'd it up like they did w/all the previous qb's.
Where we disagree is why he failed. You feel it is strictly/mostly on him. I say it's what he has been surrounded with since being drafted that doomed him from the start. You want to beleive that this roster is good, or good enough, and I'll stand by the fact that good/good enough is 1 wrong, it's not even close and 2 not what you want for a modern NFL O, let alone one that is good for a young developing qb.
The NFL is all about the QB, b/c it's all about the qb it's also all about the OL and his weapons, and stopping them. That's why LB is going the way of the RB, to stop them you need DL and DB. But the def is a distant 2nd to getting the O right; and the team has failed to do that w/the last 2 qb's they drafted. They gave up to quickly, and really never truly started the process of building an O to support a young qb.
The Bears are going to draft another qb, we'll all get excited, we'll all talk about how it takes time, then we'll all get made sometime between the end of year 2 and year 3 and complain and debate what happened. It's the team, it's the owners and who they hire that fail these players b/c they hire people that will give them the team they envision, strong def good run game and a franchise qb w/out a team that puts the time and effort into developing a franchise qb. It's a wash rinse repeat cycle that I've caught onto.
Hm.....that screen worked , what penalty? Really?..OK OK...what to call...what to call...Screen, same play they won't be expecting it!! No one would ever run the same play back to back!! This time, I'll put three WR to one side instead of 2x2! That will get them!!!
I don't honestly know what you do for the remaining season. Maybe let him run like last year in hopes that he would look good enough that you could trade him. I don't think you'd get much. But anything helps. He is not a fit for the Gesty offense (seriously I'm thinking no QB is... maybe a Hall of Famer like Aaron Rodgers and an offense loaded with talent) - but perhaps another NFL coach would feel like they could use him - maybe as a backup even.
We're all angry and disappointed as to how this all turned out. This season was supposed to be all about Fields and it has failed. Somehow Fields is worse than he was. How does that even happen?
I figure we can't change what has happened. But hopefully the Bears learn from this (finally, because they haven't in the past) and they are more thoughtful with the next QB they bring in here. They should focus on giving the new kid everything he needs to succeed day-1 when he lands here - coaching, a scheme that fits his talent, solid offensive line and skill positions. No it won't be perfect QB support. No QB gets perfect surrounding support. But the Bears organization has failed our QBs in the past. It makes you angry when you reflect back on it all. Maybe Fields would have failed anyway, even with solid coaching and surrounding talent day-1. But we will never know. My gut feeling is that on another team with better support, Fields would have been a very good QB. But once you mess up a QBs mental gears then he is done. It really is a shame. Can't fix it for Fields. But hopefully the Bears can fix it for the next QB.
This won't happen because it just won't, but if I was Flus/Getsy I'd cut him loose completely this weekend. Odds of beating KC are very low anyway (we are 13 point dogs) so let Fields play schoolyard ball and take a shot that maybe just maybe he can run for 2 TDs and get you a win. You have nothing to lose. No One expects you to win anyway and there's no way you're winning with the scheme from weeks 1 & 2.
Dude can't play NFL QB from the pocket so give him a shot to play his game and hope for a miracle turnaround.
That's all I got. Otherwise it's draft a new QB and start all over next spring.
I think you're on to something there. At least make the game interesting by cutting Fields loose to do "Fields things" he can do. He can run. He seems to pass better rolling him out too. He is not a pocket passer so quit pounding the square peg into the round hole.
The Bears are going to draft another qb, we'll all get excited, we'll all talk about how it takes time, then we'll all get made sometime between the end of year 2 and year 3 and complain and debate what happened. It's the team, it's the owners and who they hire that fail these players b/c they hire people that will give them the team they envision, strong def good run game and a franchise qb w/out a team that puts the time and effort into developing a franchise qb. It's a wash rinse repeat cycle that I've caught onto.
+1,000 The franchise just throws us a bone by drafting a new QB, or hiring a new coach - just to shut us up for 3 or 4 years. They still sell the tickets and the merch and the (successful) business cycle continues. We are total rubes that are so easily fleeced this way. The failure of the team continues. That is my take on it anyway. Just "drafting a QB" will fail. I 100% guarantee it will fail. That's just treating the symptoms (and only one symptom) of a greater disease.