Poll - What % Blame do you place on Fields vs the TEAM

I think Getsy sucked and wanted him canned early in the year so that at least Fields would get a different look with someone else.

But yeah, its pretty disappointing that we didn't see more from Justin.  Even if the system wasn't right for him, we should have seen better than a passer rating of 86 IMO.  That rating was basically unchanged from 2022 (went up only 1 point).

Mitch is 85.5 for his career.  So is Mac Jones.
Mariota & Wentz are 89

90 is kinda the threshold for NFL-starter.  

I don't think you can assign a percentage amount of blame for things. There's too many moving parts to make that kind of assessment. Players interact with each other in different ways and within different play calling and schemes. Moore and Fields obviously have some connection but almost the entire time since Fields has been here Mooney's production has dropped off. Who's to blame? Maybe they just don't gel together the way Moore and Fields do. What would these players look like with a different OC or scheme? Behind a better or worse OL? All things rub up against each other making it difficult to parcel out the blame. 

Now what you can do is isolate a player and see if they are doing the things they are supposed to, are they making mistakes, or are they playing above expectations. I don't think there's any controversy pointing out our problems at center. Whoever has been there has not performed to expectations. So we want to try to find an upgrade there, but just because we bring in someone who is better the offense may not improve by a nice round X%. The player could be a good fit or a bad one. 

Fields is the elephant in the room of course. Being the QB so much of the offense goes through him. So he will have disproportionate effect on the whole thing. As far as putting a percentage of blame on him is hard, and I'm not sure how useful. What I can say is from what I have seen of his individual performance he makes as many mistakes as he makes good or great plays, which obviously holds the offense back some (opinions differ of course). I don't think replacing him is going to fix everything, but I do believe it will improve things with the right QB.   

One, players almost never talk shit about other players in public. If for no other reason so they don't look bad if they happen to get burned by the guy. Not to mention Fields is a good guy that people like personally, making it even less likely they would say bad things about him. 

Two, even if players are being truthful, players aren't always the best evaluators. You wouldn't need coaches and scouts otherwise. 

Three, just cause Getsy isn't a good OC doesn't mean Fields isn't a mediocre QB. Both can be true. 

I guarantee you GB and Minny feel just fine if we decide to stay with Fields. 

Well said, sir!

Fields is popular with the fanbase and his teammates because he's a great guy who is humble and tough as nails.  It's also ALWAYS easier for players and fans to blame the coaches or the organization than the QB they all have invested so much in emotionally.  Players are never gonna blame other players as it's considered poor form.  On the rare occasions a player or a coach clearly calls out another player, it's front page news and immediately trends on Twitter.

CHGO was commenting on these very topics during yesterdays show (1/15/24) and I suggest people watch it on YouTube.  They have noticed a shift already underway among the fanbase AWAY FROM JF just since this weekends wildcard games.  I believe it cuz it only solidified my view as well.  Watching Stroud, Love, and Goff (heck, even Baker) all excel and all win playoff games only highlights how far behind the Bears are at QB.  2 of these guys have far less playing experience than Fields does and 2 of them are in division and stand in the way of the Bears rising to the top.  The CHGO guys predict that, as we get farther away from Fields best game vs Atlanta and see more and more Caleb highlights and reports, the fanbase is going to shift more and more away from "WE WANT FIELDS".  

The other factor is Ryan Poles and he probably doesn't give a shit what fickle fans think, nor should he.  He missed out on Stroud (understandable choice at the time) and there's no way on God's green earth he's gonna pass on taking his shot a 2nd year in a row with the #1 pick.  He's not gonna pin his future on a QB who's had 40 games and 3 years worth of chances and still is 4th-best in division with a passer rating of 85.  That would be career-suicide and Poles is not about tie his own ass to Justin going forward.

Barring something really surprising during the pre-draft scouting process, he is drafting Caleb at #1 and Fields will be traded--most likely for a 2nd round pick (which tells you what the rest of league thinks he is).  

You're right, Payton, Fields is a mediocre passer.  All his stats, which I have published numerous times before in other threads, tell you that.  His windup, release, dropbacks, and footwork ("mechanics") are all slow.  His pocket presence and "eyes downfield" aren't as good as Love's right now and JL has had only 1 season.  His ability to diagnose zones and accurately beat it in the short-to-intermediate passing game are not what they should be.  He holds the ball way too long, takes too many sacks, and fumbles more than he should.  The fact that he's elusive, a great runner, and had a good deep ball when given 4 seconds to throw doesn't make up for all that.  

Recognizing this was a bitter cup for me to drink from as well.  As I told JABF, I believed 100% in him week 1 and thought he was gonna break out big time in year 3.  It didn't happen and with the #1 pick and Caleb sitting there, its' time to turn the page.

Other than the due diligence prep for the draft, this is a done deal.