QB Justin Fields, NYJ (3 Viewers)

[FairWarning]

As odd as it sounds, there were some positives today. It was the most decisive he's been all year. They finally called some designed runs in the 4th quarter. Seems like his connection with DJ is growing. Couple of bad bounces turned an average day into a bad one. Everything everyone has complained about his game, he was noticably better at today.

The rub is, no matter how badly he played today, he has Denver next week. So hard not to start him vs a team that just gave up 70 points.

Yeah, and I couldn’t do it.

Strat- I didn’t see any positives in the first half when the game was within 4 scores. He had 27yards passing with about 4 min left in the 3rd, down 41. Im up for looking at positives as those yards count in gambling, yet he can’t get them this year. Last year, he made teams pay.

It just seems like he's making progress. Last year, he was a serviceable passer and a dynamic runner. Whatever happened that turned a serviceable passer into a...whatever he was 2 weeks ago...seems to be course correcting towards at least a serviceable passer. The wheels are still there. He's the fastest guy with the football every time he steps on a field.

Once they get him back to the serviceable / game manager level, they can build from there. Stuff was broke, for sure, but it looks like it's slowly being fixed.

I know part of it is scheme. If they are not going to use Kmet right, why even extend him?

 

[DeaLerZ]

As odd as it sounds, there were some positives today. It was the most decisive he's been all year. They finally called some designed runs in the 4th quarter. Seems like his connection with DJ is growing. Couple of bad bounces turned an average day into a bad one. Everything everyone has complained about his game, he was noticably better at today.

The rub is, no matter how badly he played today, he has Denver next week. So hard not to start him vs a team that just gave up 70 points.

Yeah, and I couldn’t do it.

Strat- I didn’t see any positives in the first half when the game was within 4 scores. He had 27yards passing with about 4 min left in the 3rd, down 41. Im up for looking at positives as those yards count in gambling, yet he can’t get them this year. Last year, he made teams pay.

It just seems like he's making progress. Last year, he was a serviceable passer and a dynamic runner. Whatever happened that turned a serviceable passer into a...whatever he was 2 weeks ago...seems to be course correcting towards at least a serviceable passer. The wheels are still there. He's the fastest guy with the football every time he steps on a field.

Once they get him back to the serviceable / game manager level, they can build from there. Stuff was broke, for sure, but it looks like it's slowly being fixed.

I know part of it is scheme. If they are not going to use Kmet right, why even extend him?

Poor management and coaching who have no idea what they are doing

 

[Statorama]

Saying the quiet part out loud, but it's better for the Bears to go 0-17 doing everything they can to fix Fields than they are trotting out a Mike Tomczak clone and going 4-13.

Play him. Work with him. Get a QB guru in here if need be. And if it turns out the dude is just flat uncoachable then jettison him. Part company knowing you tried everything possible to bring out his potential. But until that time, this guy has tools that no one in the league can replicate. Figure out if you can flip that switch.

 

[shadrap]

Saying the quiet part out loud, but it's better for the Bears to go 0-17 doing everything they can to fix Fields than they are trotting out a Mike Tomczak clone and going 4-13.

Play him. Work with him. Get a QB guru in here if need be. And if it turns out the dude is just flat uncoachable then jettison him. Part company knowing you tried everything possible to bring out his potential. But until that time, this guy has tools that no one in the league can replicate. Figure out if you can flip that switch.

this. nice post.

 

[barackdhouse]

He is holding the ball too long and that isn't on the scheme or coaches.

 

[Pietaster2]

Redraft friends:

Are we dropping Fields if we have a Goff, Love, etc QB on our bench or on the WW? I know it sounds drastic since most of us used a -4th-6th round pick on him, but that extra bench slot is looking incredibly tempting right now.

 

[FarFromHome]

Has the physical tools. Just hasn't showed the mental moxy needed for the position. What's the solution? Denver at home is the prescription. He bombs this week then I'm speechless.

 

[Faust]

Bears QB Justin Fields returned to blowout loss to Chiefs after hit to head left him woozy

 

[BobbyLayne]

QBR from the pocket at KCC

1.5

Week 3 was Fields’ 9th game as a pro with a QBR from the pocket below 10.

 

[jurrassic]

Redraft friends:

Are we dropping Fields if we have a Goff, Love, etc QB on our bench or on the WW? I know it sounds drastic since most of us used a -4th-6th round pick on him, but that extra bench slot is looking incredibly tempting right now.

I am not dropping him...yet. But, I'm certainly not starting him.

 

[Hot Sauce Guy]

Has the physical tools. Just hasn't showed the mental moxy needed for the position. What's the solution? Denver at home is the prescription. He bombs this week then I'm speechless.

IMO coaching has a LOT to do with this.

 

[FarFromHome]

QBR from the pocket at KCC

1.5

Week 3 was Fields’ 9th game as a pro with a QBR from the pocket below 10.

That's just brutal to even read

 

[BobbyLayne]

QBR from the pocket at KCC

1.5

Week 3 was Fields’ 9th game as a pro with a QBR from the pocket below 10.

That's just brutal to even read

maybe he could try TE or WR - he might be an awesome X

 

[DeaLerZ]

Has the physical tools. Just hasn't showed the mental moxy needed for the position. What's the solution? Denver at home is the prescription. He bombs this week then I'm speechless.

IMO coaching has a LOT to do with this.

Yeah I am having a tough time trusting the situation. The Bears defense is awful and stays on the field way too long which leaves Fields and the offense very little time to get in sync which they need too. The Chiefs had the ball for 19:00 minutes in the first half, and 17:20 in the 2nd half totaling 60%. The Chiefs have come out of the gate as a top defense so it didn't feel like the best matchup to get on track.

The play calling continues to be sub-par, and the offensive line is also one of the worst.

Even if Fields gets it together there is a lot to over come. With that being said I am still hopeful that he can get it together, but the other part is that I don't know when he is going to have the big game here or there, and I can't afford to get 16, 16, and 12 points from the QB position if I want to even have a chance at making the playoffs. I am probably going to move Calvin Ridley/Dallas Goedert for Justin Herbert

 

[Max Power]

I think its over for him. Any respectable DC knows all you have to do is confuse him with coverage, bring 4 and have a LB spy to stop the run. His "coaching" comment and just "needs to play free" really show that the game is too complicated for him and he is at his best when he tries to out athlete everyone. The NFL has seen the one-trick he has and now gameplans around it.

Now I think the Bears could use him way better, but I still believe their desire is to see if JF can be an NFL QB or if he is just a running back that can sort of throw.

 

[VikingFrog]

QBR from the pocket at KCC

1.5

Week 3 was Fields’ 9th game as a pro with a QBR from the pocket below 10.

That's just brutal to even read

maybe he could try TE or WR - he might be an awesome X

The next Taysom Hill is Justin Fields!

 

[Smack Tripper]

I think its over for him. Any respectable DC knows all you have to do is confuse him with coverage, bring 4 and have a LB spy to stop the run. His "coaching" comment and just "needs to play free" really show that the game is too complicated for him and he is at his best when he tries to out athlete everyone. The NFL has seen the one-trick he has and now gameplans around it.

Now I think the Bears could use him way better, but I still believe their desire is to see if JF can be an NFL QB or if he is just a running back that can sort of throw.

I think its way premature to say this... his one trick, at least right now, isn't too bad, and was uncoverable last year. It was admirable to want to refine and streamline his game into something more fundamentally sound, but he was a vick level runner last year, it took him time to piece together the whole package, it took randall cunningham time and they both became plus passers and processors of the game.

Watch some Zach Wilson to see a guy who has no processing power between the ears, unbelievably terrible. I don't know if Fields will ever be a top 10 NFL QB but if he flames out this year, I'd certainly give him a chance if the Bears are picking Caleb Williams.

I will say this, the Bears coaching looks to be total garbage and doing him no favors

 

[Max Power]

I think its over for him. Any respectable DC knows all you have to do is confuse him with coverage, bring 4 and have a LB spy to stop the run. His "coaching" comment and just "needs to play free" really show that the game is too complicated for him and he is at his best when he tries to out athlete everyone. The NFL has seen the one-trick he has and now gameplans around it.

Now I think the Bears could use him way better, but I still believe their desire is to see if JF can be an NFL QB or if he is just a running back that can sort of throw.

I think its way premature to say this... his one trick, at least right now, isn't too bad, and was uncoverable last year. It was admirable to want to refine and streamline his game into something more fundamentally sound, but he was a vick level runner last year, it took him time to piece together the whole package, it took randall cunningham time and they both became plus passers and processors of the game.

Watch some Zach Wilson to see a guy who has no processing power between the ears, unbelievably terrible. I don't know if Fields will ever be a top 10 NFL QB but if he flames out this year, I'd certainly give him a chance if the Bears are picking Caleb Williams.

I will say this, the Bears coaching looks to be total garbage and doing him no favors

I don't think its too early to write off JF and I was pretty high on him coming into the season. The Bears are trying to force him to be a QB and he just isn't a starting NFL level QB. At best he is a slightly worse Lamar Jackson and I don't think many Franchises want to be in Baltimore's position.

I've watched the breakdown of the tapes after the first two weeks and its bad with how many open WRs JF just isn't seeing. He can't anticipate throws, doesn't move well in the pocket, terrible footwork and holds the ball too long. These are the same issues he has had since coming into the league, so its hard to think everything is suddenly going to click for him.

An yeah he is better than Zach Wilson, but Wilson has already been replaced while JF is a guy the Bears were trying to build around. I'll also give you the fact that the Bears Staff is only making it worse for JF, but I think its more an evaluation phase right now than we're aware of.

 

[Smack Tripper]

I think its over for him. Any respectable DC knows all you have to do is confuse him with coverage, bring 4 and have a LB spy to stop the run. His "coaching" comment and just "needs to play free" really show that the game is too complicated for him and he is at his best when he tries to out athlete everyone. The NFL has seen the one-trick he has and now gameplans around it.

Now I think the Bears could use him way better, but I still believe their desire is to see if JF can be an NFL QB or if he is just a running back that can sort of throw.

I think its way premature to say this... his one trick, at least right now, isn't too bad, and was uncoverable last year. It was admirable to want to refine and streamline his game into something more fundamentally sound, but he was a vick level runner last year, it took him time to piece together the whole package, it took randall cunningham time and they both became plus passers and processors of the game.

Watch some Zach Wilson to see a guy who has no processing power between the ears, unbelievably terrible. I don't know if Fields will ever be a top 10 NFL QB but if he flames out this year, I'd certainly give him a chance if the Bears are picking Caleb Williams.

I will say this, the Bears coaching looks to be total garbage and doing him no favors

I don't think its too early to write off JF and I was pretty high on him coming into the season. The Bears are trying to force him to be a QB and he just isn't a starting NFL level QB. At best he is a slightly worse Lamar Jackson and I don't think many Franchises want to be in Baltimore's position.

I've watched the breakdown of the tapes after the first two weeks and its bad with how many open WRs JF just isn't seeing. He can't anticipate throws, doesn't move well in the pocket, terrible footwork and holds the ball too long. These are the same issues he has had since coming into the league, so its hard to think everything is suddenly going to click for him.

An yeah he is better than Zach Wilson, but Wilson has already been replaced while JF is a guy the Bears were trying to build around. I'll also give you the fact that the Bears Staff is only making it worse for JF, but I think its more an evaluation phase right now than we're aware of.

That is a fair counter on Wilson, I would also submit he was failed by coaching too. And I DEFINITELY agree on holding the ball too long, and the footwork too. Lamar is a mixed bag... lot of good, lot of bad but definitely operates in a congested conference with one of the best collection of QBs in their prime I can recall seeing. I could have seen him making a bowl in the NFC but he's not at the super elite tier of actual NFL play. He may warrant that on the fantasy level though

 

[GibbsFreeEnergy]

Maybe he’ll find his inner Rich Gannon when he’s 34

 

[gucci little piggy]

Redraft friends:

Are we dropping Fields if we have a Goff, Love, etc QB on our bench or on the WW? I know it sounds drastic since most of us used a -4th-6th round pick on him, but that extra bench slot is looking incredibly tempting right now.

I'm strongly considering dropping him for one of Love or Stroud, but not sure I'll go through with it. It's tough to drop him with his upside, but also tough to keep him with how terrible he's looked.

 

[FarFromHome]

Redraft friends:

Are we dropping Fields if we have a Goff, Love, etc QB on our bench or on the WW? I know it sounds drastic since most of us used a -4th-6th round pick on him, but that extra bench slot is looking incredibly tempting right now.

I'm strongly considering dropping him for one of Love or Stroud, but not sure I'll go through with it. It's tough to drop him with his upside, but also tough to keep him with how terrible he's looked.

Feels like u gotta give him the Denver game. He struggles for fantasy again then it's drop time.

 

[Jacob's Ladder]

He's a freakish athlete, but can he play WR? Or RB? I have to admit, I was 100% wrong about this guy. He will never be a winning NFL QB and I'll be shocked if he's the Bears' QB in '24. Let's just hope the Bears don't do something stupid and start winning a few games. If the Bears actually wind up with 2 top 5 picks next season, they'll have the pick of the litter when it comes to a new head coach. They can finally begin a real rebuild in earnest.

 

[Chicago Hooligan]

He's not going to play WR or RB for contract reasons alone. If or... let's be real, when he is cut loose, any team from KC, BAL, MIA, SF, ATL, PHI could design some fun looks for him.

 

[Jacob's Ladder]

I was joking about the WR/RB thing, but at this rate the Bears will draft his replacement next year. Fields will get a chance to catch on somewhere on talent alone but his only path to success seems to be some sort of modified Tim Tebow offense.

 

[Snotbubbles]

He's not going to play WR or RB for contract reasons alone. If or... let's be real, when he is cut loose, any team from KC, BAL, MIA, SF, ATL, PHI could design some fun looks for him.

I would love to have him in Philly.

 

[InDitkaWeTrust]

He's not going to play WR or RB for contract reasons alone. If or... let's be real, when he is cut loose, any team from KC, BAL, MIA, SF, ATL, PHI could design some fun looks for him.

I would love to have him in Philly.

Honestly, that's a great fit for Fields. A two year contract to sit behind Hurts with solid coaching. Probably his best situation, tbh.

 

[Snotbubbles]

He's not going to play WR or RB for contract reasons alone. If or... let's be real, when he is cut loose, any team from KC, BAL, MIA, SF, ATL, PHI could design some fun looks for him.

I would love to have him in Philly.

Honestly, that's a great fit for Fields. A two year contract to sit behind Hurts with solid coaching. Probably his best situation, tbh.

Yup, and then when the OC gets a HC position for a new team, he's a perfect option to bring in to either run the show or bring along a young draftee because he knows the coaches and schemes (a la Gardner Minshew in Indy).

 

[WaltonGoggins]

It's early but the 2 best things that happened to Texans were:
1. Beat Indy last game of season fell to 2 in draft.
2. Bears trading their #1 overall pick because Fields was their QB#1 to Carolina who was in love and drafted Young.

 

[jumper]

Fields reminds me of a poor man's Colin Kaepernick, just that playing on a worse team exposed him quicker and hastened his relative career progression from "the next big thing" to "not an NFL starter" to be sped up a couple seasons.

 

[FairWarning]

He is holding the ball too long and that isn't on the scheme or coaches.

He did this in college also, took a lot more sacks in fewer attempts than Stroud.

 

[Deranged Hermit]

Redraft friends:

Are we dropping Fields if we have a Goff, Love, etc QB on our bench or on the WW? I know it sounds drastic since most of us used a -4th-6th round pick on him, but that extra bench slot is looking incredibly tempting right now.

I'm strongly considering dropping him for one of Love or Stroud, but not sure I'll go through with it. It's tough to drop him with his upside, but also tough to keep him with how terrible he's looked.

I picked up Love last week. I put in a claim for Stroud this week. I'm not going to drop him yet, but it's getting tempting.

 

[Chreesto]

Fields reminds me of a poor man's Colin Kaepernick, just that playing on a worse team exposed him quicker and hastened his relative career progression from "the next big thing" to "not an NFL starter" to be sped up a couple seasons.

I don't know.........at this point that seems like a very harsh comparison for Kaepernik. He had some similar passing limitations, but, overall, he was much more effective and cautious with the ball. His 2012 and 2013 years were impressive, not so much statistically but the impact he had on that team was obvious. As a Bears fan, I can remember very well Kaepernik's first start, in place of an injured Alex Smith. It was a Monday night game and Kaepernik dominated in a way that I have yet to see Fields dominate. I wish Justin Fields could be as good as Kaepernik but I'm afraid that he can't, and that is saying a lot. I do not believe that Fields will be a starter in this league for much longer.

 

[osubuckeyeman]

He gets the Broncos this week. If he can not show improvement against a team that just had 70 dropped on them there's really nothing more that can be said to defend him and the fire sales will be on or flat dropping of Justin Fields. Buy low now or trade now depending on how you feel because next week will be huge for Field's value.

 

[DeaLerZ]

Fields reminds me of a poor man's Colin Kaepernick, just that playing on a worse team exposed him quicker and hastened his relative career progression from "the next big thing" to "not an NFL starter" to be sped up a couple seasons.

I don't know.........at this point that seems like a very harsh comparison for Kaepernik. He had some similar passing limitations, but, overall, he was much more effective and cautious with the ball. His 2012 and 2013 years were impressive, not so much statistically but the impact he had on that team was obvious. As a Bears fan, I can remember very well Kaepernik's first start, in place of an injured Alex Smith. It was a Monday night game and Kaepernik dominated in a way that I have yet to see Fields dominate. I wish Justin Fields could be as good as Kaepernik but I'm afraid that he can't, and that is saying a lot. I do not believe that Fields will be a starter in this league for much longer.

Yea Kaepernick was a good QB with potential to be an elite QB … fields is not even average with what he has shown … maybe the right coach takes a chance on him in the future

 

[Silkk1211]

I'm actually starting him against Den this week. If he flops I'll probably drop him and move on. Have Goff as backup but he's statistically bad on the road and hopefully can snag Stroud off waivers.

 

[GibbsFreeEnergy]

Fields’ best analog is Terrell Pryor

 

[Statorama]

Not said enough in this thread - his line is horrible, and is arguably the worst in the league. They are consistently strong-armed into the backfield and frequently confused on assignments.

 

[Max Power]

I just got through the breakdown of the tape for Fields during the KC game.

The good: Less instances of JF not seeing wide open WRs. He also had a lower negative grade play rate.

The bad: Holding the ball to long. Not stepping up in the pocket, and choosing to roll out which limits his passing options.

The overall analysis: WRs were not getting open because the Bears run repetitive simple concepts. They pointed to one passing play that was run 4 times this game. The Defense had figured out the read concept and shut it down easily. While the play book may be simplified for Fields, its also simple for defenses to figure out as well. The analyst boiled it down to 6 basic read concepts the Bears run over and over again.

He said he can also tell the Bears only send in two plays. The call play and the check play. There was at least one clear instance of JF calling an audible from the called play into the check play where it was the correct decision, but the check play was even worse for matchups and we went with throwing a WR screen to a side with a man disadvantage. Which is again a sign of keeping everything overly simple for him and JF not being comfortable enough to call a TO or hot route.

The overall take away was that JF didn't have a ton of bad plays, but his coaching staff is being forced to keep it so basic that defenses can figure him out pretty quick.

 

[JohnnyU]

Why has the Bears gotten away from what Fields does best and that is to improvise, instead of trying to make him a pocket passer?

 

[Max Power]

Not said enough in this thread - his line is horrible, and is arguably the worst in the league. They are consistently strong-armed into the backfield and frequently confused on assignments.

It is pretty bad and a lot of that falls on the coaching. But then its a gut punch to look at the Texans who are missing 4 starting OL and still watch Stroud throw for almost 300, 2 td and no picks in his third start.

 

[Max Power]

Why has the Bears gotten away from what Fields does best and that is to improvise, instead of trying to make him a pocket passer?

The rumor (from a good source) is that they don't want to invest a huge second contract into a guy that falls more in the Daniel Jones/Lamar Jackson mold. So this is the test to see what he can be. I hate it so much as a fan, but it makes a tad bit of sense from a Franchise building standpoint considering the Bears can not think outside the box and are stuck in old school thinking.

 

[Hot Sauce Guy]

The rumor (from a good source)

What’s the source?

 

[jumper]

Why has the Bears gotten away from what Fields does best and that is to improvise, instead of trying to make him a pocket passer?

Because the defenses playing against him can improvise as well. Improvision can't be the only thing he brings to the table, it's a spice not the main meal. If Fields is having trouble making pre-snap reads, adjusting accordingly, and being able to go through progressions at game speed then "improvising" isn't going to improve things. It would be like me saying "well I don't know anything about how to be a chef or to cook food, but I'll just improvise my dinner."

 

[Max Power]

The rumor (from a good source)

What’s the source?

One of the hosts on 670 the score claims to have a guy inside Halas Hall. Could be BS, but after seeing how the Staff is trying to use Fields this year it really does make the most sense.

Team made the call that it was worth giving JF another year, but have since moved to does JF deserve a second franchise level contract? Another year or two running for 1k and throwing for 2,500 really wouldn't.

 

[JohnnyU]

Why has the Bears gotten away from what Fields does best and that is to improvise, instead of trying to make him a pocket passer?

Because the defenses playing against him can improvise as well. Improvision can't be the only thing he brings to the table, it's a spice not the main meal. If Fields is having trouble making pre-snap reads, adjusting accordingly, and being able to go through progressions at game speed then "improvising" isn't going to improve things. It would be like me saying "well I don't know anything about how to be a chef or to cook food, but I'll just improvise my dinner."

Making him a pocket passer is like making Lamar Jackson a pocket passer. Bad move.

 

[need2know]

As odd as it sounds, there were some positives today. It was the most decisive he's been all year. They finally called some designed runs in the 4th quarter. Seems like his connection with DJ is growing. Couple of bad bounces turned an average day into a bad one. Everything everyone has complained about his game, he was noticably better at today.

The rub is, no matter how badly he played today, he has Denver next week. So hard not to start him vs a team that just gave up 70 points.

Denver gonna look like the 85 bears vs fields

 

[Hot Sauce Guy]

Why has the Bears gotten away from what Fields does best and that is to improvise, instead of trying to make him a pocket passer?

Because the defenses playing against him can improvise as well. Improvision can't be the only thing he brings to the table, it's a spice not the main meal. If Fields is having trouble making pre-snap reads, adjusting accordingly, and being able to go through progressions at game speed then "improvising" isn't going to improve things. It would be like me saying "well I don't know anything about how to be a chef or to cook food, but I'll just improvise my dinner."

Making him a pocket passer is like making Lamar Jackson a pocket passer. Bad move.

If there’s any truth to that rumor, the bears should fire everyone involved.

 

[jumper]

Why has the Bears gotten away from what Fields does best and that is to improvise, instead of trying to make him a pocket passer?

Because the defenses playing against him can improvise as well. Improvision can't be the only thing he brings to the table, it's a spice not the main meal. If Fields is having trouble making pre-snap reads, adjusting accordingly, and being able to go through progressions at game speed then "improvising" isn't going to improve things. It would be like me saying "well I don't know anything about how to be a chef or to cook food, but I'll just improvise my dinner."

Making him a pocket passer is like making Lamar Jackson a pocket passer. Bad move.

What makes you think if they allow him to "improvise" that will be a good move? This is like the folks who said "you can't force Tim Tebow to be a pocket passer" or the whole "let Russ cook" argument - at a certain point you have to consider maybe it's the player who is the problem rather than just being coaches who have no idea what they're doing.

It's entirely possible the offense would do even worse if the coaches simply allowed him to "improvise" like you want - like Zach Wilson or Nathan Peterman worse.

 

[Hot Sauce Guy]

Why has the Bears gotten away from what Fields does best and that is to improvise, instead of trying to make him a pocket passer?

Because the defenses playing against him can improvise as well. Improvision can't be the only thing he brings to the table, it's a spice not the main meal. If Fields is having trouble making pre-snap reads, adjusting accordingly, and being able to go through progressions at game speed then "improvising" isn't going to improve things. It would be like me saying "well I don't know anything about how to be a chef or to cook food, but I'll just improvise my dinner."

Making him a pocket passer is like making Lamar Jackson a pocket passer. Bad move.

What makes you think if they allow him to "improvise" that will be a good move? This is like the folks who said "you can't force Tim Tebow to be a pocket passer" or the whole "let Russ cook" argument - at a certain point you have to consider maybe it's the player who is the problem rather than just being coaches who have no idea what they're doing.

It's entirely possible the offense would do even worse if the coaches simply allowed him to "improvise" like you want - like Zach Wilson or Nathan Peterman worse.

Or you hire a coach like Steichen who knows how to get the most out of his QB by playing to his strengths while also developing him as a passer.

Like a good coach would do.