The bears as a team including Fields had an abysmal start to the season, be it because of coaching or because of a lack of talent. In my opinion blame lies mostly with coaching, but this is a young roster with a lack of experience (which is why we are seeing this team improve on defense so much).
Then in week 4 something changed (for 3 quarters), the offense seemed to click and we put up great numbers. From week 4 till now, week 12, Justin has played some really good football. He misses some reads, sure, but if you look at every snap (which i have and sometimes this offense makes you want to poke your eyes out) he looks like a mostly good QB who needs to clean up some things, which in my opinion are coachable. In my opinion watching the games he has played after the meltdown in kansas, (excluding the vikins, because he got hurt and the offense as a whole was atrocious) he passes the eye test as a qb1.
He is going through his progressions, checking plays at the line (there is still a good amount of progression to be made here, but he is atleast servicable at this) and he is getting the ball out quicker. He is good at extending plays and when he gets out the pocket he is a pass first qb, which suprised me, because he is such a dynamic runner with the football. He can beat a team with his legs, has one of the best (if not the best) deepballs in the NFL and is starting to get better at the short and intermediate level.
Now for the people who don’t care about how somebody looks out on the field and want to look at statistics, here they are.
Passing 4 weeks:
1003 yards (250.75 ypg)
86/124 for 69.4% completed passes
Passer rating of 114.42 (only 5 qb’s have a rating over 100 this season)
9 TD’s
1 INT
Rushing 4 weeks:
245 yards (61 ypg)
5.5 ypa
4 fumbles
3 fumbles lost
Season (17 games):
4263 passing yards
1041 rushing yards
69.4% complete
38 Td’s
4 ints
17 fumbles (13 lost)
So that would mean Justin would have 5304 total yards with 38 TD’s (which could be more if he gets some rushing TD’s which he hasn’t in these 4 weeks) 4 INT’s with 17 fumbles (lost 13). This would be a 9.5 : 1 TD/INT ratio and a 2.2 : 1 TD/TO ratio.
Don’t get me wrong Justin still has things he needs to work on (fumbles, reading defenses and throwinflg with anticipation), but if you 1) look at the tape, he is playing confident and going through his progressions more + adjustments and checks at the LOS, which he has improved upon since coming in the league 2) look at the statistics 3) look at the team (we are in a rebuild with guys who need time to develop and gel together). Justin has what it takes to be a top QB in this league, granted he needs to clean up the fumbles and shows more progression reading the defense, which he has done so far.
Would love to hear opinions on this and answer any questions that you might have (and let’s please keep it civil)
29 comments
I also think getsy is not a great OC and a couple of times a game i have no idea what the play was supposed to be (not the only one that has this issue) and he doesn’t play to his QB’s strenghts nearly as often as he needs to. His late game playcalling is questionable at best and can somebody tell him to not call a screen every other play?!?. I think with a new coaching staff Justin can progress a lot and with the capital we have in FA and the draft this team could be really good.
This is why the coaches need to go first, whether we stick with Justin or not. I wasn’t sold on Getsy last year and he’s proven my doubt this year.
I would love to see Getsy fired right now and we get a new OC in to work with the team for the next two weeks on some basic schemes to get the ball down the field. Then, after the next 4 games he will have a good idea what offence he wants to run and whether Justin can fit or not. Then they have a more clear direction doing into the off season.
You took a very narrow set of data and extrapolated it over time to create an entire season. At the same time, you use a much wider set of data for the peer group.
You’re comparing apples and oranges.
Fields has thrown for 300 yards *once* in his career and you’ve “proven” he’s capable of throwing for 4200 yards which would be the greatest passing season in franchise history.
The mental gymnastics to confirm existing bias that he’s a good quarterback is exhausting.
He’s had 7 good quarters of play on the year. Denver for 3 quarters, Washington(31 and 32 in pass defense at the time). That was where he showcased himself to be the guy. Still took too many sacks in both and threw away the Denver game.
But ultimately the fanbase wouldn’t be so split if he was obviously good. If your unsure in year 3, it’s over.
The Bears are guaranteed a top 2 pick in a revered QB class. Picking a QB simply makes far too much sense in this draft.
>Then in week 4 something changed (for 3 quarters)
We faced a defense that should own the NFL record for points allowed in a single game, and only doesn’t because of pity.
The eye test, and the game tape, is showing that he still struggles with actually making the right read. He is still turning down open receivers. He is still bailing on clean pockets, then doing a 10 step dropback with edge rushers closing on him. He nearly ran into one against Vikings completely oblivious to their presence. He’s extending plays, sure, but the only reason he needs to evade them is because he’s created the pressure for himself. He’s still overthrowing wide open guys in the short and intermediate. The stuff you’re claiming he passes the eye test on, he absolutely does not. The only standard is if you’re saying “he has improved” which isn’t saying much given where he started.
The stats are being misused in such a laughable way I’m not even touching them.
The tape is not on his side, and the gymnastics required to put the stats on his side speak for themselves.
Fields is a hyped up Terrelle Pryor
Any perceived improvement from here on out will only reaffirm people’s priors
People who already like Justin will agree this highlights how he’s improving
People who don’t will find other stats to argue are the ones that “really” show how good he is, or else say the improvement doesn’t matter because he’s got a lot of not good play in the past, which logically doesn’t really make sense as an argument because someone who is looking to get better has to have something of lower quality previously.
Either way, it’s pointless to talk about
Also 17 fumbles is WILD
It’s tempting to roll with Fields again next year because it would be awesome to trade back 1 or two spots, still get 2 high end players in this draft, and have multiple first again in 2025.
I do think that QB play through the league is down. Hurts has probably been the most consistent, followed by Tua, then Mahomes, then Allen. Even Mahomes and Allen have been a little up and down. The point is that there are very few QBs really killing it this year. If we ignore the first 4 games, Fields has been one of the better QBs. If you look at all the QBs around the league, I can’t say I’d legitimately want too many of them over Fields at the moment. Obviously, I’d take Mahomes, Allen, Hurts, Tua, Herbert, Burrow, Lawrence, Prescott, Stroud, and maybe one or two others. That’s not a long list, and it may say more about the quality of QB play in general than it does about Fields.
I also agree with your eye test over the past several games, as I’ve noticed the same. If it weren’t for the late game turnovers, I think it would be a pretty clear choice to roll with Fields again. But those turnovers are real. They have come in the absolute worst moments. He has also never made it through a season healthy. The coaching has done Fields absolutely no favors either. Unfortunately, at this point, it’s hard to continue ignoring his body of work in the NFL. I think the hypothetical upside is still there. That is what is so tempting, considering how well we could build the team around him with the draft capital and cap space.
With all that said, I think what happens depends on what the actual draft position ends up being and who the coach is.
Assuming they have #1 overall, If it’s still Flus (what a fuck up that would be), I think staying the course with Fields and try to set up a scenario with multiple first round picks again next year is the best scenario. That doesn’t tie a rookie QB with a defensive lame duck head coach, gets 2 potentially franchise altering players that should make an immediate impact, and allows the draft capital in 25 for when Flus inevitably gets fired.
If it’s a new coach, I think Fields’ entire body of work suggests that the smart move would be to pick a QB at 1 and potentially get that elite HC QB pairing. I would be open to whatever the new coach suggests and if they want to roll with Fields, trade to get multiple firsts again in 25, and draft 2 studs this year, I’d be on board.
The best argument i have for keeping Fields around is that the thought of yet another rookie QB getting dragged through a broken leadership system makes my tummy hurt.
You didn’t have to write all that you should’ve just put I really like the guy and I’m delusional. How many seasons and how many wins does he have?
People have fallen in love with his potential as if it’s irreplaceable. Other QBs can do what Fields does but better. The number 1 thing that sets fields apart from the average nfl qb is his running. The exact thing they’re going to ask him to stop doing if he gets paid 300 million on his second contract. He’s good at throwing the deep ball and changing his a slot while throwing. None of these things have lead to outbursts of unstoppable scoring of points. You know the things needed to win football games. I’m not even going to go into the things he does poorly because you can watch any of his professional games and see them yourself. You’ll always have his Ohio st highlights. Play them on repeat.
A lot of words just to say you’re mentally ill.
TLDR, he’s not the guy. Poles isn’t going to pass on ANOTHER qb class so fumbling fields can drag him down the drain with him. Fields at best is average. Get over it or root for another team.
Guys, this is getting silly. Justin is a likable guy and we want him to succeed. But the mental gymnastics have reached their limit. He’s not an NFL QB. At a certain point (and we’ve reached it) you have to stop making excuses for him. Quality players perform.
At the end of the day, Fields is not good enough. Yes, he is a good kid with loads of potential! That’s not enough though for the bears to keep him next year. New coaching is not going to make Fields turn into something he is not.
Do we also blame the Velus Jones fumbles on coaches? No, that would be absurd. Why do we do it with Fields?
Fields needs to go .
When caleb williams and drake maye become stars, will you be willing to move on when justin keeps coughing up the ball?
This is nerd fandom of weirdness. This obsession with being in love with Fields and digging up obscure stats to make your point is absolutely weird.
7:45 AM, 110 comments already… I better buckle in
I’d love to see a GM cherry pick stats like this to justify building a team full of guys he’s partial to. Surely that though process would work right?
People don’t root for the team, they don’t like the team, they only like the player.
If we have the 1.1 Caleb Williams has to be the pick. It’s once in a lifetime that you will get an opportunity to draft a quarterback with his potential. Listen, I think fields can be a great player someday but the bears are simply out of time. The better he plays this year still helps us.
49 turnovers and I don’t even want to look at how many sacks. Can’t read defenses, holds the ball too long, rampant indecisiveness, inability to even try tough throws.
He’s not it. We need to draft a QB.
He could’ve been great but he’s damaged. Nagy started it with the browns game and getsy and eberflus have no clue how to use him. The best thing is to start fresh with a new coaching staff and new QB. But we know that won’t happen. Poles will draft a QB and then hire new coaches and this abysmal cycle will continue
#17 Fumbles
Sorry bud, you can have your delusional crush on him but he’s bootycheeks awful and I don’t get everyone’s pathological need to insist he’s not.
He sucks and guess what, stats wise he’s one of the worst we’ve had so get the fuck over it he’s gone in a few games and good fuckin riddance
I’m not a bears fan but I’ve watched a few of his games I like him just needs better coaching
I’m willing to give up on these posts
Fields has shown in his 35 starts that he is:
Positives:
– Good leader
– Can scramble and run the ball well
– has a big arm for the deep ball
Negatives:
– Turnover prone (arguably most in the nfl among starters)
– Holds on to the ball too much
– Gets sacked more than anyone
– Inconsistent at best in the intermediate passing game (which is arguably the most important)
– Anti-Clutch prone to choke in the 4th quarter (check his Passer Rating in the 4th Q)
When you put the positives and negatives out like this we see a clear picture that his negatives are too big to warrant keeping him. We want a QB that can win superbowls. Justin doesn’t have enough positives to be a Super Bowl QB so for that alone we should move on.