Day: September 27, 2022

Brad Biggs at the Chicago Tribune talks about Justin Fields development. Here he quotes an anonymous personnel man about the situation that Fields finds himself in with the Bears this year.

“You look at Jalen Hurts in Philadelphia. He’s throwing to freaking A.J. Brown and he’s got a young guy on the come in DeVonta Smith, who was the Heisman Trophy winner. And he’s got a young tight end in Dallas Goedert, and the offensive line there is one of the best in the league. If you put Fields behind that line, how good would he look?

The answer to that question is “better“. But still not as good as Hurts.

I’m not at all convinced that what we’ve seen from Field so far this year is simply a result of the talent that he is surrounded with. Fields simply has been unable to throw from the pocket. He was only able to do it in college. And he’s unable to do it right now.

That doesn’t mean that he can’t do it. It doesn’t mean that he won’t learn to do it. But he’s not.

I dont doubt that surrounding him with more talent would make him better. But I don’t think it would make him good.

Fields needs to learn to at least occasionally drop back, hit his back foot, and get the ball out on time to the correct receiver. If he can do that, he’ll look a lot better no matter what talent he is surrounded with. I look forward to the day that that happens.

If it doesn’t by the end of the year, I think the Bears will once again find themselves in a situation where they are searching for another quarterback. As is part of Biggs’s point, it’s too early to make that judgement. But don’t fool yourself. By the end of the year the Bears will be able to do it. They must.

Colleen Kane at the Chicago Tribune quotes coach Matt Eberflus on Kyler Gordon’s performance on Sunday.

In the third quarter, Gordon charged forward on a third-and-1 blitz and batted down quarterback Davis Mills’ pass. But Gordon also gave up a couple of big plays, including losing wide receiver Chris Moore on a 52-yard catch in the first quarter that led to the Texans’ first touchdown.

“The breakdown on that was … we were playing single-high coverage. We have to do a better job of just staying on that guy,” Eberflus said. “That was his guy. He has to stay on him.”

Eberflus was asked whether the Bears would consider keeping Gordon at one position to lighten his mental load.

“You always have got to look at that, especially when you’re working with a rookie, a guy that’s been in there and it’s the first time,” Eberflus said. “But he’s shown that he can do it. His techniques are good. In terms of knowing his assignments are good, inside and outside, so we’re pleased with where he is relative to that.”

If you watch replay where the Texans’ Moore caught the 52 yard pass, you will see that Gordon was with him until he heit about midfield and then he let him go, obviously thinking that another defensive back was going to pick Moore up. Realizing his mistakes too late he tore after more but Moore was wide open.

It was not the first time that Gordon has looked confused in coverage over the first three games.

The evidence does, indeed, support the suggestion that Gordon is overloaded and that he might be better off concentrating upon one position. But it doesn’t sound like they are ready to restrict him just yet.

We all knew going in that there would be growing pains for the Bears this year. I htink eveyone was prepared to be patient with quarterback Justin Filds But I think it behoooves us to remember that the other guys are only feeling their way through right now as well.

As it is it looks like we’re going to have to just wait and see how fast Gordon can pick things up and handle what the Bears have given him.