Chicago Bears History of Excitement
Justin Fields, Bears quarterback, sounds pretty good doesn’t it?
Comparing pain in professional sports is useless. Everyone feels pain, and there is no way to prove that you are the most long-suffering fanbase in sports. Still, it’s not great to be a Bears fan. Everyone talks about the struggles to find a quarterback, and that is very real. But let’s not forget how boring this offense has been for the last thirty years.
I mean, who is the most exciting offensive player the Bears have had during that span? I seriously have no idea. Matt Forte might be the most talented. Allen Robinson may be the best receiver. At tight end, they had Greg Olsen, but Mike Martz didn’t think he was a worthwhile player. I mean, how sad is it that I have to seriously consider guys like Bernard Berrian and Curtis Conway? What about Marcus Robinson, Thomas Jones, Neal Anderson, Olin Kreutz? Those are some fine players, but I doubt if any of them have been referred to as Mr. Excitement. If you include special teams, they have the glory of Devin Hester. For offensive snaps though, there simply isn’t an easy answer when it comes to actual excitement.
The Answer
With the Bears first pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, they may have solved both of those issues. Justin Fields has the potential to be a franchise quarterback. He can also be the most exciting player this franchise has had since Walter Payton. So I had to take a closer look to see if he was the next (don’t say Sid Luckman, don’t say Sid Luckman, don’t say Sid Luckman)…okay, let’s just go with the first Justin Fields. Or is he the next (sigh) Mitch Trubisky. I need to try and protect my heart. Therefore, I’m looking at his game against his toughest opponent, Alabama, in the National Championship Game.
Before I get started, if this is his bad day, then the Bears are in for a phenomenal next decade. Fields is a true blue-chip quarterback. Ohio State got absolutely blown out in this game. While Fields faced significant pressure, he only had two poor throws the entire day. One was a crosser over the middle that he sailed, and the other we will get to later. Overall, Fields played very well. Oh yeah, and he did it with broken ribs.
The National Championship
I mentioned the pressure, and Alabama will always bring some. Even in a collapsing pocket, Fields stays calm and makes a very tough throw look easy.
He was also very adept at scanning the field in this game as he is able to go through his progressions and make the correct throw.
Fields looks to the left and sees the safety making a hard move over the top to that side of the field. He then scans back towards the middle and recognizes that the other safety has made a move to the opposite direction. This means he has an open path over the middle and he places is perfectly in his receiver’s hands before the safety can converge on the play.
The Bad
Let’s get to the bad throw. This was his worst throw on the day, and it was just a matter of him trying to do too much.
I’m not sure if there is a place that he can throw that ball that gets him the touchdown he desires. There are just so many Alabama defenders around that, it’s probably best that he sailed it. The protection was there, and had he looked off, the running back in the flat is probably reaching the end zone if he swings that pass out there. It’s a big situation in a big game, and he panicked a bit, but I’m not going to draw any conclusions on this one play considering how well he played the rest of the game.
The Good
The next play shows the value of having All-22 film. Justin Fields knows that with this play call, all he has to do is read that single-high safety. If the safety stays in the middle or drifts towards the near hash, he’s going to throw that ball to the outside. If the safety drifts towards the far hash, he’s going up the seam to his receiver on the right side of the formation.
The safety holds his ground, and Fields floats out a beautiful pass to the outside as he knows the defender has no chance at help over the top.
Let’s talk about pocket presence. Here is a screenshot of what Justin Fields is about to experience.
The left tackle is flailing after getting beaten by the defensive end, and things are not looking good for our friend Justin. As a Bears fan, I would assume a sack is the best case scenario. I’ve been trained to expect a fumble or interception in this situation. Instead, here is what happens.
I love this pocket presence. There is a free rusher coming towards him, and there isn’t any panic as he just casually steps up in the pocket and makes the throw. That is as smooth as it gets.
The Great
And finally, some quarterback porn to wrap things up (let’s be real, you should always wrap up when it comes to pornography).
What a damn throw. My body did THINGS when watching that. My soul uttered noises of pleasure. I immediately grabbed my wife and took her to the bedroom…so she could watch this throw too. It’s that good.
Justin Fields is that good. I mean, I didn’t even highlight the athleticism, and this guy has it in abundance as he ran a 4.46 at his pro day. (Those numbers might be slightly inflated, but only slightly, as he’s still very, very fast). Fields has all of the tools to change a franchise. Bears fans are delusionally optimistic, but Fields gives them every reason to open their heart and love again. Fields is the quarterback that will finally love you back.
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