This Description Of Justin Fields’ Pittsburgh Performance Is An All-Timer
Longtime analyst and NFL insider Rich Eisen has watched a ton of football in his career. He has a pretty good idea of whether a young player has what it takes to play at the professional level or not. Like everybody else, he wasn’t sure what to feel about Justin Fields through the first eight games of the season. The Chicago Bears rookie had some nice moments but also some ugly stretches too. Would he figure things out or would this trend remain the norm?
Then Monday night in Pittsburgh happened. After a sluggish 1st half characterized by a load of penalties and mental mistakes, Fields took control in the 2nd. Trailing 20-6 at one point, he threw for 228 yards, delivering two touchdown drives including the one to take a 27-26 lead with under two minutes left. Some of the throws he made were only the types people see the best of the best pull off in this league. That was enough confirmation for Eisen. He believes Fields has arrived.
The description he used was the best part.
He wasn’t alone in his praise either. Former quarterback Dan Orlovsky has followed Fields’ development closely for ESPN since the season began. After initially being a critic of the young QB, he came to realize a lot of the problems he was having weren’t entirely his fault. A lot of them had to do with a questionable offensive system implemented by Matt Nagy and his staff. Even so, the fact this kid is ascending anyway is a testament to his talent. Something Orlovsky broke down after the game.
Fields took over the game for 30 minutes on Monday night. That he did so in primetime on the road against a solid Steelers defense only made it more impressive. To say nothing of his questionable offensive system and supporting cast.
Justin Fields has cleared most of the toughest hurdles
One of the hardest things to do transitioning from college to the NFL at quarterback is speeding up the clock. At Ohio State, Fields was surrounded by great talent. He was able to hang onto the ball and wait for chances to throw deep. It didn’t take long for teams to dispel the myth that he could do the same in the pros. Ask Cleveland and Tampa Bay. The rookie admitted that he would have to process faster and learn to work his way down the field in smaller chunks when big opportunities weren’t there.
It has become clear the past two weeks that Justin Fields has figured it out. No longer is he just hanging in the pocket waiting for the big shot. If a shorter opportunity is there, he’ll take it. If nothing is there? He tucks the ball and runs, using his athleticism to pick up yards on the ground. Defenses are having a difficult time stopping it.
This is not something Bears fans are used to seeing.
A quarterback, their quarterback, carrying the team to a near-upset on the road against a red-hot opponent. That is what franchise guys do. Eisen was indeed correct. The training wheels came off and the kid flourished. If the organization can find him more weapons and a proper scheme? There is no telling how much better he’ll get.