Justin Fields has work ahead in preparation for the season
By Mark Carman
Justin Fields and the Chicago Bears are very much a work in progress as the Bears start their mandatory minicamp.
An official working Chicago Bears minicamp was impressed – with Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson.
“Did you see the closing speed?” the sideline judged beamed.
Johnson had just picked off Justin Fields breaking perfectly on an out route and was headed the other way for a pick-six. The ref wasn’t wrong, it was impressive closing speed.
Good for Johnson, but not so much for the Bears still searching for that franchise quarterback to emerge.
After Fields was picked by Johnson, his next pass was batted down at the line of scrimmage followed by an off-target incompletion to Equanimeous St. Brown who had his own issues catching the football.
Slow down, I know.
Let’s not make a major deal on one pass at minicamp when the team is in shorts from the overly-talented Fields. It’s a new offense, staff, players. Everything in life takes time and there have been moments where Fields has looked really good.
But on this day 1 of mandatory minicamp where edge rusher Robert Quinn chose not to show up, Fields did not look anywhere close to commanding the new Luke Getsy offense.
Justin Fields is trying to get in a groove at Bears’ OTAs
“They are throwing a lot at us, pretty much throwing the entire playbook at us which is good,” Fields said. “Of course there are going to be mistakes but we would rather have the mistakes come right now rather than later in the fall camp. For me it’s not making the same mistake twice. If you make that one mistake on a play, just don’t do it again.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDldJzXN-CI
In addition to learning a new playbook, adjusting to new teammates and a first-time coaching staff, Fields is also tweaking his footwork. There is a lot on his plate.
“I am not ready for the season to start,” Fields said. “I am the type of person who likes to know that I am prepared. Right now, I am just being honest, we are not ready to play a game right now. When that time comes we will be ready. Right now, no.”
Time is on the side of Fields for now, but time moves fast. There are 89 days and counting until the opener with the San Francisco 49ers at Soldier Field.