Emma: There's plenty of blame to go around for Bears' offensive woes

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(670 The Score) Perhaps there’s an earnest reason for belief from Bears rookie quarterback Justin Fields. Or maybe it’s that he has never before struggled like this on a football field and inherently believes a turnaround has to be coming. Either way, he sees a breakthrough on the horizon for himself and his team's struggling offense.

“You just have those feelings,” Fields said. “You just feel it. It’s coming.”

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As a rising prospect in high school, Fields averaged a combined 330.7 yards and nearly four touchdowns per game. At Ohio State, he was a Heisman Trophy finalist and a two-time Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year who led the Buckeyes to a 20-2 record across two seasons. He was simply better than his competition before arriving in the NFL, where blitzes are faster, coverage is tighter and the hits are harder.

Fields, 22, is still developing a chemistry with receivers like Allen Robinson and Darnell Mooney while the Bears have continued their work to build a scheme that fits his skill set but also accounts for his limitations as a rookie. That’s something that will take patience and time.

"I'd like to score touchdowns,” Fields said. “That's what I want to do — no matter how."

Through seven weeks of action, Chicago ranks 32nd in the NFL in total yardage, passing yardage and passing touchdowns. The Bears have just three passing scores this season. Buccaneers star quarterback Tom Brady threw four touchdowns in the first half alone in his team's 38-3 win against the Bears on Sunday.

So, how much of the blame does Fields deserve for the Bears’ struggles on offense? The answer is two-fold and complicated, something Fields, coach Matt Nagy and the players on offense all seem to understand. Put simply, the responsibility falls on all 11 players on the field and the coaching staff that's communicating in Fields' helmet headset.

On the second play from scrimmage Sunday, the Bears set up eight blockers in max protect and designed routes for Robinson and Mooney. Even so, Buccaneers safety safety Antoine Winfield Jr. found an opening in the eight-man protection scheme and rookie running back Khalil Herbert was late coming over for his block. Winfield sacked Fields, and the Bears soon went three-and-out on their opening drive.

On their second drive of the game, the Bears faced a third-and-8 situation from the Buccaneers' 44-yard line. Fields pinpointed a pass that led tight end Cole Kmet on his out route to the marker. He dropped the ball, and the Bears punted again.

Later in the first quarter, the Bears faced a third-and-5 from their own 40-yard line and Fields heard from the coaching staff in his headset that the Buccaneers had 12 men on the field. He quickly called for the snap and took a shot down the right side toward Robinson, who stumbled and fell as the ball was intercepted by Buccaneers cornerback Dee Delaney. There was no flag thrown for too many men on the field as Tampa Bay had 11 players set and got its extra man off in time.

Early in the second quarter, the Bears set up six blockers on a second-and-7 from their own 44-yard line. The Buccaneers sent only four, but edge rusher Jason Pierre-Paul got around Bears reserve tackle Lachavious Simmons so quickly that Fields hardly had time to see a progression before being stripped of the football.

All of that had occurred with 10:18 still on the clock in the second quarter.

“It’s just a matter of putting it all together,” Nagy said. “And you talk about Justin and you talk about him getting started within this offense and all of us trying to be better, you talk about whether it’s the timing with the wide receivers or whether it’s the communication with the O-line, all of that stuff is going to come. It’s just not there right now.”

Before the Bears traded up to select Fields No. 11 overall in the NFL Draft last spring, their offense was a struggling unit searching for an identity. This group isn’t performing poorly because of Fields, but it certainly isn’t any better with him -- at least not yet.

Nagy and his coaching staff spent the offseason planning their offense around veteran quarterback Andy Dalton, whom the Bears signed to a one-year deal in March. Dalton suffered a knee injury in the second game of the regular season, and Fields has taken over since. On Oct. 6, Nagy revealed his plan to move forward with Fields as the full-time starter – despite Dalton being deemed healthy.

Fields has struggled at times to handle his progressions, process coverages and recognize oncoming blitzes. In a loss to the Packers on Oct. 17, Fields didn't throw deep downfield to a wide-open Robinson because he was focused on his primary reads and the blitz of defensive lineman Kenny Clark.

Meanwhile, the Bears have just four passing plays of more than 25 yards this season, the fewest in the NFL. They haven't broken the 200-yard passing mark in seven games and boast arguably the league’s worst offense.

“They’re hamstrung by the kid’s inexperience,” CBS NFL analyst and WFAN host Boomer Esiason said on the Parkins & Spiegel Show earlier this week. “That’s all I’m telling you. I’m not telling you that he can’t play in the future. I’m not telling you any of that. I’m just telling you right now, he’s not ready to play.

“When the rookie quarterback is out there running for his life and he can’t see a blitz coming from a mile away, I don’t care what the hell protection you’re calling, he’s going to end up putting himself in a really bad position.

“He’s not ready to handle it. That’s all there is to it.”

For his part, Fields is trying to change that. He studies film closely to understand why a play broke down or what he could've done differently. He has worked with receivers for extra reps after each practice and even recently set up Zoom calls to further build their chemistry. That work is why he believes a breakthrough is coming.

Fields understands that he can be better for his offense – and that it can improve around him.

“Of course, I’m not oblivious to the fact that I’m a rookie, that I have a lot to learn,” Fields said. “But still at the same time, I think I’m talented enough and smart enough to be able to make the right decisions on the field and be successful on the field.”

Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago’s sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.

Featured Image Photo Credit: Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images