How Fields impressed Peter King at training camp originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
There are many factors which will determine how well the Bears’ organizational overhaul turns out, but no factor will be as important in determining the length of the rebuild than Justin Fields’ development. On the latest episode of the Under Center podcast, Peter King joined the show and shared that he’s heard many people in the Bears organization describe Fields in two ways, which indicate that he could turn into a franchise quarterback.
“Worker beeー which you have to be when you’re learning a new offenseー and eminently coachable,” King said.
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Those two traits are all well and good, but if Fields can’t take those qualities and translate it into excellent play, then it doesn’t matter much. King believes the Bears have surrounded Fields with the right coaches to make that happen, though.
“You bring Luke Getsy in from Green Bay, and I swear when I watched practice and I saw Justin Fieldsー I mean how many times have we seen Aaron Rodgers roll right and then nine out of 10 times he throws, and one out of 10 he scrambles. Well, I saw Justin Fields do it today, and his athleticism when he gets anywhere near the open field is fantastic. I think he’s going to be a little bit more of a running threat, obviously, than Rodgers was. You don’t want him to make a living at that because of the chance of injury, but I think this offense really fits Justin Fields well if he can be accurate. That is going to tell the tale.”
In addition to making accurate throws, King echoed a similar challenge for Fields that we’ve heard from Matt Eberflus and other coaches when discussing the next steps in his growth: Fields is going to need to develop timing and rhythm with his receivers, within the scheme.
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“I think he’s got a really good chance,” said King. “It’s in Justin Fields’ hands, period. He can do this. I love the offense he’s in. Luke Getsy is a rising star in this business. I think he’s in a really, really good position.”
When it’s all said and done, the Bears will have to evaluate Fields, but King doesn’t believe his evaluation should be based on wins and losses.
“A successful season is saying on Dec. 28th, ‘Ok, so we’re 4-12,’ or whatever it will be by Dec. 28, ‘We don’t really care, we weren’t even expecting to be serious contenders for a wild card, but we know we got our guy.’ That is a successful season.”
For the full Peter King interview on the Under Center podcast, listen here.
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