Maybe it will help Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields that he spent a week preparing for a Wink Martindale defense a year ago.
The outing was a short one for Fields. He was knocked out of a 16-13 loss to the Baltimore Ravens in Week 11 at Soldier Field with bruised ribs suffered at the start of the third quarter. Fields was 4 of 11 for 79 yards.
But at least Fields has some recall from studying a Martindale defense as he digs into the game plan this week. First-year New York Giants coach Brian Daboll hired Martindale after the longtime Ravens coordinator parted ways with John Harbaugh.
Perhaps that will give Fields a head start in understanding the challenges coming for the Bears protection schemes. The Giants defense, which uses a wide variety of pressures, could have some unscouted looks for the Bears when the teams meet Sunday at MetLife Stadium (noon, Fox-32).
Fields said Wednesday he’s maintaining the same daily schedule he switched to last week, when he began arriving at Halas Hall earlier after a poor performance in Week 2 in Green Bay. In Sunday’s battle of 2-1 teams, the Bears don’t necessarily need Fields to win the game, but they can’t afford another two-turnover game like he had in the 23-20 Week 3 victory over the Houston Texans.
Fields has attempted the fewest passes by a starting quarterback each week this season, and it’s difficult to imagine the offense will be opened up anytime soon. According to the league’s Next Gen statistics, none of his 45 pass attempts this season has been into a tight window, reflective of his hesitancy to cut it loose.
He said he was locked on to Darnell Mooney on the play that turned into a 29-yard scramble against the Texans. That was the explanation for not throwing to an open Equanimeous St. Brown.
“Not really,” Fields said when asked if he was hesitating. “You’ve just got to listen to your feet and throw the ball on time.”
That’s one of the pressing issues for Fields, offensive coordinator Luke Getsy and the rest of the offense. There aren’t enough plays in which the ball is coming out on time. That throws off the rhythm of plays that might work well on the practice field.
Fields was 8 of 17 for 106 yards in Week 3 with two interceptions by Texans safety Jalen Pitre. He described his performance as “trash” afterward. A case can be made his first three weeks are the worst three-game stretch for a Bears quarterback since Caleb Hanie passed for 359 yards in Weeks 13-15 of the 2011 season. Hanie was the backup, not a quarterback the Bears traded up to select in Round 1.
“It was frustrating for sure but got to learn from the mistakes,” Fields said of the win over the Texans, noting corrections are easier for everyone coming off a victory.
The Giants have allowed 100-yard rushers the last two weeks and rank 25th in the league in run defense, allowing 138.3 yards per game. They’re 28th in yards allowed per carry at 5.25, so it stands to reason Getsy will craft a run-heavy game plan with the Bears excelling in run blocking no matter who is in the backfield.
The offense has to be more proficient throwing the ball, and even modest success would go a long way toward balancing things out. The Giants have only three sacks and no interceptions.
So Fields keeps grinding away as the coaches look for a breakthrough.
“They’re really positive,” Fields said. “Just try to keep everybody on a positive page, learning from our mistakes.
“It’s life. It’s football. You’re going to make mistakes, you’re not going to be perfect. Just learning from your mistakes and making sure it doesn’t happen again.”
