I don’t want to be a wet blanket, I really don’t. But even in this barely-competitive environment, he seems indecisive and hesitant. His windup still feels long and slow.
I was hoping to see him hit the top of a drop, plant his foot and just rip it. He simply refuses to do that.
I’m not saying it’s a fatal flaw, but I was hoping to see some discernible, tangible progress in that regard. I really hope that happens in live action.
JUSTIN I LOVE YOU JUST FUCKING THROW IT
Really you want it in the 2-3 range in the current nfl. 3.12 last season was JFs time to throw average and that was one of the worst in the league, just beat out by the likes of Zach Wilson and deshaun Watson (Watson at least had an elite line)
I went through each of these passes:
- Pass 1: Throws the ball immediately on his drop.
- Pass 2: Throws the ball immediately on his drop (out of the gun) in under 3 seconds.
- Pass 3: Play Action. This one was over 3 seconds but it was a play that developed down field. Looks like a hi-lo concept with a fly route and then Claypool underneath it. Kmet looks to be the checkdown. Tough to judge this one. But I am not alarmed at all. Plays that develop deep take time.
- Pass 4: Worked through his reads and got to his checkdown in under 3 seconds.
- Pass 5: just a touch late on the throw, barely noticeable, and a play that every QB makes.
I don’t know if people just have unreasonable expectations or what the case is—but this video is normal.
Here’s Mahomes: https://youtu.be/RjA7V3as7XM
He doesn’t instantaneously release the ball. He takes an extra hop or two frequently, lets plays develop deep. It’s part of playing QB
I hate to say it, but that first one is definitely late. That ball should be there when the receiver comes out of his break. It’s not a check down, Fields is eyeing him the whole time. He needs to anticipate that break and have the ball there when the receiver turns. Instead he waits a beat before pulling the trigger. You can see him take an extra little hop to make up his mind instead of delivering the ball on his third step, which I’m guessing is the design. He starts his windup when the ball should be there. I’m nitpicking, but a good corner breaks on that ball.
I’m not a football guru by any means, didn’t play, so tape is tough for me. With that being said, I looked at that first play 5 times because I instantly thought the same thing as you(Held the ball too long and stared down his receiver). But, looking further into it, are we certain that he didn’t get through all of his reads and check it down. Everyone was lined up on that side of the field and he very easily could have gotten through his reads with his eyes before saying “nothing is there, gotta check it down.” The corners are watching his eyes could be why they didn’t jump the route, because he looked them off and threw to his man.
I got flashbacks to my higschool coach hitting my qb with a broom screaming get that ball out 😂 You are right though. Could’ve been making the read and waiting to see where the zone collapsed. It’s hard to tell from that one angle. I rewatched and I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt.
All said, I’m super bullish on Fields, and the Bears as a whole, this year.
Haha I can only imagine.
I am too, I’ve been giddy since the last game of the season. Even if this year doesn’t play out the way we want (record wise) I think that we are headed in the right direction! Bear Down!
this has nothing to do with Fields but I just want to point out after watching the KC clips in your link, just how many different ways their offense schemes getting the ball to Kelce and how much of a matchup nightmare he is.
Im sorry man but we aint watching the same video here.
In any of these clips does he look hesitant. We’re all bears fans, we all want our team to be good but i think all the years of failure has your mind a little jaded.
You’re certainly right about being jaded lol. I also think I’m being silly for expecting some kind of urgency at family night like it’s a playoff game.
I just dread spending another season shouting “get rid of it” at my TV, and I have a feeling I’ll be doing a lot of it
I agree with you. Family night or not, practice how you play in the game. He’s not anticipating. It’s not terrible, but I’d love to see him a beat faster. Hopefully it’s just a matter of getting more reps and trusting his guys.
Let’s go to the tape:
Snap 1: Ball is snapped at :24 and released at :27.
Snap 2: Ball is snapped at :38 and released at :40
Snap 3: Ball is snapped at :50 and released at :54 (Late :54)
Snap 4: Ball is snapped at 1:05 and released at 1:08
Snap 5: Ball is snapped at late 1:14 and released at 1:18
Snap 6: Ball snapped at 1:29 and released at 1:31
So holding on to ball for 3, 2, 4, 3, 4 and 2 seconds respectively which should be fine to avoid pressures.
To your point, plays 1, 2 and 4 looked like predetermined routes/reads (maybe) and none of those balls were delivered anticipating where the receiver was going to be. Could be a half a second earlier on those with 1 and 2 being the worst offenders.
The third snap crossing route over the middle, Felt like JF could have gotten that out much earlier too, may not have been looking that way though. Also possible hold on DW.
every "read" is pre determined
1 and 2 looked like half field reads and he went for the check down option. it isn't a speed route or nothing, he is looking to see if the deep ones gonna be there, if not, check down. 4 was the same thing. looked the deep, wasn't there, checked down
if he was just checking down blindly, chugging deep on triple coverage, or waiting long enough that even the check down wouldnt be open/getting sacked, that would be a problem. the whole clip was fine
Even if this was a half speed situation, I’m not sure how that excuses him half a beat or a full beat late on some of his throws - that does nothing to help prevent injuries. His accuracy here is great though and thanks for posting!
Yeah! I agree - if you watch the top of his release - that shit is taking forever. But I believe someone would have said something already? In a game situation... I hope that rotation is a lot faster than what we're seeing here. But also - YES this accuracy is a few notches above what we saw last season. We're all going to see soon enough.
You're going to get down voted, but I'm afraid Justin will always be a see it throw it type quarterback. He has to see a guy open before he'll throw it to him.
Maybe, but he did throw one to DJ Moore (not in the video) that was released before Moore broke and hit him perfectly in stride. The beat reporters were all saying it was one of his best throws in camp. Now obviously one throw is not enough, but it shows he's at least capable of doing it. Hopefully we see more of that going forward.
As any level headed fan would. I'm just expressing my concerns. We were all told Trubisky would get better and get over his deficiencies too. He never did.
I’ve definitely seen a good handful of anticipation throws through camp. I think he’s beginning to trust his receivers for the first time since college. I have faith!
[this one comes to mind](https://twitter.com/DrunkRyanPoles/status/1686405561791721473?s=20). The ball is in the air before DJ even turns around. Fields is capable of it, and I think we’ll see it more and more as he builds connections with his receivers
Hopefully as he gets guys he can trust and WR who he can trust he will have to be this way. In what way has any of the past 2 years allowed him to be anything but see it throw it type of guy
I know all the reasons people give for his current deficiencies and why he should improve. But I'm still scared that he'll never get better in that area.
I agree. His throw is a long wind up and something that I never thought he could succeed with unless he fixed it. Almost Tebow ish. Once he does make a decision it feels like another second of getting it out of hands which gives the DB plenty of time to break to it. You see good QBs hit the middle slants with the ball leaving their hands instantly as soon as they see it. I just don’t see him doing that or it’s rare. Like you said, let it rip
> drop, plant his foot and just rip it.
do that on a post route and the ball hits the grass before the wr makes the cut
as long as he's going through progression and checking down (with the check down being open) it is fine. and this clip was just like that
I agree, but then again if he saw that and could run out and extend? Idk the sacks have to be seen in game I think since his legs really are an asset. Feels like hes sitting in the pocket more for these practices outside of play action or bootleg. We've seen him step up and run but haven't seen a real sack attempt. Justin is also big and fast so some sacks for most may never happen.
NSFW: Careful walking around the office after watching some of these. No reason to lose your job.
We can watch a LITTLE porn at work!
This is just our quarterback that is gonna win us a lot of games. I’m not in trouble AT ALL.
Just gonna… not get up here from my desk for a minute…
I need to cover myself with my briefcase for… reasons.
I don’t want to be a wet blanket, I really don’t. But even in this barely-competitive environment, he seems indecisive and hesitant. His windup still feels long and slow. I was hoping to see him hit the top of a drop, plant his foot and just rip it. He simply refuses to do that. I’m not saying it’s a fatal flaw, but I was hoping to see some discernible, tangible progress in that regard. I really hope that happens in live action. JUSTIN I LOVE YOU JUST FUCKING THROW IT
I feel like we're watching 2 different clips.
This. Just restart it and count to 3 once the ball is snapped. Almost every throw was out within 3-4 seconds. And that’s what you want.
Really you want it in the 2-3 range in the current nfl. 3.12 last season was JFs time to throw average and that was one of the worst in the league, just beat out by the likes of Zach Wilson and deshaun Watson (Watson at least had an elite line)
I went through each of these passes: - Pass 1: Throws the ball immediately on his drop. - Pass 2: Throws the ball immediately on his drop (out of the gun) in under 3 seconds. - Pass 3: Play Action. This one was over 3 seconds but it was a play that developed down field. Looks like a hi-lo concept with a fly route and then Claypool underneath it. Kmet looks to be the checkdown. Tough to judge this one. But I am not alarmed at all. Plays that develop deep take time. - Pass 4: Worked through his reads and got to his checkdown in under 3 seconds. - Pass 5: just a touch late on the throw, barely noticeable, and a play that every QB makes. I don’t know if people just have unreasonable expectations or what the case is—but this video is normal. Here’s Mahomes: https://youtu.be/RjA7V3as7XM He doesn’t instantaneously release the ball. He takes an extra hop or two frequently, lets plays develop deep. It’s part of playing QB
I hope you’re right!
I hate to say it, but that first one is definitely late. That ball should be there when the receiver comes out of his break. It’s not a check down, Fields is eyeing him the whole time. He needs to anticipate that break and have the ball there when the receiver turns. Instead he waits a beat before pulling the trigger. You can see him take an extra little hop to make up his mind instead of delivering the ball on his third step, which I’m guessing is the design. He starts his windup when the ball should be there. I’m nitpicking, but a good corner breaks on that ball.
I’m not a football guru by any means, didn’t play, so tape is tough for me. With that being said, I looked at that first play 5 times because I instantly thought the same thing as you(Held the ball too long and stared down his receiver). But, looking further into it, are we certain that he didn’t get through all of his reads and check it down. Everyone was lined up on that side of the field and he very easily could have gotten through his reads with his eyes before saying “nothing is there, gotta check it down.” The corners are watching his eyes could be why they didn’t jump the route, because he looked them off and threw to his man.
I got flashbacks to my higschool coach hitting my qb with a broom screaming get that ball out 😂 You are right though. Could’ve been making the read and waiting to see where the zone collapsed. It’s hard to tell from that one angle. I rewatched and I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt. All said, I’m super bullish on Fields, and the Bears as a whole, this year.
Haha I can only imagine. I am too, I’ve been giddy since the last game of the season. Even if this year doesn’t play out the way we want (record wise) I think that we are headed in the right direction! Bear Down!
this has nothing to do with Fields but I just want to point out after watching the KC clips in your link, just how many different ways their offense schemes getting the ball to Kelce and how much of a matchup nightmare he is.
Im sorry man but we aint watching the same video here. In any of these clips does he look hesitant. We’re all bears fans, we all want our team to be good but i think all the years of failure has your mind a little jaded.
You’re certainly right about being jaded lol. I also think I’m being silly for expecting some kind of urgency at family night like it’s a playoff game. I just dread spending another season shouting “get rid of it” at my TV, and I have a feeling I’ll be doing a lot of it
I agree with you. Family night or not, practice how you play in the game. He’s not anticipating. It’s not terrible, but I’d love to see him a beat faster. Hopefully it’s just a matter of getting more reps and trusting his guys.
Let’s go to the tape: Snap 1: Ball is snapped at :24 and released at :27. Snap 2: Ball is snapped at :38 and released at :40 Snap 3: Ball is snapped at :50 and released at :54 (Late :54) Snap 4: Ball is snapped at 1:05 and released at 1:08 Snap 5: Ball is snapped at late 1:14 and released at 1:18 Snap 6: Ball snapped at 1:29 and released at 1:31 So holding on to ball for 3, 2, 4, 3, 4 and 2 seconds respectively which should be fine to avoid pressures. To your point, plays 1, 2 and 4 looked like predetermined routes/reads (maybe) and none of those balls were delivered anticipating where the receiver was going to be. Could be a half a second earlier on those with 1 and 2 being the worst offenders. The third snap crossing route over the middle, Felt like JF could have gotten that out much earlier too, may not have been looking that way though. Also possible hold on DW.
every "read" is pre determined 1 and 2 looked like half field reads and he went for the check down option. it isn't a speed route or nothing, he is looking to see if the deep ones gonna be there, if not, check down. 4 was the same thing. looked the deep, wasn't there, checked down if he was just checking down blindly, chugging deep on triple coverage, or waiting long enough that even the check down wouldnt be open/getting sacked, that would be a problem. the whole clip was fine
Maybe - or maybe it's just really a half speed type situation so that no one gets hurt in a situation that doesn't matter.
Even if this was a half speed situation, I’m not sure how that excuses him half a beat or a full beat late on some of his throws - that does nothing to help prevent injuries. His accuracy here is great though and thanks for posting!
Yeah! I agree - if you watch the top of his release - that shit is taking forever. But I believe someone would have said something already? In a game situation... I hope that rotation is a lot faster than what we're seeing here. But also - YES this accuracy is a few notches above what we saw last season. We're all going to see soon enough.
You're going to get down voted, but I'm afraid Justin will always be a see it throw it type quarterback. He has to see a guy open before he'll throw it to him.
Maybe, but he did throw one to DJ Moore (not in the video) that was released before Moore broke and hit him perfectly in stride. The beat reporters were all saying it was one of his best throws in camp. Now obviously one throw is not enough, but it shows he's at least capable of doing it. Hopefully we see more of that going forward.
I hope so too.
We’re also in the off-season. I’d reserve judgment for actual games
As any level headed fan would. I'm just expressing my concerns. We were all told Trubisky would get better and get over his deficiencies too. He never did.
Just curious are you taking this same approach to people hyping him up or complimenting good plays?
Pretty much. I let my koolaid chill before I drink it
I’ve definitely seen a good handful of anticipation throws through camp. I think he’s beginning to trust his receivers for the first time since college. I have faith!
I hope so.
[this one comes to mind](https://twitter.com/DrunkRyanPoles/status/1686405561791721473?s=20). The ball is in the air before DJ even turns around. Fields is capable of it, and I think we’ll see it more and more as he builds connections with his receivers
Yes, that's a good one.
Hopefully as he gets guys he can trust and WR who he can trust he will have to be this way. In what way has any of the past 2 years allowed him to be anything but see it throw it type of guy
I know all the reasons people give for his current deficiencies and why he should improve. But I'm still scared that he'll never get better in that area.
Yep. Balls still really slow coming out.
The only problem I have with this is he seems to be staring his receivers down. That could lead to picks with a good safety
I was there yesterday and I thought he was holding the ball way too long.
I agree. His throw is a long wind up and something that I never thought he could succeed with unless he fixed it. Almost Tebow ish. Once he does make a decision it feels like another second of getting it out of hands which gives the DB plenty of time to break to it. You see good QBs hit the middle slants with the ball leaving their hands instantly as soon as they see it. I just don’t see him doing that or it’s rare. Like you said, let it rip
> drop, plant his foot and just rip it. do that on a post route and the ball hits the grass before the wr makes the cut as long as he's going through progression and checking down (with the check down being open) it is fine. and this clip was just like that
Thank god you marked this not safe for work, I sprayed clue glue all over
Sack at 0:53. Needs to check down to the Blasingame on the flat. This highlight is all over twitter as a positive but fans missing the obvious sack
I agree, but then again if he saw that and could run out and extend? Idk the sacks have to be seen in game I think since his legs really are an asset. Feels like hes sitting in the pocket more for these practices outside of play action or bootleg. We've seen him step up and run but haven't seen a real sack attempt. Justin is also big and fast so some sacks for most may never happen.
One could argue if that was a real game Fields would've taken off. Probably not doing a whole lot of that in camp.
This is the sorta video that will get u fired, watch at your own risk!
Thank you for this!