New Justin Fields film breakdown shows unique progress, offseason personnel suggestions
New Justin Fields film breakdown shows unique progress, offseason personnel suggestions originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
Former NFL quarterback and the mind behind "The QB School" YouTube channel, J.T. O'Sullivan, created a new film breakdown for Justin Fields' Week 17 performance against the Atlanta Falcons.
Check out the new video.
Fields' stock has been trending in an upward direction recently, and this video shows exactly why.
"This is nice video evidence of Justin progressing about being able to get through reads," O'Sullivan said.
O'Sullivan pointed out Fields' progressions as an improving aspect of his game. An early five-player read with clean footwork is a solid example of that development.
But, on that last note, his footwork still needs help. The instances where Fields heel clicks and stutter-steps before throwing the ball feel rare. But there's a universe where his footwork could be less redundant, as O'Sullivan points out.
One interesting point O'Sullivan made is the sneakiness of Fields' ball fakes. He's started messing around on his ball fakes, covering the football, switching it between hands and using his eyes to direct the defense.
That skill helps mess with the timing of the run game, which is another aspect O'Sullivan characterized as elite. He commended Fields' ability to rush the ball and criticized the lack of running from Fields early in the season. It's a large part of his game. He rushed for 45 yards and one touchdown against the Falcons last Sunday.
One mention Fields and fans will be happy to hear from O'Sullivan is his criticism of the referees for not calling late hits on Fields. Another happened against the Falcons, and O'Sullivan dutifully noticed it.
"It's borderline malicious," O'Sullivan said.
It's worth mentioning that there were several instances of Fields' pinpoint accuracy, especially in the snow. But there were a few he missed by a mile, where O'Sullivan points to how his footwork affected those throws.
Fields finished completing 20-of-32 passes for 268 yards and one touchdown. He took just three sacks and didn't throw an interception in the game.
In the end, O'Sullivan shared his thoughts about the Bears' controversial offseason.
"I don't know how you run it back with everybody coming back, if I'm being honest. If you're gonna make a change, I think the easiest change is at the play-caller position," O'Sullivan said.
O'Sullivan suggests the Bears add receiver and interior line help to support Fields this offseason. If everyone wants to be connected to Fields, O'Sullivan believes a new play-caller and a "dynamic 1 (receiver)" is essential.
Stay tuned to see what the Bears do this offseason.
Click here to follow the Under Center Podcast.
