NFL Hall of Famer ‘lost' about Justin Fields' Week 1 performance
NFL Hall of Famer ‘lost' about Justin Fields' Week 1 performance originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
Everyone in Chicago definitely expected Justin Fields and the Bears to come out with some fire.
All the offseason improvements, all the offseason hype and all the fan support.
Shattered.
And now, Bears fans and outsiders are scrambling for answers. Who's to blame? What happened? At the forefront of everyone's mind, concerns about Justin Fields arose.
"I'm kind of lost. I want him to do so well and it just doesn't happen," Terry Bradshaw told Parkins & Spiegel on 670 the Score.
"I was a bit surprised. I thought the Bears would beat Green Bay. If I'd picked that game I would've picked Chicago. But, for some reason, Green Bay owns Chicago. Aaron Rodgers may have been correct."
How did Fields perform in the eyes of the Hall of Fame quarterback?
"Justin just looks like Justin," Bradshaw said. "He can run like crazy and he needs movement to create his passing. The pocket stuff has not gotten there yet. I'm not quick to judge quarterbacks, but Jordan Love's in his fourth year and look what he's done."
Bears fans can relate to Bradshaw's feelings about Fields.
The Bears did everything right this offseason, to some degree. They added weapons in DJ Moore, Robert Tonyan and Tyler Scott. They added offensive line help in Nate Davis and Darnell Right. Yet, nothing seemed to click on offense against the Packers.
Fields looked frantic, confused and indecisive in the pocket. And the Bears went along with him, frequenting screen plays and run calls. Their signal caller missed blatant openings from his wide receivers and failed to find his targets.
It was a disappointing debut for their hopeful franchise quarterback.
The third-year quarterback is expected to improve this season. He has nowhere left to hide. The Bears did their part, now he has to do his. So far, he hasn't. His passing skills haven't improved and he's relying on escaping the pocket as a crutch.
That's a dangerous skillset to lack, according to Bradshaw.
"If you can't throw from the pocket, it's hard to win in this league. I don't care how talented you are."
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