Does Justin Fields know how to survive the NFL game better now?
Headlines from the Chicago Bears 2021 preseason were quick to make note of then-rookie quarterback Justin Fields’ comments about NFL game speed. Following Field’s first-ever preseason game, he told reporters the speed was slow. It was an odd comment coming from a rookie player. Usually, players need time to adjust to the fast pace of the NFL compared to college.
Fields would have a lot to learn about the speed for the rest of the season. He struggled for most of his 2021 campaign. Fields was then paired with a new offensive coordinator Luke Getsy in a new regime. He has struggled to start the 2022 season. However, the former Ohio State product showed signs of actual progress in Week 5 against the Minnesota Vikings. Fields seemed to adjust to what the Vikings threw at him.
Justin Fields has a new take on the speed of the NFL
Following the Bears’ loss to the Vikings, Justin Fields gave an updated take on game speed. Fields’ views were more mature and nuanced than they were following his first-ever exhibition game in the league. According to Chris Emma with The Score, Fields said he’s learning to deal with the pace his own way.
“When I first got here, you see big guys flying around, D-linemen going fast, you just think you have to speed everything. I’m just starting to figure out that you got to play within your own rhythm,” Fields said.
Justin Fields: "When I first got here, you see big guys flying around, D-linemen going fast, you just think you have to speed everything up. I'm just starting to figure out that you got to play within your own rhythm."
— Chris Emma (@CEmma670) October 9, 2022
The Vikings are the kind of defense Fields might have those revelations with. The Vikings have the 25th-worst passing defense so far this year. It’s good that Fields says he’s more comfortable after Week 5. However, one should be skeptical that Fields has mastered his “rhythm” until he can string together a few more games like the one he had against the Vikings. That would tell us more about what Fields will be capable of in the future.
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