Chicago Bears rookie quarterback Justin Fields could be making his first start of his NFL career this week thanks to an injury to starter Andy Dalton. The veteran suffered a bone bruise against the Cincinnati Bengals, and while his status is still up in the air, it would be surprising to say the least to see him out on the field when the Bears visit the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.
Fields continues to receive high praise from his teammates, both offensive and defensive players alike. But one comment from a former All-Pro caught my eye in regards to Fields’ potential and what the Bears offense might look like.
Offensive tackle Jason Peters met the media on Tuesday and, naturally, the questions shifted to his thoughts on Fields. Peters, an 18-year veteran, has seen a lot in his years in the NFL and believes Fields possesses on-field qualities of one of his former quarterbacks, Michael Vick.
“For guys like Justin and Mike, they’re always going to try and make a play. And most of the time they do,” Peters said to the media. “What makes them similar is when they get outside the pocket, it’s a run-pass situation. If the defenders don’t come up, they’re going to run it and then they can dump it off. Those kind of guys are scary so they’re definitely similar in arm strength and mobility.”
At first blush, it may seem like an unfair comparison. Vick was more regarded as a run-first, pass-second quarterback for much of his career and Fields seems to do more with his arm. But think back to when Peters played with Vick when both were members of the Philadelphia Eagles.
Vick, after being released from prison for dog-fighting crimes, wasn’t the same player as the guy who lit up the football field with the Atlanta Falcons. He became more of a pocket quarterback who could run, specifically in 2010 when he took over the starting job and led the Eagles to the division title. That’s who Peters sees when playing with Fields.
During that season, Vick had career bests in passing yards (3,021), passing touchdowns (21), completion percentage (62.6), quarterback rating (100.2) QBR 65), all while still rushing for 676 yards with 9 touchdowns in just 12 games. His deep ball was exceptional and he was electric no matter where he was on the football field.
Bears head coach Matt Nagy actually had a front-row seat to that show as an Eagles coaches assistant during the 2010 season. If he hasn’t already, it would behoove him to take inspiration from that season and develop a game plan for Fields, much like Vick had from Andy Reid.
It wouldn’t be apples to apples since Fields is still just a rookie and Vick was an accomplished, albeit disgraced, veteran after his time in prison. But Vick’s later years resemble what Fields can already do. As Peters said, the mobility and arm strength are there, but the accuracy might be as well.
Vick was able to smoothly fire passes to receivers like Jeremy Maclin and DeSean Jackson with ease and pinpoint accuracy, all while standing tall in the pocket. When he was flushed, he took off and picked up yards with his legs. He even worked shuffle passes in the mix while moving the pocket. The result? A top-five offense in nearly every category that year.
Fields has the potential to do all those same things and more. With speedsters like Darnell Mooney and Marquise Goodwin, along with a true WR1 in Allen Robinson and a workhorse back in David Montgomery, there’s quite a bit to work with on this Bears offense. Nagy just has to look back to his past (further than Kansas City) and bring those concepts and plays back for Fields. Spread the defense with the threat of his legs, design more rollouts, and push the ball downfield with his arm strength to take advantage of open spaces.
Perhaps Nagy already has this in mind, in some capacity at least. But seeing how his teammates already recognize the potential in him, with Peters saying he reminds him of Vick, this seems like a no-brainer.
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