Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields flourished in his second NFL season. He did a lot of that on the ground, rushing the ball 160 times for an eye-popping 1,143 yards (7.1 yards per carry) and eight touchdowns.
Though Fields fell only eight yards short of breaking Lamar Jackson’s single-season quarterback rushing record, and became just the third quarterback to rush for 1,000-plus yards (after Jackson, who has done it twice, and Michael Vick), Bears’ coaches are reducing those numbers. Other naysayers predict doom for Fields if they don’t.
“He won’t last,” one NFL source told Dan Wiederer of The Chicago Tribune. “Plain and simple. It’ll become a game of Russian roulette.”
Bears coach Matt Eberflus reiterated his message to Fields during Chicago’s recent organized team activities.
“Run it when we need to,” Eberflus said while noting he meant third downs to “move the chains” or in the red zone on scoring opportunities.
Bears offensive coordinator Luke Getsy concurred with his boss’ assessment of the situation.
“Most of that is a natural thing once you’re in the moment,” Getsy said, according to The Tribune. “But the decision-making, we’re working on every single day. The timing and rhythm we’re working on every single day. And lastly, (it’s understanding) the situation you’re in.
“Putting that all together, you’re just increasing your football IQ so you know better when to take those opportunities and when not to. Because there are plenty of times on film when he shouldn’t (scramble) and even though it worked out for us, in the long run, there’s a better decision. There’s a better way.”
The Bears’ offense will certainly be tough to handle if Fields can start moving the ball as well through the air as he does on the ground.
