Justin Fields had happy feet.
That was the conclusion the Bears quarterback drew after meeting with offensive coordinator Luke Getsy and quarterbacks coach Andrew Janocko earlier this week.
Late in the Commanders game, Fields said, he didn’t feel as comfortable in the pocket as he did at the start of the game, and left it too early. It was human nature — Fields was pressured 12 times and threw 27 passes.
”My internal clock was speeding up a little bit, just because of maybe the past pockets that I would get in the game,” Fields said Thursday. “So I just told [the coaches] if they feel like I’m getting antsy and maybe leaving the pocket too early when it’s there, just remind me to reset. Like, reset after every play. Because there are going to be times when I do have time and I can sit in there.”
For all the talk about the Bears stunting Fields’ growth by refusing to add proven receivers to their roster, an inconsistent offensive line might be doing even greater damage. Fields’ admission that the team’s pass-blocking made him change how he played the game at its most critical time sounds that alarm loud and clear.
So what will the Bears do about it?
Head coach Matt Eberflus vowed to make changes to their personnel and game-planning after a self-evaluation period during the team’s long weekend. Eberflus refused to say whether he’ll start a different offensive line combination against the Patriots on Monday night, but it seems likely.
The most obvious change would be moving left guard Lucas Patrick to center, the position they gave him $8 million over two years to play in March. That would bench Sam Mustipher, who has the worst Pro Football Focus pass-block grade of any center with more than 225 snaps this season.
Orland Park native Michael Schofield, who played nine snaps against the Commanders, would become the player most likely to start at left guard. He has 81 career NFL starts.
When Eberflus was asked why he wouldn’t move Patrick back to center, the head coach didn’t push back.
“That’s a good point,” he said. “Like I said, we’re looking at all situations this week.”
Patrick, though, said he hasn’t “been playing up to my standards, point blank” this season.
“There are some serious things I have been working on trying to work out kinks, which side I have been playing,” he said. “I am trying to get in a rhythm. I personally have to be better for this team.”
He said it took a “different approach” to play both left and right guard, but “the guy I am going against doesn’t care whether I’ve had 1,000 snaps, one snap, playing left, right, whatever.”
Patrick broke his right thumb on the second day of training camp. When he returned for the season opener, he split time with right guard Teven Jenkins because the cast on his hand made it impossible to snap. Patrick split time until Week 4, when Cody Whitehair’s injury moved him to left guard. He started there the next two games.
There’s a healthy debate in the analytics world about how much responsibility the offensive line bears for Fields’ 23 sacks, which are tied for the most in the league, or whether Fields is to blame. Per NFL Next Gen Stats, only five of Fields’ sacks have come when pass rushers have reached him faster than the league average sack time of 4.29 seconds. Fields’ coaches have said he needs to throw the ball away faster.
Either way, it’s a problem. Fields acknowledged as much Thursday.
“That’s definitely a big thing — just making sure that just because [pass rushers] got back here fast the last play or two, three plays ago,” he said, “doesn’t mean they are going to get back fast.”
