The Chicago Bears are shutting down Justin Fields for the last game of the season due to a hip injury he suffered last week versus the Detroit Lions. Fields will miss out on breaking Lamar Jackson’s single season rushing record of 1,206 yards rushed by a quarterback. This season Fields was electric running the football & making shifty moves to dupe the defender and then putting on the afterburners taking it to the house. Fields’ legs ran for 1,143 yards missing Jackson’s record by 94 yards which he could have gotten against Minnesota’s defense in the final regular season game of the year. Fields scored 8 rushing touchdowns with his legs as he was a one-man army out there on the field this year for the Bears. What about Fields’ passing game? With the Bears’ awful offensive line, he had to run like Forest Gump to stay alive out there. Fields is definitely a talented quarterback, but is he the answer in Chicago for years to come?

It is known and a fact around the league that the Bears have not had a star quarterback since the 1940’s when Sid Luckman was behind center. This is why everyone drooled when the Bears traded for Jay Cutler. Cutler had the rocket arm. Cutler reset the Bears passing records which is not saying much. It did not take long to know Cutler was a bum. Still to these days, Cutler has a cult following. I wonder if Bears fans have their beer goggles on when it comes to Justin Fields. Fields has played two seasons in Chicago after the Bears drafted him out of Ohio State and has made progress. I like his deep ball as Fields throws some dimes hitting his receivers on the fly pattern which gives you goosebumps. What about the crossing routes? The short passes? Rex Grossman had a nice deep ball. Thank the Lord the Bears had a defense during Good Rex and Bad Rex who are reminding you of Two Face, the villain from Batman. What about Fields’ ability to stay in the pocket knowing he is going to get whacked and fires a pass at the last second to hit his guy in stride? When Justin Fields had to pass at the end of many close affairs the Bears were involved in this season, he did not do well. Crumbled like a house of cards. Many fans and the Bears organization will give Fields a hall pass because he has a weak receiver core and a dreadful offensive line.

The best dual-threat quarterbacks in the league are Patrick Mahomes, Jalen Hurts, and Josh Allen. Once upon a time ago, Lamar Jackson scared you with his legs and his arm. Jackson in 2019 tossed 36 touchdown passes. In 2020, Jackson threw 26 touchdown passes. The last two seasons, Jackson’s interceptions are up as he has thrown only 33 touchdown passes combined as he has also missed several weeks with injuries. Jackson is a beast, and you would want Justin Fields to be like Lamar. In Fields’ rookie season, his record as a starter was 2-8 as he completed 58.9 % of his passes for 7 touchdown passes and 10 interceptions. That was a different Bears regime. In Fields’ second season, the quarterback record is about the same, 3-12, but he shown a slight improvement on completion as the percentage is up to 60.4%. This season he has 17 touchdown passes compared to 11 interceptions. In two seasons, Fields has a 5-20 record behind center and his completion percentage is 59.7 as he has 24 touchdown passes and 21 interceptions. Lamar Jackson has a career 63.7% completion rate where Fields is not there. Michael Vick was a play maker with his legs. When you took away Vick’s running game, he could not beat you alone with his arm as he completed 56.2% of his passes. Fields is much better than Vick but not by much. Again, Fields is doing his thing with crappy receivers and a bad offensive line. Let’s not forget two different coaching staffs.

I still have not seen enough of Justin Fields to determine if this is my guy for the next ten seasons. Great dual-threat quarterbacks can beat you with their legs and arm. In crunch time, these quarterbacks have to beat you with their arm. I did not see Fields do well in all those close games that were either tied or down by one score. The best quarterbacks in the league like Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen in crunch time, come up big for their teams. Look at Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers, pocket passers, but when the team needs that game-winning drive, they responded how many times in their careers. I noticed Lamar Jackson this season in the 4th quarter had big leads that were blown. Jackson became one-dimensional and with his arm could not get the Ravens the victory in the last drives of the games. Right now, I see Fields more of Jackson, Michael Vick, you could even say Robert Griffin III rather than Allen or Mahomes. Only two years in the league, Fields has missed games due to injuries. Run first quarterbacks take too many hits which Fields has done over both seasons he has played in the NFL. Top quarterbacks in this league play every game except in games they sit out to rest with nothing to play for. Top quarterbacks pass first run when needed. I hope with a good offensive line and some good receivers, Justin Fields becomes that franchise quarterback for the Bears. If I was Chicago where quarterbacks have been nothing but your kryptonite, I would draft a quarterback not in the first round but the second or third because we have all traveled this road before. Cutler Avenue and a very bumpy Rex Boulevard have immediately needed road construction, which is a fact always, the Chicago way, on every major highway.