Eberflus gives update on Justin Fields, talks offensive line starters |
CHICAGO - With rookie quarterback Tyson Bagent coming off of his second NFL victory, it looks like is going back to the bench with quarterback Justin Fields looking like he will be able to return with the Bears going against the Detroit Lions this coming Sunday (Noon / FOX).
Head coach Matt Eberflus declined to comment on how much he is practicing; however, he said that Fields’s throws are looking positive. “I think they look good. I think he’s in a good spot and again, we’ll know exactly where he’s going to be probably on Wednesday,” Eberflus said. “I don’t have any more updates than that. But in terms of throwing the ball, it looks to be good.” With the mini bye and the four weeks Fields has missed, he, like any other injured player, has gotten some extra time to review the tape and identify areas of improvement. The biggest area, from the outside, appears to be holding onto the ball too long. Fields was sacked 24 times in the six games he has started thus far. Conversely, Bagent in his four starts was only sacked five times. In fact, his sack percentage, which is calculated using the number of times sacked and pass attempts, is the lowest out of any quarterback in the NFL with a minimum of 14 attempts. Perhaps there is something Fields can learn from Bagent about awareness in the pocket. Eberflus said that Fields has been dedicating time to looking at tape and improving his body, looking a lot at fundamentals and techniques. “The guys that are injured that are out, you have time to reflect, go back and look at your tape. How do you improve and look at your body work that you’ve done thus far and we did that with everybody. Everybody does that and that’s an important part of getting better,” Eberflus said. “How do you utilize your time when during injury to keep your wind up, keep your conditioning level up, and have the ability to rehab that body part. But also mentally, really focus on your job, how you can do it better and really, it comes down to the fundamentals and technique of your position.” Offensive line injuries in the beginning of the season do not help Fields’ numbers though. When he returns, he will not have that problem with both Teven Jenkins and Nate Davis back from injury. Now, Chicago faces an unfamiliar problem with having more than five capable offensive linemen, but that also means they have finally built a little depth at that position. “The combinations there are going to be a discussion we have to have for sure. Nate’s a good player and Cody (Whitehair)’s a good player and Teven’s a good player,” Eberflus said. “So, it’s a good problem to have. But, we’ll look at it and put our best five out there.” With the talent Detroit has on defense, you would think they would have more sacks than they do with just 21. However, the Bears still only have 13 sacks. Now that edge rusher Montez Sweat has had more time to acclimate to the team, perhaps that is something that will improve. Getting pressure on Lions’ quarterback Jared Goff would be a great place to start with as neutralizing their passing attack, as well as their rushing attack, will be key if the Bears are going to have any chance of winning this game.
