Could Fields have a magical afternoon?
The Chicago Bears said their starting quarterback will be a game-time decision. That means the Lions are preparing for Andy Dalton, Nick Foles, and Justin Fields.
Yet I think we all have to believe that no matter who starts, at some point or another in the game It would seem certain that Justin Fields will get an opportunity for some playing time. Why? Well, if for no other reason, the Lions’ defense has been the get-well quick medicine that has gotten struggling passers back on track.
How many times has this franchise turned pedestrian quarterbacks that were fringe players into all-stars for a day?
If you doubt that thought process consider Mitch Trubisky who would be in the Hall of Fame if the Lions were the only team he ever had to face. So with that in mind will the Detroit defense be the cure Fields needs to jump-start his NFL career?
Now the Lions’ defense has sort of made some strides compared to the Matt Patricia defenses that were completely incapable of stopping any team at any time.
We should also add into the mix that it is still too early to say for a certainty that Fields will be a bust or the Bears’ first truly great quarterback since Sid Luckman.
The expectations of fans for rookie quarterbacks are often a little too high, especially given the performance of Justin Herbert last season. It was amazing, but it was also misleading. There are very, very few quarterbacks that come out and start from day one and have a decent season, much less a rookie year like Herbert did.
It takes time to learn the ropes of the NFL.
For all the ability that Patrick Mahomes has shown, he didn’t play his rookie year because Chiefs head coach Andy Reid thought it was in Mahomes’ best interest to sit, watch, and learn as a rookie.
The results would seem to have proven Reid made the right move. More often than not that is the best recipe to give a young quarterback a chance. However, that doesn’t mean a rookie like Justin Fields couldn’t still have one magical afternoon as a rookie.