NEWSLETTER
I want to preface this by saying I am #NotAScout, but that doesn’t make me any less interested in exploring the mechanical changes Justin Fields was hinting at on Wednesday.
ICYMI:
One small change for Justin Fields: he's dropping back with his left foot first. That's the way new OC Luke Getsy's offense is predicated, timing-wise.
— Patrick Finley (@patrickfinley) April 19, 2022
The Chicago Bears, as a franchise, are notoriously prickly when it comes to social media sharing. I’m not here to have that particular discussion right now. To each their own, and what not. However, a video the team’s Twitter page posted on Tuesday night put the gears in motion and sent me on my journey toward finding out what the changes in Fields’ footwork actually looks like.
Again, I’ll remind you I’m #NotAScout. But we still need to discuss the tweaks:
And here’s another that comes later. Clipped this gif to focus on the drop back pic.twitter.com/mjuzugf9fT
— Funky Cold Luda (@lcm1986) April 20, 2022
Here is how Fields explained the change, via NBC Sports Chicago’s Alex Shapiro:
“One big thing was changing my drop,” Fields said. “Last year I had my right foot forward in the gun so I’ve been working a lot on having my left foot forward in the gun… it’s just what they do in their offense. It times it better with the routes and stuff like that so that’s why we do it.”
It feels so insignificant, the magnitude of this mechanical change. If you didn’t know any better, you probably wouldn’t know the difference unless someone brought it up. But this is the NFL we’re talking about and we know all too well that little things add up. So, what might seem like a small tweak now, could be something that pays off in a big way later. Building that muscle memory now should go a long way toward creating a natural movement by the time the season kicks off in April. Timing is everything, both in life and in football.
There is one clip that caught my eye (and others, too) and needed additional context:
I was gonna get to this, but yeah, it really feels like this mechanical footwork tweak could be a thing being done with the intent to get the arm action quicker. Again — #NotAScout — but an observation worth jotting down. https://t.co/5lBCbpcIw4
— Funky Cold Luda (@lcm1986) April 20, 2022
This is gonna take some time, to be sure. No one who undergoes any mechanical changes gets everything squared away after one minicamp practice in April. But at this stage of the game, anything done to get Fields quicker into his throwing motion feels like an improvement. The quicker the ball gets out, the quicker it gets to Darnell Mooney and friends. Do that enough times, and it won’t take long to get to pay dirt. Ultimately, that’s what Fields, the Bears, and their fans want to see. Maybe we’ll be more likely to see it as a result of improved mechanics.
Fields’ release point and timing has been a point of contention dating back to when he was a prospect coming out of Ohio State. So the Fields and the Bears getting to a place where his mechanics firm up to the point where his throwing motion is better and more efficient, then I imagine the process to getting there will have been a success. And, to me, that is a net win all around.
