Justin Fields Energized by Changeover

It's a new outlook for Justin Fields and just because coach Matt Eberflus comes from the other side of the football it doesn't necessarily mean a setback in his development as a Bears quarterback.

The relationship Justin Fields will have with his head coach will be different now than it was with fired Bears coach Matt Nagy.

It doesn't necessarily mean Matt Eberflus and his second-year quarterback can't connect for the type of relationship Bears board chairman George McCaskey said he seeks between a quarterback and coach. However, the new coach brings a different perspective as a defensive-side coach, and Fields thinks it might even be of benefit.

Fields met with his new coach at Halas Hall this week and came away impressed with the team's new leadership.

"I really just like the way he carries himself," Fields said. "Just his demeanor, I feel like his presence–he's confident when he talks, he knows what he wants to do, he has a plan set in stone, and I'm just ready to lead with him and just get ready for next year."

The last time Fields played for a head coach who came from the defensive side of the football it didn't work out so well. Georgia's Kirby Smart was a defensive coach first and foremost and Fields ended up transferring to Ohio State.

It's a different situation then, as Smart thought the best way to go was with Jake Fromm at quarterback. 

Now for Fields as a pro, he believes sees possible developmental benefits to learning the defensive side.

The more nerdish among Bears Nation might now see it like Fields learning the "the dark side of the force" in order to improve his overall ability to read defenses. 

"Having a defensive head coach, I feel like there are some positives to that," Fields said. "I feel like offense–being on the offense, you kind of know what the defense is doing, but you don't know what fully they're doing. 

"You know they're running a certain type of coverage, but when you have a defensive head coach, he's able to explain to you what their jobs are, what their certain assignments are in a certain coverage, so I think that's one plus on having a defensive head coach."

Andy Dalton is a free agent and it seems unlikely the team would want to bring back quarterback Nick Foles when there is some cap space to be saved by cutting him. As a result, Fields is now the veteran in charge of the quarterback room.   

What happens next and behind him on the depth chart at the position will occur over the course of the next month and a half in free agency, or even in the draft at the end of April.

"I think last year was kind of weird, just me not starting the season being the starting quarterback," Fields said. "It was kind of a weird leadership role. I think me and Andy would kind of switch off. 

"But now that I am starting off the season as a starting quarterback, I think I'll be more comfortable playing that leader role. There's no more, 'Oh, he's a rookie, this and that.' "It's time now. So I'm excited, like I said before, and I can't wait to get to work."

Fields was planning to start is conditioning work in Georgia soon, and then return when the team starts its work at the beginning of April. The Bears are allowed an extra minicamp for veterans because they have a new head coach, so he'll be part of it.

It's then when Eberflus will start to get acquainted with his new passer. At the moment, he's avoiding much talk about any personnel.

"You hear all the chatter about offensive coach-defensive coach. I think both work."

-Colts coach Frank Reich on Matt Eberflus working with QB Justin Fields

"Right now we're looking about everybody through the same lens, meaning that we're gonna go back and we're going to watch those guys (on film) with a fresh eye and we're going to see where they are, in terms of what they need to develop on," Eberflus said. "I'm a big process guy, so I want to be able to help the player. When you look at the player coach relationship, it's gotta be like this. 

"One of the ways we help all players, from Player A to Player Z, we're going to develop a plan for those guys to get better. It's usually only three or four things. You sit down with them. Show them the tape. 'This is what you're gonna get better at.' They work on their own in the offseason. When they get back with us in April we start working on the detailed plan."

Colts coach Frank Reich sees the offensive-defensive side barrier as no problem for Fields or Eberflus.

"You hear all the chatter about offensive coach-defensive coach," the Colts coach said Tuesday in a Zoom gathering with Chicago media. "I think both work.

"I think it's all about the leaders personally and the teacher and the man and the vision and all of those qualities."

It could be beneficial to both parties.

"So this is an opportunity for Flus to come alongside a young franchise quarterback to provide that, not only defensive expertise, but really a leadership mentality that I think Flus has that can be imparted into the quarterback and he can grow with him in that way, not just from a technical standpoint, although that will help as well," Reich said.

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