Are Bears Holding Back on the Pass?
In this story:
It's safe to say few would have expected by Week 4 that the 121 passing yards Justin Fields threw for against San Francisco in the rain and slop would stand as his season high.
It does, and the passing game is enough of a Bears concern that Matt Eberflus himself was looking into it on Monday. They remain last in the league in passing, totally mired after a third straight 1970s style statistical day on offense.
"We were in the quarterback meeting today and he's just got to handle the ball better," Eberflus said. "He just can't put the ball in harm's way. He knows that."
Two unnecessary throws on interceptions were just the tip of the Bears' passing troubles against Houston, despite a 23-20 win. Five sacks definitely didn't help.
Fields went 8 of 17, which happened to tie his best effort this year in terms of completions and percentage (.471). He has only thrown 45 times, 32nd in the NFL among starters.
So with these struggles and after visiting the quarterback room, what is it Eberflus says Fields needs to do?
"I would just say keep on working on his footwork," Eberflus said. "The footwork and then the timing, the timing of it when the get the ball out of his hands.
"A lot of that is the pocket, too, at times, when we were looking at the film. So we got to make sure we have a clean pocket for him to ride the pocket up and then deliver the ball. And again, it's never one guy; it's also more about that, the protection, make sure we shore that up the best we can and also the timing of the routes. And making sure, that we're timing that up."
It seems rather late in the year for basic things like footwork, especially after so much was made of how coaches improved this particular aspect of Fields' passing in training camp and OTAs.
"I just think that we need more consistency on it," Eberflus said. "He's getting better at that. And again, that breaks down sometimes when the protection breaks down, which in every game the protection does break down on both sides. So, that was some of it."
There is, of course, the on-going debate about whether the Bears should be so conservative with play calling, at risk of slowing Fields' development.
"You always look at that, but it's always going to be the first (goal)," Eberflus said. "We're doing everything we can to win the game. That's the most important thing.
"What's the style we would have to play to win that particular game. And it changes. It changes week to week. This week, we were in a mode where it was a style that we had to play to win the game, and it came out on the right end."
Still, three times on third-and-6 or longer the Bears handed off Sunday. That's the height of conservatism in this era of football.
"Yeah, a lot of those are plays that if we get a good look and we think we can get it with that run play, we'll do it," Eberflus said. "And again it's all based on how the defense is lined up, front-wise and coverage-wise. So a lot of those plays are canned to that."
Eberflus said Fields can change out of those plays if the front looks less inviting for the run.
When a quarterback is struggling like Fields has, who is he to change up plays, though?
Bears tight end Cole Kmet summed up the offensive mindset.
"You know, the defense, since I've been here, has been able to bail us out multiple times and obviously Roquan (Smith) with a great play at the end with the interception to seal the game (Sunday)," Kmet said. "But I want to be a part of the reason why we win.
"I don't know if that sounds selfish offensively but I want the offense to be a reason why we win a game. That's what we're working towards."
Until Fields is in control of the offense and running it the way they want, this appears unlikely to occur.
Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven
