Growing Pains Worthwhile for Bears QB

While there could be plenty of Bears fans who would like to see an assessment of what the team thinks of offensive coordinator Luke Getsy's future in Chicago, no one at Halas Hall will be revealing this until at least the end of the season.

However, Getsy is in position to tell what it is they've seen from Justin Fields that indicates improvement they insist is apparent, even if statistics say otherwise.

"I think just regarding Justin, there's been a tremendous amount of growth," Getsy said. "Just in this season alone, how far along he's come—taking care of the football, being in control of the game."

Fields' passing statistics after returning from a dislocated thumb haven't been spectacular by any means but Getsy says there are things about being a game manager where his QB has advanced.

"I think that's been the coolest part since he's come back," Getsy said. "I just feel like he's in control when he's out there.

"That's been a lot of fun to see."

The technical aspect of football always fascinates coaches more than fans. This is the case with Fields' reported areas of improvement.

"There's been a lot of them," Getsy said. "His ability to progress is better. His footwork is better. The protection part of it is outstanding (fewer sacks taken). The completion percentage part of it is good. He's throwing the ball accurately. The extended-play part of it has been a lot of fun to see him progress through that.

"So there's been a lot of areas. I'm leaving other stuff out. But I think there's been a lot of really cool stuff that Justin has grown through this year."

When the Bears say Fields isn't turning over the ball, they don't take into account the two Hail Mary interceptions he threw against Cleveland.

"A Hail Mary throw at the end of the game, we're not going to stress about what happens in that situation," Getsy said. "But there are times in the pocket where you can see him being very conscious of two hands on the football and making sure he's taking care of it so that if somebody he doesn't see hits him, he still is going to have the ball at the end of that play.

"There's a lot of different aspects of it but it's a reality of our game, is that you have to take care of the football and then when there's those moments in the game where you can take a chance, you take them. I think the experience of knowing when those show up, you get those by playing. You watch film, you watch other guys, you see how they do it, we talk about it in the room."

The 170-yard passing, 97-yard rushing efforts by Fields might not equate to 300 passing yards or they could, Getsy said. The yards gained by Fields through the air and on the ground are not achieved in a vacuum.

"I think that the delicate balance of it all is how you go get those yards, right?" Getsy said. "Are you taking a pounding and getting those 97 or is it an efficient 97 and just a hit here or there? Because there's guys that throw for 300 and take a pounding sitting in the back of the pocket. That's maybe even worse. That's all part of his game.

"And I think the awareness part of it, what I get amazed by when I watch guys like Patrick Mahomes is their awareness of-they don’t get hit-because their spatial awareness is just amazing. I think that’s what you see with Justin now as he continues to play is that all of that is getting better and better so you avoid those hits. I think coach was joking about his sliding or something the other day. That's part of it, too. That's part of learning how to avoid that knowing it’s first-and-10 and I can get three instead of fighting for another extra three, I don't need to do that. It's all part of that maturity."

Getsy doubts the reason the offense is bogging down lately is anything to do with complacency, as some players suggested.

"Guys can't do that," he said. "Not in this league. No matter who you're playing, they'll come up and grab you if you do."

Rather, he blames it on the entire offense's inability to execute.

"It's always going to come down to a lack of execution," he said. "I think that's part of it whether that's a particular person or whether it's the chemistry of two people making decisions together and being on the same page. That's the growth of an offense.

"There's 32 teams that are trying to master that craft. It's the impossible perfection. We're chasing it and as long as you continue to get closer and closer to it, that's the goal."

It's apparent from their ranking and scoring inconsistency, the Bears have a long way to go before they get there.

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