On Justin Fields And Other Stuff......

[soulman]

USE Link To Hear Hoge and Jahns Podcast: https://theathletic.com/2869380/2021/10/05/what-justin-fields-provides-that-andy-dalton-doesnt-david-montgomerys-value-and-more-5-bears-takeaways/?source=dailyemail&campaign=601983

What Justin Fields provides that Andy Dalton doesn’t, David Montgomery’s value and more: 5 Bears takeaways

By Adam Jahns Oct 5, 2021 30

Quarterback Justin Fields’ 64-yard deep ball to receiver Darnell Mooney started with a look on the field Sunday against the Lions.

“Me and Justin locked eyes,” Mooney said, “and once he looked at me, I was like, ‘OK.’ So I gave my eyes to the safety. The safety, I found out where he was and I took my route higher.”

Said Fields: “I’m not going into the specifics of that play. But he knew he was getting the ball on that play.”

As much as Matt Nagy talked about Andy Dalton being his No. 1 quarterback and how they’re sticking to his plan on Monday, the Bears coach also couldn’t hide his satisfaction with Fields’ 64-yard shot to Mooney, either. His affinity for it was obvious in the details he provided.

“It was awesome,” Nagy said. “So Justin, when he snapped the ball, they had a little adjustment where … the safety came down strong. Justin took a beautiful drop, set his feet, one-hitch throw. Mooney ran a great route. He kept it skinny. He didn’t run back to that safety to the field. And Justin threw a perfect ball. And … we need to get more of those.”

This is where this week’s takeaways begin. There are serious doubts about whether Dalton can do the same.

Airing it out

There are plenty of stats that illustrate Dalton’s experience compared with Fields’ lack of it. Fields has completed 48.1 percent of his 52 passes, while Dalton has connected on 73.5 percent of his 49. Dalton has a QBR of 49.5, which is tied with 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo for 21st in the NFL. Fields is last among qualified quarterbacks at 16.9.

But Fields also produced what Nagy covets for his offense against the Lions. He threw down the field and completed passes for explosive plays: 64- and 32-yarders to Mooney and 28- and 27-yarders to Allen Robinson. Nagy’s offense has been among the league’s worst at producing such plays over the past two seasons.

Fields has them in him; Dalton doesn’t.

According to Pro Football Reference, Fields’ intended air yards/pass attempt (IAY/PA) of 9.3 is tied with Josh Allen for fifth among starters and just behind Baker Mayfield’s 9.4. Dalton’s IAY/PA is 4.0, which is last among starters.

Fields’ completed air yard/completion (CAY/cmp) is 8.8, which ranks second among starters behind only Lamar Jackson. Dalton’s is 4.2, which is just above Jared Goff.

The sample size is small for the Bears quarterbacks. The Saints are the only team with fewer pass attempts than the Bears this season. But, according to PFR, Dalton’s career includes a decline in air yards, too.

Season.....IYA/PA.....CAY/CMP.....YAC/CMP

2018.....	8.1.....	6.3......	5.1
2019	7.6	5.9	5.3
2020	6.8	5.2	4.8
2021	4.0	4.2	3.1

Nagy must know that when it comes to his desire for explosive plays and deciding what’s next at quarterback.

A new No. 1?

After four games last season, Allen Robinson had 25 catches for 331 yards and two touchdowns. This year, he has 13 catches for 149 yards and one score. There are 82 players with more receptions than him.

In time, Robinson’s production should gradually improve, regardless of who is at quarterback, Fields or Dalton. One big game will change where he stands among other receivers.

But the same is true for Mooney, who just had the first 100-yard receiving game of his career. He made five catches on seven targets for 125 yards in the win against the Lions. His connection with Fields is now a storyline. It transcends the Lions game. It’s what they do after practices and also away from Halas Hall. It includes their “Mobility Monday” below.

If Fields remains the starter, it wouldn’t be surprising if Mooney finishes as the Bears’ leading receiver. Fields’ 64-yard bomb to Mooney could be the beginning of big things for the duo. Mooney also played one more snap than Robinson against the Lions.

“That just goes with momentum and practice,” Fields said. “Me and Mooney, we stay almost every day after practice to throw at least a few extra routes, so me and him are pretty much always on the same page. He had a great day (against the Lions). He balled out.”

The value of No. 32

With running back David Montgomery expected to miss several weeks with a left knee injury, let’s take a look at how important he has become for the Bears offense in his third season. He’s a great example of how running backs still have value in today’s pass-driven NFL.

Here’s where Montgomery fits among the league’s best backs after four games in terms of run-success rate, first down/rush percentage, third-down conversions and more, per TruMedia:

 

Derrick Henry	510	4.51	36.3	23	80.0
Nick Chubb	362	5.25	47.8	26.1	25.0
Joe Mixon	353	4.25	36.1	18.1	33.3
Ezekiel Elliott	342	5.34	48.4	29.7	55.6
David Montgomery	309	4.48	39.1	26.1	60.0

Montgomery’s intangibles matter, too. The must be mentioned if he can’t play.

“With a lot of this offense going through him, I think a lot of you feel it, you see it, his energy, his passion, the way he runs the football,” Nagy said. “The other stuff that you guys can’t always see is how he is in practice and how focused he is and how he runs that huddle at times. You love that about him.”

Here comes Herbert

The “next man up” typically isn’t as good as the first man, but the Bears are better prepared to withstand the loss of Montgomery than they were last season.

They signed veteran running back Damien Williams in free agency and drafted Khalil Herbert in the sixth round. Both moves provided the Bears with cover if Tarik Cohen wasn’t ready to return from his torn ACL — which he wasn’t — but they’re also capable reserves for Montgomery.

With Herbert, it was apparent early in camp that the Bears drafted not only a potential Day 1 kick returner in Herbert — which he became — but also a potential early contributor on offense.

The loss of Montgomery shouldn’t completely alter the Bears’ plans to run the ball if that’s what offensive coordinator Bill Lazor still wants to do. Williams has never been a lead back for an elongated stretch in his career, but Herbert totaled 1,362 yards from scrimmage and nine touchdowns in his final college season at Virginia Tech. The rookie can handle a load.

“Khalil has shown to us from the very first day he got here, he’s very mature, he’s very focused,” Nagy said. “He’s a bright young man. And I think he’s got a bright future. It’s one of those deals where, I can remember in the preseason, several years ago when Spencer Ware tore his ACL against the Seahawks in preseason … and a running back by the name of Kareem Hunt stepped up and became pretty good. You just never know where guys are and how they go. If that’s the case, we have confidence in (Herbert).”

Here comes Quinn. Again.

OK, I was wrong. Very wrong. Robert Quinn still has good football left in him, apparently plenty of it. I’m guilty of writing him off before this season began. It was almost too easy to do after he recorded two sacks last year. Quinn now has 4 1/2 in four games. His seven QB hits also are more than the six he had last season.

“I was in a rough place last year,” Quinn said Sunday. “I’ll just leave it at that. I was in a very rough place and my performance showed that.”

Quinn said he didn’t have back surgery, but there surely is more to his story. That’s for another day for him. Quinn wasn’t ready to share it after the game.

For now, Quinn’s improvements (and his own happiness) should be celebrated as one of the Bears’ feel-good storylines early this season.

There are signs that it will last, too. According to TruMedia, which uses Pro Football Focus’ reviews, Quinn has recorded a pressure on 14.9 percent of his rush snaps. That’s a better rate than teammate Khalil Mack, Von Miller, Chandler Jones and Nick Bosa.

(Photo of Justin Fields: Kamil Krzaczynski / Associated Press)

Edited October 6, 2021 by soulman

[soulman]

This was a nice summary of some positives for a change.  But like most weeks in the NFL it has it's highs and low.

Losing Monty is gonna hurt but at least this year we have competent backups and RB is a strength.  Good on Pace for this.

With Robt. Quinn finally looking like the Robt Quinn of old team will have to decide how to scheme to block both Mack and Quinn from the edge as well as good inside rushers like Edwards, Nichols, and Hicks.  If they shift away from doubling up on Mack to stop Quinn than Mack will win more battles.  Hopefully this improves even more each game and peaks when we play GB.  I wanna see Rodgers being tortured all game long.

No doubt the would like Mooney to become the #1 WR but at only 175lbs we'll never be able to use him like we've used ARob.  IMHO we still need the Yin and Yang of that combination and ARob has always proven he doesn't need 4.3 speed to get enough separation to make catches and few are better at 50/50 balls than he is.  This is like the old Jeff Graham/Curtis Conway pairing we had in the late '90s.  Keep 'em together.