Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields showed flashes of potential during his rookie year in 2021. But overall, there were clearly some things the former first-round pick needs to work on. His footwork was less than stellar, his accuracy consistently throwing the ball was another area that needs improvement. Fields also struggled with his progressions and picking up the blitz. But those are all skills that he can improve up with right coaching.

Therein lies part of the problem. I do not believe the Bears hired the right man to help develop the young quarterback. The Bears hired Matt Eberflus as their new head coach, who then filled out his staff. They are implementing a new offense with the hopes they can turn things around in Chicago. But you need the right pieces to work certain types of offense.

Here are the three reasons Matt Eberflus’ new offense is the wrong fit for Justin Fields’ development.

3 Reasons Matt Eberflus’ Offense is Wrong Fit for Justin Fields’ Development

1. Matt Eberflus’ was the wrong hire

Generally, when you are trying to develop a young quarterback, you want a head coach with experience doing exactly that.,

The Bears fired former head coach Matt Nagy and general manager Ryan Pace after finishing 6-11 last year. Looking for a new voice, Chicago brought in Matt Eberflus as the new head coach. This is going to be Eberflus’ first head coaching job in the NFL or college. He spent the early part of his career as an assistant at Toledo, mostly as either the linebackers coach or defensive backs coach.

He worked his way all the way up into the NFL and was the defensive coordinator for the Indianapolis Colts for the last four years. He was very successful in that role, leading the Colts to a top-10 defense a couple times. But obviously, he is a defensive coach, but is installing a brand new offense in Chicago.

Eberflus joined Cris Collinsworth to talk about the development of Fields.

“I think he’s in a great spot… This is a rhythm and timing offense, it’s based on the west coast system, which you are familiar with… it’s going to be very quarterback friendly for him and it’s been very quarterback friendly for a lot of guys in the past… the rhythm and timing of it is really going to help him understand when to get rid of the ball.”

The Bears coach expanded on that, saying “we’ve had these meetings for a week and a half now… he’s been doing a good job grasping that and teaching it to others.”

Wait, you Fields in a week and a half is grasping a new offense and now teaching it to others? That sounds like coach speak. Having an offensive-minded head coach would have been ideal for Fields’ development.

2. Eberflus hired Luke Getsy as offensive coordinator

Ok, Eberflus is a defensive coach. He is a very good defensive coach. So he must have hired an experienced offensive coordinator to run the offense. Oops, sorry. Missed again. The Bears coach brought in Luke Getsy to be his offensive coordinator in Chicago.

Getsy does have experience as an offensive coordinator, but not in the NFL. He held the job at the University of Indiana from 2011 to 2013. He was then pulled up into the NFL with the Green Bay Packers under Nathaniel Hackett. He spent a few years as an assistant before heading back to college. Ultimately, when Matt LaFleur took over in Green Bay, he brought Getsy back as quarterbacks coach this time.

But this is going to be the first time in his professional career that Getsy is calling plays in the NFL. He previously worked with Aaron Rodgers. I think it’s safe to say that Rodgers’ talent was the biggest reason for his recent success. Much less so the integration of Getsy.

Okay, so the Bears hired a defensive head coach Matt Eberflus. Eberflus hired an offensive coordinator who has never called a play in the NFL to run a brand new offense with his young quarterback. But that would be missing the forest for the trees as to why this was not the ideal situation.

3. Justin Fields skillset lends itself to different offense

As I mentioned previously, Fields showed flashes during his rookie year. It is no secret that his ability to make plays outside the pocket and use his athleticism might be his biggest attribute. He has a pretty strong arm and can utilize that on broken plays. Toward the end of the season, we saw glimpses of what that looked like.

RECOMMENDED (Article Continues Below)

A west coast offense is entirely based on accuracy, timing and knowing where to go with the ball. Those are all things Fields struggled with his rookie year in Chicago. Instead of forcing Fields to develop skills that do not come naturally, the Bears could lean into his actual skill set.

Baltimore did this with Lamar Jackson. They recognized his weaknesses. Instead of forcing him to be a pocket passer, they built a powerful running game and gave him a big tight end target and a deep threat for broken plays (Mark Andrews and Marquise Brown). John Harbaugh even changed his offensive coaching style to tailor it to his quarterback. Tony Dungy even noted on it.

Instead of doing that in Chicago, the Bears are trying to force Fields into a mold he does not fit. Likely, this is not going to work and we will see the Bears drafting another quarterback in three years.