Assuming Fields is back next week, he will have to face some pretty good defenses. First number is team defense by total yards given up and the second number is team defense by passing yards given up.
Detroit #9/#20 Minnesota #13/#16 Detroit #9/#20 Cleveland #1/#1 Atlanta #8/#10 Arizona #22/#11 Green Bay #11/#7
Detroit will be a tough match up because they have pass rushers, good run D, and will be playing with the lead most likely.
Minnesota’s aggressive blitzing gave Fields trouble.
Cleveland is the toughest defense the Bears will play all year.
Atlanta and Green Bay have top 10 pass defense and Arizona is #11 in pass defense.
Fields best chance to put up a good performance will be next week against Detroit but we still don’t know how healed his thumb is yet. After the 2 Detroit games it’s a rough 4 games to close out the season.
Nature and nurture.
I think it is a myth that when draft a QB, success or failure is already predetermined at that point you either made a huge mistake or or you caught lightning in a bottle. Sure… you need to have a prospect that crosses a threshold of skills and traits in order to have a future in the NFL. I don’t care how good of a blocker someone was in college, if the guy weighs 240 lbs, is 6’1 and has 28" arms, he’s probably not going to cut it as an NFL OT. You are drafting potential and it is up to you to put resources into developing it, finding the compatible playbook, compatible players, nurturing the culture, and even getting lucky with injuries for that player to meet that potential.
With Stroud, the Texans probably are not only enjoying the skills and traits he brought to the table, but they also did a bunch of other things right to get this outcome. They got the nurture right too.
I don’t know how often we got the “nature” part right… but we sure as hell never get the “nurture” part right. And until we start investing in the “nurture” it won’t matter if we hit on the “nature.” Personally, I think Fields was the closest we ever came to hitting on the “nature”… the kid has one big flaw, he holds the ball too long. Other than that he was very productive in college, has plus arm strength, is accurate down field, is historically good at running for a QB, is reportedly the hardest worker on the team and a respected leader. Whether anyone thinks he’s “it” or not, I think everyone understands that we did a dog shit job developing him. And I don’t want to marginalize his flaw. I think it can be corrected, but that doesn’t mean it WILL be corrected, and it is a pretty bad flaw. It leads to sacks, fumbles and injuries, and each of those outcomes lead to losses for the team.
We’ll see how Fields ends the season. If it ends with a whisper, we’ll be starting over. But HOPEFULLY we start giving a fuck about developing a QB and putting in a system around him that bridges him to his potential. If it ends with a bang, we better be investing in players and systems that further enhance what he can do.