Friday, January 12, 2024

Fields of gray*

 (*A semi-intentional nod to musical virtuoso Bruce Hornsby, who has a song by that name. It's on "Harbor Lights." Give it a listen, it's awesome)

Math is not in the Blob's wheelhouse. Today's Mr. Obvious observation.

It's not in my wheelhouse, or outside in the wheelhouse's yard, or anywhere near the wheelhouse's neighborhood. This is especially true if you throw x's and y's in there, like in algebra or calculus or trigonometry.

Tell you what is in my wheelhouse, though.

One-plus-one equals two. That I can do.

One-plus-one equals two where I am these days with Justin Fields, whose future with the Chicago Bears is indeed a gray area. Will they move on from their third-year former prize? Will they ditch three years of development so they can start over again with Caleb Williams, who's got skills but has yet to take an NFL snap?

I'm leaning toward no. And that's because, yes, I can add one-and-one and get two.

One, the Bears fired Luke Getsy, their offensive coordinator, the guy who was charged with putting Fields in a position to succeed and who largely failed.

One, the Bears also decided to keep Matt Eberflus as their head coach.

Add one plus one, and this brings us to two -- that they're also going to stick with Fields.

Because if you were going to go in a different direction why would you bring in a new OC and keep Eberflus running the show?

If you were going in a different direction, wouldn't you completely erase the whiteboard and start with a blank slate? Bring in a whole new regime to go with your new quarterback and declare a fresh new day?

I don't know. Maybe not. Maybe they'll trade Fields anyway. Maybe both my math and my logic are off-kilter here.

Maybe they're being colored by my own lean, which is Fields has shown enough that you can build around him. You've got two top-ten draft picks, including the No. 1 pick. Take Marvin Harrison Jr. at one to pair with D,J. Moore, use subsequent picks to scoop some qualify offensive linemen, and suddenly Fields becomes a waaay better QB. 

Or so it seems to me. 

I mean, in 13 games this year he threw for 2,560 yards and 16 touchdowns to go with nine picks, completing 61.4 percent of his throws. All were career bests except for the touchdown passes; he threw 17 last year in two more starts.

He also ran for 657 yards and four touchdowns. So in 13 games, with his arm and his legs, he generated 20 touchdowns. And he had one reliable wideout (Moore) to work with..

Now add Harrison on the other side, throw in tight end Cole Kmet (who caught 73 balls for 719 yards and six touchdowns), and, hey, look, how'd Fields get so good all of a sudden?

Now, it's true the Bears could draft Williams at one and still wind up with Harrison, given that so many of the teams immediately behind them need a quarterback, too. But, again, then you're starting over with a guy who, yes, has a dazzling skill set, but who also has demonstrated a disturbing sense of entitlement. 

And, again, why go shopping for a new OC and keep Eberflus around if you were planning on starting over?

I guess we'll find out if the math works after all.

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