Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields is an immensely talented player. He's been an immensely talented player since his days of youth football. There's little doubt that he'll mature into a top-tier quarterback in the NFL, perhaps as soon as the 2022 season.
According to the Bears coaches who are working closest with Fields, the most important ingredient to him enjoying that kind of success is experience.
"As you gain experience, as you gain reps, live reps, where you're actually getting hit and stuff, that's something that you can improve upon as you go and it's something that we're going to constantly teach, focus on and understand that he also has a special ability to do stuff above that," Bears quarterbacks coach Andrew Janocko said Tuesday. "So, it's building that balance between, staying in progression, trusting, when the receivers are going to come open, feeling the windows, and then when he has to get out and do something above the Xs and Os."
An improved pocket presence was a point of emphasis when Janocko and offensive coordinator Luke Getsy spoke about where they want Justin Fields to grow.
"You can only get that by playing. And practice is great, but it's not a game. That's why it's important that he gets a few reps each preseason game, just to get that under his belt. And then I think the more he plays this year, the better he's going to get that feeling."
Experience on the field will maximize the effort Fields is putting in off of it. His work ethic is what should set him apart as he matures as an NFL player, and, ultimately, the Chicago Bears' franchise quarterback.
"Just seeing (Fields') daily preparation," Janocko said. "When you go in there in the morning, he's in the meeting room. He usually beats me into the meeting room every morning and he's ready to go. He's prepared the night before. That's the proof you need to see from a player that has that drive to carry his team."