It took two games. Former Bears defensive end Alex Brown is out on Justin Fields. On NBC Sports Chicago’s “Football Aftershow,” Brown shared his displeasure with how the season has started for the third-year quarterback.
“I’m there. I’m looking at what draft picks you’ve got next year,” Brown said on the show.
“Justin has to play better. He has to play better. If not, this is it for him. This has to be the last year for him here. It’s really sad because we were looking forward to this year and him taking that next step.”
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One of the biggest red flags for Brown so far has been the inability for Fields to get going with his legs. It was a goal for both the Bears and Fields to see Fields take a step forward as a passer this season. So far that hasn’t happened. Further, Fields hasn’t been able to break free for a big run, whether that be on a scramble or a designed run.
“He has taken away what he’s really good at, and what most NFL quarterbacks is not good at,” Brown said. “That’s being so big and so fast and so athletic. He’s taken that away by trying to sit in the pocket and read one, two, three, back to two. We don’t have time for that. We can’t block that long. So if one, two isn’t open, you need to start moving.
“His mental clock isn’t there. He doesn’t feel the defensive linemen getting to him. That is a problem. Like, that is a problem.”
Fields took six sacks against the Buccaneers on Sunday. On several of those sacks, the protection up front was solid long enough for Fields to either try to escape, or throw the ball away. However, Fields repeatedly held onto the ball too long, which allowed the defense to converge on him.
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“Now, we are at game two, but I haven’t seen anything that makes me excited for– well, hell, I know it’s not going to happen in game three (when the Bears take on the Chiefs)– so let’s go to game four, and I haven’t seen anything to get excited, that makes me excited to the point of where I was prior to where the season started.”