Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Luke Getsy is encouraged by quarterback Justin Fields' development so far in training camp. Fields has led the Bears' offense to win the day at most of this year's practices, and the third-year quarterback continues to show proof that he's grown in the offense and is maturing as a decision-maker and leader.
"Last year was probably, 'I'm going to do my job,' and playing the position at the highest level is being in control of it all," Getsy said of Fields via ESPN. "He's on his way to being able to do stuff like that. That part has been really fun in training camp. We were in 101 classes. Now we're in 201 and 301 classes."
If you feel like you've heard that before, you're right. It wasn't long ago -- 2019 -- when former coach Matt Nagy said similar things about then-quarterback Mitch Trubisky, who the Chicago Bears infamously selected ahead of Patrick Mahomes in the 2017 NFL Draft.
"Last year, I kept talking about 101," Nagy said in May 2019. "Now, without a doubt, I can say with pure conviction we’re in 202 right now. And we don’t need to have a live game to see mentally where he’s at with calling the plays.
"I mean, he’s doing things in the last two days that last year at this time he wasn’t even close to. So that’s exciting. You won’t always see it right now, it’s more of a pass emphasis—so if you see a lot of incompletions in practice."
Don't worry. The shakes you're feeling are a normal symptom of Post Traumatic Trubisky Syndrome. They'll wear off.
It's important to remember lessons from quarterbacks past. Training camp reports should be rainbows and butterflies. It should be about quarterback growth, development, and positive results. Otherwise, the season would be doomed before it kicks off. But not all quarterbacks are created equal, and the 'just a guys' generally flourish in controlled practice environments and the friendly confines of their team's practice field.
Trubisky did it a few years ago, and Fields is doing it now.
But what separates the haves from the have-nots at the sport's most important position is what happens when the games count for real. And Fields has already proven beyond a reasonable doubt that he is not Trubisky 2.0.
He's Justin Fields, the QB1.
Sure, the naysayer will argue that it's too soon to crown Fields as a success story. Let's face it; his career stat sheet tells a different tale. But as any seasoned scout will tell you, stats lie. Numbers, with all due respect to analytics, can be misleading. Fields is proof of that.
Justin Fields' 2022 season was Exhibit A in the argument that he's not another Mitch. He established himself as one of -- if not the -- NFL's most exciting playmaking quarterbacks. Trubisky never came close to the record-setting rushing stats Fields put together. And while it's true that quarterbacks who rely on their legs to move the ball and score points are quarterbacks who won't be around for long, the fact Fields was so dynamic with the league's worst supporting class matters. A lot.
Gone are the days of Fields throwing passes to Dante Pettis and Equanimeous St. Brown as his primary targets. He no longer has to rely on Larry Borom and Sam Mustipher to keep him upright. And he isn't changing systems -- again.
Instead, Justin Fields' progressions include DJ Moore, Chase Claypool, and a healthy Darnell Mooney. Cole Kmet and Robert Tonyan will serve as big-bodied bailout options. And the trio of running backs deployed behind him are all capable of shouldering more of the rushing load in 2023.
Darnell Wright and Nate Davis are reinforcements along the offensive line. Fields, for the first time in his pro career, will have a chance to win with his arm.
There's also his pedigree. Justin Fields has always been a QB1. He was a QB1 in high school. He was the QB1 at Ohio State. And he's always succeeded.
Trubisky, meanwhile, was a one-year success story at North Carolina who entered the NFL with more questions than answers about his long-term projection. Former GM Ryan Pace rolled the dice on a projection, and it's why 'former' precedes his name.
Fields has always been the guy. And he's always thrived. His peers already regard him as one of the NFL's Top-100 players, something Trubisky never came close to.
Justin Fields isn't Mitch Trubisky. He never was, and his career won't follow the same path, even if his training camp growth seems eerily similar.