Hall Of Fame QB Reveals Justin Fields’ Processing Greatly Improved

Kurt Warner went from Arena League legend to bagging groceries to NFL MVP. Now he’s in the Hall of Fame. It is easily the greatest underdog quarterback story in the history of professional football. That doesn’t happen unless the guy understands how to play the position at a high level. Warner is now one of the top analysts on television, offering his insight on how the new generations are going about playing it. That includes Justin Fields, who had a rather up-and-down year in 2023 for the Chicago Bears.

Warner decided to dig a little into the tape to see where the young QB was at by the end of the season. Were there the same glaring issues from the pocket that had dogged him since his rookie year? Everybody knew Fields’ primary issue was an inability to read the field with enough speed. Defenses routinely took advantage of this. Upon watching him against Buffalo last December, Warner noticed something.

Fields’ processing ability had evolved considerably. He was making consistently good reads. The problem stemmed more from his pocket mechanics.

Justin Fields recognized the problem after the season ended.

People took note of the fact he wasn’t mentioning his ability to read coverages as something he was working on. It was his footwork. That is what Warner harped on. Fields nagging tendency to keep too much weight on his front foot led to several passes being a little bit off. That is why his receivers constantly had to make adjustments, reducing opportunities for yards after the catch. It might sound like a small thing, but the NFL constantly proves that the Devil is in the details.

Thus Justin Fields has made it his mission to marry his feet to his eyes. The more comfortable he becomes with that, the better his efficiency will be. Teammates have already taken notice of the improvements. He’s making far more plays with good timing and rhythm. Having a capable wide receiver like D.J. Moore is helping things along. If the offensive line can give him consistent pockets to work from, it wouldn’t be surprising if he takes that next step forward.