The Bears installed a new offense after hiring Matt Eberflus as their head coach and Luke Getsy as their offensive coordinator earlier this year and the transition remains a work in progress as the offseason comes to an end.
Rhythm and timing are important to the scheme and those things are still developing, which is why Tuesday’s practice showed the defense was well ahead of the offense in Chicago. Quarterback Justin Fields said that “they’re throwing a lot at us” and that there are predictably mistakes that follow, but he’s focused on “not making the same mistake twice” at this point in the calendar.
As they move closer to Week 1, that focus will shift to fully putting the offense into motion because Fields knows that the team isn’t ready for game action at this point.
“Uh, no,” Fields said, via Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times. “I’m not ready for the season to start. I’m the type of guy that would like to know I’m prepared. So, right now, I’m just being honest. We’re not ready to play a game right now. And when that time comes, we will be ready. So, right now, no — not ready to play a game.”
The Bears’ offseason moves have drawn criticism for not doing enough to surround Fields with the talent needed to thrive this season, but the final word on that will come once the team actually hits the field. If training camp puts them in a more comfortable place in the system, the chances of surpassing low expectations will look a lot better.