Chiefs HC Andy Reid, DC Steve Spagnuolo liken Bears' Justin Fields to Tyreek Hill
Chicago Bears QB Justin Fields is one of the league's most athletic players at the position, and he announced to the NFL world this week that he's ready to go rogue and play the game his way. Fields' 1,143 rushing yards last season was the most among NFL QBs and the seventh-most in the league in […]
Chicago Bears QB Justin Fields is one of the league's most athletic players at the position, and he announced to the NFL world this week that he's ready to go rogue and play the game his way.
Fields' 1,143 rushing yards last season was the most among NFL QBs and the seventh-most in the league in general. He boasts game-breaking speed and when he's allowed to get outside the pocket, he plays some of his best football.
The Kansas City Chiefs' coaching staff is well aware of his game-wrecking ability ahead of the Week 3 matchup with the Bears at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. They even liken his speed to a player with whom they're quite familiar with.
“Well, listen, if you go watch film from last year, when he (gets outside the pocket), it’s scary,” Chiefs DC Steve Spagnuolo said. “We saw something on one of the PFF slides that (Justin Fields) has as many of those takeoff get to 20 miles per hour (plays) as Tyreek Hill. And we all know what Tyreek can do. It would have been a concern had he said it or not, because he can wreck the game.”
Hill and Fields might play different positions, but they can wreck the game all the same with their world-class speed. The Chiefs tried to replicate the types of things they might see during practice with a specific player acting as Fields on the scout team. However, they're holding no illusions about that preparation. They know there are few who can properly imitate a player like Fields.
“Yeah, I mean you’re talking about a guy who is as fast as Tyreek (Hill) in a number of cases,” Chiefs HC Andy Reid said of Fields. “I’m not sure we have that (type of speed), but we have Chris (Oladokun) who jumped in and I thought did a nice job for us. Moving around and playing the game. I mean, (Justin Fields) is 230 pounds, 6-foot-3, and can run as fast as Tyreek, that’s a pretty good deal.”
Spagnuolo's defense must play extremely disciplined football to avoid getting gashed by Fields. It's almost inevitable that he's going to get them at some point, but they'll do their best to limit the damage and ensure that he doesn't wreck the game.
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Featured image via Mike Dinovo-USA TODAY Sports