(670 The Score) Ron Veal, the personal coach for Chicago quarterback Justin Fields, was supposed to travel to Cleveland last September to watch Fields make his first NFL start.
Instead, airline cancelations forced Veal to stay behind. He missed an ugly game in which Fields was sacked nine times and the Bears managed just 47 net yards of offense in a 26-6 loss to the Browns. Fields struggled in part due to an offensive game plan that didn’t prioritize his protection.
“I’m kind of glad I didn’t (go) because he took a beating that day,” Veal said on the Parkins & Spiegel Show on Friday. “But, yeah, it was kind of crazy and weird at the same time. Why would you leave those two (tackles) with no help?
“I know he was a little pissed about it, but I didn’t get an explanation, and I really didn’t ask because I know he was in a situation where he was really pissed off about it.”
Fieldes completed 58.9% of his passes for 1,870 yards, seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions as a rookie last season. He started 10 games, the first coming against the Browns on Sept. 26. The Bears fired general manager Ryan Pace and head coach Matt Nagy after last season, one in which Chicago went 6-11.
The 23-year-old Fields has spent the last two months training with Veal, with whom he has worked since the sixth grade. Fields went through 16 training sessions with Veal, and Bears receiver Darnell Mooney and tight end Cole Kmet joined him for part of the time.
Fields and Veal have put an emphasis on specific parts of his game.
"We're trying to speed up his drops a little bit more,” Veal said. “Trying to speed up his delivery a little bit more so he can throw the ball on time.
“A little bit more anticipation. Those are the things we focused on."