(670 The Score) Former NFL head coach and former Bears offensive coordinator Mike Martz on Thursday backtracked from part of his recent criticism of Chicago quarterback Justin Fields by claiming he was misquoted, but Martz also doubled down on his belief that Fields isn’t and never will be a good pocket passer, which in his mind will severely limit his ceiling.
Martz denied that his “he really deflated the football team with his performance” comment on the 33rd Team podcast was directed at Fields, claiming it was meant to be an assessment of 49ers quarterback Trey Lance after the two youngsters squared off Sunday. Even so, Martz shared plenty of doubt about Fields.
“The discipline, I don’t know if he’s good enough to be in the pocket and win with,” Martz said of Fields on the Parkins & Spiegel Show. “That’s what he has to do. I don’t know if he can do that. He’s played in big games, so that part you know, you feel good about. But how is he as a passer? I don’t know. The one thing I do know about the NFL is at that position is you’ve got to be a good passer, you’ve got to be an established passer before you start thinking about running and doing all that other stuff.”
Fields was 8-of-17 for 121 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in the Bears’ 19-10 win against the 49ers on Sunday at a rain-soaked Soldier Field. He had an 85.7 passer rating. The biggest play of the game came when Fields scrambled out of the pocket to his left to buy time, then fired a long touchdown pass back across to the other side of the field on a momentum-turning play.
Fields is 23 years old and has made 11 NFL starts. Told it felt like he was writing Fields off as potentially becoming a good pocket passer down the line, Martz responded by agreeing.
“Yeah, I think so,” Martz said. “From what I’ve seen, I don’t know that he can do it. I just don’t think he can.”
Martz was also asked what he believes Fields' ceiling can be.
"I don't know," Martz said. "I really don't know until you get better players around him. He just is not a quick-trigger guy. It's hard for him to get rid of the ball quickly. He wants to run with it and find guys, a little bit like (Jay) Cutler. I think that's the kind of player that he is. I think he's got a chance of being probably a solid player in the league. Now whether he'll be a great player, I hope he does. I really, sincerely hope he does. He's a terrific guy and all that good stuff. From what I've seen, I don't see that."
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