Getty Bears rookie Justin Fields
Does one eye-opening statistic prove that Justin Fields is better than Jordan Love? Of course not, but now that the Chicago Bears have hope at the most important position in sports, while the Green Bay Packers have major questions at quarterback, fans and analysts alike are having a little fun looking at the college careers of both signal-callers.
While one stat absolutely cannot encompass any NFL player, some can be pretty damning, and NFL analyst Max Markham pointed the following out on Twitter about Love and Fields:
“In just 3 games (BYU, WFU, LSU) Packers QB Jordan Love threw 9 interceptions. The same number of interceptions thrown as Bears QB Justin Fields over the entirety of his 31 game college career.”
Oof. That certainly doesn’t look good for Love, but it also has nothing to do with what kind of player he’ll be in the NFL.
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Fields Looking Far More Pro-Ready Than Love
During his 2019 campaign, Love completed 61.9 percent of his passes for 3,402 yards, 20 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. Love put up those three-interception games that year against BYU, Louisiana State and Wake Forest — who weren’t exactly powerhouses, but they weren’t slouches, either.
Ohio State, on the other hand, is a powerhouse, and it’s not a question that Fields faced more stiff competition in the Big Ten. He also had more huge college playoff games against the likes of juggernauts like Clemson and Alabama.
Fields also ran a pro-style offense at Ohio State, and when asked how Chicago’s offense compares to it, he said this: “I would say it’s probably the same,” Fields said heading into minicamps. “I think the only different thing about our offense is that at Ohio State we did signals from the sideline. So actually getting in a huddle and calling the play out is the only different thing. Everything else is pretty much the same when it comes to concepts and stuff like that.” Gotcha.
Thus, right now, Fields unquestionably looks more pro-ready than Love.
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Fields Did More in Less Time at Ohio State
In three seasons and 38 starts at Utah State, Love completed 61.2 percent of his passes for 8,600 yards, 60 touchdowns and 29 interceptions. In two seasons and 22 starts at Ohio State, Fields completed 68.4 percent of his passes for 5,373 yards, 63 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
Love was inactive for much of his rookie season with the Packers last year, and it’s a question mark whether Fields will play this coming season, although the Bears have already said on multiple occasions that Andy Dalton will start. Still, it’s clear Fields is superior than Love on paper, and his film is pretty impressive, as well.
My favorite part about watching new #Bears‘ QB Justin Fields isn’t something subtle, it’s his obvious arm talent.
Check out these plays from his 2020 Nebraska game — whether hash-to-sideline or deep downfield, Fields makes any throw in football look easy. Fun film to watch.
There are far more questions about Love, particularly with the all of the current ballyhoo surrounding Rodgers. For what it’s worth, a few Packers players have had some good things to say about Rodgers’ potential successor, including superstar running back Aaron Jones.
“You can tell he’s a lot more comfortable out there. From communicating in the huddle to the command of the huddle, everything. He’s had a year under his belt, he’s had time to watch and learn, so you can tell it’s a little bit different than it was before. He’s going to continue to grow and I’m happy to be here working with him,” Jones said.
Again, we won’t be able to accurately measure either quarterback until they both hit the field and gain some experience. But right now, it looks like for the first time in decades, the Bears have a brighter future than the Packers at the quarterback position.
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