Fields responds to late hit that wasn’t flagged originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
Last season, Justin Fields took his fair share of hits that went unflagged. Usually quarterbacks are seriously protected by officials from late contact, but the Bears rookie, like many other rookies, was not afforded the same protection that we see for veteran QBs.
In his first game of 2022, nothing changed.
“I guess I’ll just have to wait a few years, maybe four or five years, before I get that one,” said Fields. “Hopefully I get it soon.”
In a meeting with an NFL official before the start of the preseason, it was explained to the media that roughing the passer fouls called for making contact with a QB’s head would focus on “forcible” blows to the head this season. If a defender makes a “glancing” blow to a QB’s head, refs won’t throw a flag. But this wasn’t a player making contact with Fields’ head in the pocket. This was a player hitting him after he’d already started sliding, a completely different scenario.
“I talked to them in the second half about it and they said they hit me in the shoulder,” Fields said. “I was looking for an unsportsmanlike conduct or something like a late hit call or something like that.”
It’s the preseason not only for the players, but for the officials as well. We’ll see if officials protect Fields more in the second preseason game, or if it’s going to be another year of tough hits for the Bears QB.
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