Luke Getsy was happy about the first-team offense's impressive performance in the preseason finale in Cleveland, but the Bears offensive coordinator is far from satisfied.
After opening Saturday's game against the Browns with a three-and-out, Justin Fields threw touchdown passes on three of the next four possessions, giving the Bears a 21-0 lead en route to a 21-20 victory.
"We were pleased with the process," Getsy said Monday at Halas Hall. "Preseason Game 1, I was pleased with the process and the play-calling into the huddle and the snap to the line of scrimmage and the motions and the lack of penalties. That carried over to Preseason 2 and I think it got even better in Preseason 3.
"So that part of it, we were all pleased with. But there's a ton of improvement that we have to get better at if we're going to play better talent, play more looks, all the movement you're going to get. But it was a step in the right direction."
Playing the first five possessions, Fields completed 14 of 16 passes for 156 yards and a 146.9 passer rating. After the game, he told reporters that he felt the performance by the offense was "definitely a turning point."
Getsy seems more hesitant to draw any conclusions based on a preseason game—good or bad.
"A turning point? I mean, I don't know about that," he said. "We're in this phase of getting better, and we're in this phase of developing who we want to become. Are we on track? I don't know. But I feel good about where we're at.
"I think the guys believe in what we're doing and what we're communicating, the type of philosophy that we have, and the type of ball we want to play. So, I don't know, 'turning point' seems like a pretty harsh word, or dramatic word, but I feel like we're grinding through this process the right way."
Since the start of the offseason program, Getsy has seen Fields make great strides with his footwork and other fundamentals. But the offensive coordinator feels there's still a lot of room for improvement.
"From [April] to now, it's obviously tremendously improved, but nowhere near where it needs to be," Getsy said. "He's got a long way to go there. But he's working his tail off. He reaped the reward of listening to his feet and the timing and rhythm was good most of the night. We've talked a lot about pocket presence; that's something that a young quarterback has to grow through. I thought that showed up and he did a nice job with that."
Getsy has been impressed with the leadership skills and command of the huddle that Fields has demonstrated.
"As you're talking about him growing as a young quarterback, his leadership and the bringing that unit together has been really fun to see, not just in preseason but throughout this whole thing," Getsy said.
"And I think that when you're able to go out in three preseason games and show these guys you're ready to command the huddle, call the plays cleanly, go out and execute at a high level, I think all that stuff just gives people confidence. My favorite part about being a huddle team is that the quarterback gets to look 10 other people in the eyes and they get to feel what they feel from him, and there's zero hesitation in him, so I think that's good."
Fields appears to possess the work ethic and intangibles to make his teammates on offense better.
"The guy works his tail off," Getsy said. "He exudes confidence in himself, which then helps others feel confident. That part of it is a special quality that he has, and you match that with the work ethic he has, he's making sure he's doing more than anybody else. And then those guys just get attracted to that and they want to be a part of that."
