The Chicago Bears have begun their preparations for the first preseason game of 2021. Fittingly they’re doing it in style with two joint practices against the Miami Dolphins. Their opponent for that context. This is something head coach Matt Nagy has embraced since arriving in Chicago. Joint practices are a great way to help his team get some experience working against different players and different coaches.
While scheming rarely happens this time of year, there are several benefits to these practices. For Nagy one, in particular, that has him excited for the next 48 hours of work. Especially when it comes to his quarterbacks. Dolphins head coach Brian Flores runs a specific style of defense. One that can be challenging for opposing QBs who aren’t ready for it. Nagy explained what he meant during his latest press conference.
“We watch tape just to get a flavor of the fronts. Are they a 3-4? Are they a 4-3? It just so happens that this team that’s in here today you’re probably going to see maybe a little bit of blitzing going on. They’re a top 5 blitz team. Cover 0. That’ll be great work for us. Now’s the time to prepare for that stuff.”
He is indeed correct.
Last season, the Dolphins blitzed on 40.8% of opposing QB dropbacks. That was the second-most of any team in the NFL during the season. One could say they did this out of necessity given how lacking their group of pass rushers are. It’s a big reason why they spent a 1st round pick on one (Jaelan Phillips) this past April. Blitzing is a high-risk-high-reward proposition for defenses.
Against the right quarterback, it can overwhelm them into constant mistakes be they sacks or bad throws. However, good quarterbacks tend to diagnose them well and can often take advantage of the open spaces they leave in coverage. This is why Nagy said it’s a great opportunity to evaluate his quarterbacks. To see where they’re at in their ability to diagnose and beat blitzes.
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Justin Fields moves out of the way of this blitz with ease. Also watch Wyatt Davis (RG 52) throw the DE to the ground and then knock him back down. pic.twitter.com/6TswTiDyYM
— Russell Brown (@RussNFLDraft) April 10, 2021
Justin Fields with the blitz pick up and touchdown pass #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/Ki1hu52ygz
— Vinnie Calderone (@CenzoNFL) December 5, 2020
Matt Nagy is always looking to test his quarterbacks
This is a big reason why the Bears wanted to keep him in charge this offseason. They knew changes were coming at the quarterback position. Wouldn’t it be wise to keep somebody with his experience around for that? Nagy has his critics but nobody can dispute the guy understands the quarterback position. Specifically how to find ways to stress them. To see what they can and can’t do.
Scheduling practices against a team that is known for lots of blitzing was perfectly fortuitous in his mind. He will want to see where Justin Fields is with diagnosis and understanding of adjusting his protections, seeing where the extra guys are coming from, and where his hot receiver will be. Something that bedeviled Mitch Trubisky way too often over the past few years.
Every little bit helps.
Matt Nagy is never going to let an opportunity to make his quarterbacks better slip through his fingers. Something that several previous head coaches too often ignored. It will be interesting to hear the reports out of Halas Hall. One can imagine the two teams will play with extra juice. Competition is always a thing even on the practice field. No doubt fans are eager to see what Fields does against a different defense. Nagy feels the same way.
