The Chicago Bears absolutely love what they have in Justin Fields. There is a definite belief behind closed doors that they finally have “the” guy. It is only a matter of time before he’s running the show and there is a strong belief he’s going to be good. So why are they bothering to wait in getting him on the field? Why is head coach Matt Nagy so insistent on going with Andy Dalton despite clear evidence the rookie can do special things?
Nagy has made his case multiple times already. It boils down to his belief that he doesn’t want to toss the rookie out there before he’s ready. He wants to do what is best for Justin Fields and by extension the Bears. While that sounds good, it is somewhat vague. What exactly is telling Nagy that the kid isn’t ready? At last, we have an explanation. This comes courtesy of insider Albert Breer of the MMQB. He broke down the situation on The Rich Eisen Podcast.
This makes plenty of sense.
What so many people forget is the Bears run a far more complex and complicated offense than those seen in college. It also puts a ton of responsibility on the quarterback to understand the system. Fields didn’t have to do that at Ohio State. He simply got the play calls from the sideline, relayed it on the field, and ran the play. With this new offense, each play call has responsibilities for every position group from the receivers to the offensive line.
Dalton has done this sort of thing for the past 10 years. He understands it. Fields unsurprisingly doesn’t. It is a ton of information to absorb, let alone process. This can often lead to a QB’s head swimming. Especially during the fast-paced action of a game. Fans saw a byproduct of that when Fields failed to recognize an incoming blitz by Buffalo and almost got decapitated.
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The Bears want Justin Fields comfortable with the verbiage
That is what it all boils down to. Once he shows a decent enough grasp of the language and can handle plays similar to Dalton? He is going to get out there. How long will that take? Impossible to say. Every quarterback is different. Mitch Trubisky never seemed to quite grasp it. Nagy runs a West Coast-style offense. It is known for being significantly challenging. Former QB Mark Malone said it best.
“There aren’t many (cons), unless the quarterback isn’t accurate and doesn’t understand how it works. The offense is extremely precise; the receivers have to be at a certain yardage and depth at a certain time. It can be complicated, but it’s a difficult offense to defend if the complications are worked out.”
It usually takes a quarterback two or three years to truly master this type of offense. This is undoubtedly a big reason why Nagy is content to let Justin Fields sit. As smart as the 11th overall pick is, he’ll need time to get a firm grasp on not only hearing the play calls but understanding them.
Dalton can buy him that time.
This is the thought process behind everything. That is the challenge the Kansas City Chiefs ran into with Patrick Mahomes. Could he have played immediately? Sure. However, even he admitted it took him a long time before he truly understood the intricacies of this offense in Kansas City. That year to prepare was invaluable for him. The Bears are hoping to do the same for Fields, as much as the fans don’t want it.
