Matt Nagy has remained consistent in his public statements regarding the Chicago Bears quarterback. It’s wide open. There is no favoritism. Mitch Trubisky and Nick Foles have equal footing when training camp practices begin. That is a fair way to conduct. The problem is the outside world is doing everything in its power to make Nagy’s mission untenable.
Concerns began to rise that the competition was becoming lopsided due to COVID-19. Minicamps and OTAs were already cut. Now the preseason, which Nagy had planned to be a huge part of the battle, was wiped out as well. Suddenly all the Bears have is training camp, and it’s fear this has worked to the disadvantage of Foles.
When asked about it Wednesday, Nagy couldn’t deny it.
“I think for sure it’s an absolute more of a disadvantage not having what he could’ve had, building the relationship and more specifically the timing with the wide receivers that you get in the OTAs, where you can route after route after route after route. You get to see and feel how guys time up their motions. For sure that would be a disadvantage. It’s something that he could’ve had that doesn’t have. But those guys know that. He understands that.”
Nick Foles won’t be able to waste snaps when practices begin
Knowing all this, the Bears understand they have to get more creative with their practice structures. That means live tackling and putting greater emphasis on evaluating each quarterback not just on how good their passes are but also how they handle work at the line of scrimmage and their work in and out of the huddle. Every rep is going to take on a drastically increased significance.
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The coaches can only do so much though. In the end, it falls to Foles to make it happen. Despite less than ideal conditions, the opportunity is still there. Just outperform Trubisky in practice with consistency and the job is likely his. Forging a connection with his receivers will take some time. That said, he’s no stranger to adversity. If anything he thrives on it.
So maybe this is actually a blessing in disguise.
