One of the stories of training camp that many around the Chicago Bears were concerned about had to do with head coach Matt Nagy’s distribution of reps. Specifically the refusal to give 11th overall pick Justin Fields any meaningful time working with the #1 offense. He was almost exclusively kept with the 2s throughout the summer. This decision came under a lot of criticism because it was felt there was a good chance the rookie would start at some point in 2021.
Nagy didn’t seem to agree. He was committed to his “plan” at quarterback. One that involved Andy Dalton getting all the first-team reps and him starting the full season. Fields would take the Patrick Mahomes approach by sitting on the bench and learning. That is fine in theory. The problem is it doesn’t account for the realities of the NFL. Among the biggest? That guys get hurt all the time.
A lesson learned the hard way just two weeks into the regular season.
That was when Dalton pulled up limping against the Cincinnati Bengals, suffering a bone bruise in his knee. This thrust Fields into the starting lineup. Over the next several games, one thing became obvious. The rookie quarterback wasn’t on the same page with his pass targets. Too often guys like Allen Robinson and Cole Kmet suffered some miscommunications with the rookie. Why?
Robinson himself admitted that a lack of work with Fields in training camp contributed to the problems. Now in his latest press conference, even the quarterback himself stated that a big reason he and tight end Jesse James had a nice game last weekend was their work together in training camp. While not calling Nagy out directly, it was another shot at how the head coach handled the entire affair.
Justin Fields is overcoming this problem regardless
He already seems to be establishing a better connection with Kmet. After connecting just twice in his first two starts, the quarterback has found the tight end 14 times in the past four games. While they haven’t hit on any big plays yet, there are indications that things are headed in the right direction. The bigger challenge seems to be Robinson. Despite that same time frame, it remains clear the two still aren’t on the same page.
Either way, it is clearer than ever that the Bears need to reshuffle their coaching staff. Nagy is in his fourth season as head coach. Not one of them has seen this offense rank higher than 21st. It is 32nd this year. Nothing he’s tried has worked. Blaming the quarterbacks was easy during the past three years. He simply can’t hide behind that excuse anymore. His system hasn’t worked and it is time for a change.
Only a miracle can save him now.
That would involve turning around a 3-5 record into another playoff push. Given the slate of opponents still ahead of the Bears including Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Green Bay, and Arizona? The odds of that happening are remote. Especially with a rookie QB stuck in a bad offense. This organization has to do all in its power to help Fields succeed. Nagy can’t be part of that vision.