Matt Nagy has been nothing if not consistent with his message over the past three months. Since Andy Dalton was signed in March, the Chicago Bears made it clear their 2021 plans were for the longtime veteran to be their starter. They feel his experience and efficiency would help the offense function at a higher level than last year. Nagy did not deviate from that stance even after the Bears made their aggressive move up in the 1st round for Justin Fields.
While he understands the rampant fervor of Bears fans to see their hot, young QB he also knows the value of patience. Nagy was mentored by one of the best quarterback developers in NFL history. Andy Reid turned both Donovan McNabb and Patrick Mahomes into stars. He morphed Michael Vick into a near-MVP in 2010 and Alex Smith into a three-time Pro Bowler. He knows quarterbacks and his approach with young ones has never changed.
Sit them until they show they’re ready.
McNabb sat 10 games his rookie year in 1999 despite clear evidence he was the superior talent to Doug Pederson. Mahomes sat 15 games as a rookie in 2017. Both men were Pro Bowlers by their second seasons. So it’s little wonder that Nagy is keen to follow the same formula. Having worked under Reid for almost a decade, he thinks this approach is the best one for both player and organization in the long term.
Yet not everybody is buying this narrative. Dianna Russini of ESPN appeared on Get Up recently. She made it clear there is a strong belief among the people she talked to that Nagy is “all-in” on Fields and that he is going to see action at some point this year.
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We all hear the Chicago #Bears say they want to use that same Kansas City QB blueprint and have Justin Fields sit behind a veteran BUT this is what we really hear on @GetUpESPN pic.twitter.com/ac61ZQw4OI
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) May 18, 2021
People should not forget Nagy has a quick trigger finger when it comes to his quarterbacks. He benched Mitch Trubisky after less than three games last year despite the Bears being 2-0 at the time. If he gets the sense things just aren’t clicking with Dalton? He’ll turn to Fields.
Matt Nagy can stick to the plan as long as Dalton cooperates
The thing to remember here is the Bears promised he would be the starter. What they didn’t promise was how long he would remain that. His performance moving forward will determine everything. How he looks in training camp will be the first step. If Fields is outperforming him there? Then Nagy will be put in a difficult position. He can’t justify starting the veteran when everybody in the locker room sees the rookie looking superior even on the practice field.
Presuming Dalton makes it to the regular season? That is when the clock really starts. Every game will be an assessment for Dalton. Whether he not only functions well inside the offense but is helping the Bears win. Matt Nagy is a man who coaches by instinct as much as evaluation. If he feels things are stagnating, he’ll make changes until he finds that spark. So Dalton can’t afford too many down games this year.
Fields isn’t going to let him get comfortable. That is for sure.
The rookie is already putting in countless hours of preparation. Weight room. Film study. Playbook study. Staying after practice fine-tuning things. Not a single hour is being wasted. Perhaps that more than anything is what will convince Nagy that the Fields Era must start sooner than later this season. The kid simply refusing to be denied.