Justin Fields doesn’t know when he is going to start this season. Or even if he will at all. That decision rests with Matt Nagy and the Chicago Bears head coach has not changed his stance. The plan remains the same. Andy Dalton is QB1. He will be the starter until further notice. Fields is the primary backup and will continue to sit back and learn. The goal being to prepare him without throwing him onto the field before he’s ready.
It isn’t a bad idea. Several quarterbacks have benefitted from this approach. The problem a lot of people have with it is they feel it’s unnecessary. Many saw Fields as pro-ready entering the draft. He’d started two seasons at Ohio State and played in some big games. He understands the position at advanced levels and plays it like a veteran already. Sitting him doesn’t seem to make much sense from a developmental perspective.
That may explain why some aren’t buying Nagy’s pitch.
They believe it is only a matter of time before reality sets in. Fields will assert himself in practice and the coaching staff decides to let the rookie play. The question is when? Conor Orr of the MMQB has a pretty good idea. He thinks the Bears will avoid trotting him out on opening night in Los Angeles against that fierce Rams defense. Instead they’ll wait until the next week against the Cincinnati Bengals at home. From there? Fields will put together a strong campaign.
“15 starts, 3,200 passing yards, 27 total touchdowns, 400 rushing yards, 65-plus% completion rate, 12 or fewer interceptions
I predict Fields’s taking over midway through the second week against the Bengals. Ideally, he’d be starting from Week 1, but it seems as if the Bears are content to play out this charade because Nagy promised Andy Dalton he would come to Chicago to be the starting quarterback…
…By working Fields in midway through the Bengals game, they could get him a chance to feel his way through some unease against a relatively bad defense. And while his first technical start would then be on the road against the Browns, he’d have games against the Lions and Raiders to fall back on before the meat of the schedule takes hold.”
That may seem like a pedestrian stat line compared to most top quarterbacks. Not in the context of Bears history though. Both the 3200 yards passing and 27 touchdowns would be rookie records by a massive margin. Mitch Trubisky holds the yards mark at 2,193 while Charlies O’Rourke still holds the TD mark for QBs with 12. That should give you an idea of what sort of accomplishment such a stat line would be from Fields.
Subscribe to the BFR Youtube channel and ride shotgun with Dave and Ficky as they break down Bears football like nobody else.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6mfpHqp_LU&ab_channel=QuangShaco
Justin Fields operates like a man with his own plan
If his track record is any indication, he has no desire to stay on the bench for long. Remember this is a kid who transferred out of Georgia when it became obvious he wouldn’t be starting as a sophomore. He took on the NCAA with a lawyer to gain approval for playing immediately at Ohio State. Then when it looked like he might not be able to play in 2020 due to the pandemic? He led a movement to get the Big Ten reinstated.
Dalton may be a teammate and somebody he respects, but he’s also an obstacle. That is the nature of this game. Only one person can be the quarterback. Whether Nagy acknowledges a competition or not, one still exists. Justin Fields knows this and aims to win it. Two months remain before the regular season arrives. Training camp and the preseason are still to come. A lot can happen in that time.
Nagy has flipped his stances before.
Just look to last year for a reminder. He benched Trubisky before the end of his third start despite a 2-0 record at the time. He is very much a coach that goes with his gut. If he senses that Fields actually does give the Bears the best chance to win? He’ll make the switch. Having a plan is great. Winning remains the most important thing. Here is hoping the rookie puts up those projected numbers if it happens.