Justin Fields hasn’t come right out and said it directly, but it’s becoming more evident by the day how much he hated playing for Matt Nagy. He told Bleacher Report how frustrating it was not knowing what his role on the team was supposed to be last season and whether he was the leader or not. Then there was the lack of control he had on offense, not being able to run the show as he felt he needed to. Fields had no issues with Nagy the person, but Nagy the coach was a different story.
That much was evident yet again in another interview, this time with Fox News Digital. The first question he was asked seemed like a simple one. What was he looking forward to the most about his second season in Chicago? It was impossible to ignore that his immediate answer was the new coaching staff. He is a big fan of what Matt Eberflus and Luke Getsy have planned for him and how different the culture has become since Nagy left.
“Of course, there’s a new coaching staff,” Fields said when asked what he was looking forward to his sophomore season.
“We’re kinda just trying to re-culture or getting the culture in the building. I don’t think our culture was the best culture last year. So, working with the new staff everybody is just buying in.
“We got a lot of new people in. Just creating a foundation for years to come. That’s really the most exciting thing about it. It’s been awesome working with the new coaches (and) working with my new teammates.”
Justin Fields has every right to be upset.
Nagy claimed to have a plan for him when he arrived as a 1st round pick last spring. In reality, that plan was dangerously flawed. It boiled down to sitting the rookie for all of 2021 while Andy Dalton kept the seat warm. The former coach was so sure of this idea that he didn’t bother to give Fields any reps with the 1st-team offense in training camp. There was no point. Outside of some creative package plays, he wouldn’t see much action.
Things began to unravel when Dalton suffered a knee injury in Week 2 against Cincinnati. It became apparent right away that Nagy wasn’t prepared for that eventuality. That was why the offense didn’t make any notable changes in the scheme the following week in Cleveland. As a result, Justin Fields endured the worst beating of his life. That was the first time people realized Nagy didn’t have the foresight or flexibility to run an NFL offense.
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Fields ended up sacked 36 times in 12 games and failed to finish the season due to injuries. Few people were probably more relieved than him when the head coach was fired.
