Mark Sanchez knows a thing or two about the pitfalls of starting a rookie quarterback in the NFL. He did so himself back in 2009 with the New York Jets. While the team reached the AFC championship that season, one could argue he wasn’t ready at the time. Yet the team felt it was a better option both for him and the fanbase to get him out there immediately. It would’ve been fascinating if Matt Nagy had been the head coach at that time.
People already know his philosophy at this point. He wanted to sit Justin Fields for as long as possible this season. Give Andy Dalton the nod as the starter and don’t play the rookie unless there is no other choice. People had a hard time understanding why Nagy was so committed to this approach. Especially since Fields looked so good in training camp and the preseason.
Sanchez had similar questions.
So he decided to voice them when he had a chance to meet with Nagy personally prior to the Chicago Bears Week 2 game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Sanchez was part of the broadcast team. When asked the question, Nagy made it clear. He saw the method work in Kansas City with Patrick Mahomes. That is the primary driving force behind why he seeks to emulate it in Chicago. While Sanchez understood that, he also wasn’t afraid to point out why the coach’s logic was flawed. He explained this on Speak For Yourself for FS1.
What he says is true. Kansas City was different. Not only is it a smaller market, but it was also a fanbase that didn’t have near the experiences at quarterback Bears fans have endured for the past several years. The Chiefs had Alex Smith for multiple years by 2017. He’d gone to Pro Bowls. He made the playoffs. Before that, they had guys like Trent Green, Elvis Grbac, and even Joe Montana who gave them quality play at that position. Their fans were willing to be more patient.
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Nagy didn’t understand the sort of animal he was dealing with in Chicago. An animal Sanchez understood because of what he experienced as Mitch Trubisky’s backup in 2017.
Mark Sanchez is correct but in the end, it didn’t matter
Dalton was injured in the first half of just his second start. A bone bruise will likely knock him out for at least two games. Fields will start against Cleveland on Sunday with Detroit to follow. That offers the rookie an ample opportunity to seize permanent control of the job. While Nagy continues to insist Dalton is the starter, it is clear as day the door is wide open for that to change.
This just proves that Mark Sanchez was correct. The Mahomes model is a nice idea in theory, but a coach has to factor in the variables. In this case the franchise he works for. Kansas City and Chicago are nothing alike, both in their locations and their histories. Nagy didn’t understand the sort of powder keg he was fixing to set off by holding Fields out.
The relentless media blitz certainly reminded him.
Now the decision is out of his hands. Ready or not, Fields is the guy until further notice. By extension, it puts Nagy under the microscope. He’s supposed to be the guy that can take this offense to the next level. Now his hand-picked quarterback is out there. If he can’t put Fields in good positions to succeed? The Bears may not keep him around beyond 2021.