Matt Nagy first learned about Justin Fields early last year. He’s good friends with Ohio State coach Ryan Day. During a phone call talking about potential draft prospects, Nagy happened to ask about the young quarterback who’d just had an outstanding season. Day used two words that stuck out to the Chicago Bears head coach. Generational talent.
Sure enough, when the Bears began their hunt for a new quarterback back in January, Nagy had Fields in the back of his mind. As the 2021 draft got closer, the Bears really began to do their homework on the kid. They watched his film, attended his pro days, and met with him on Zoom calls. Everything they saw, they liked. It got to a point where they were convinced this was the guy they wanted. If there was any chance of landing him, they’d do whatever it took.
When Fields fell to the 11th overall pick, the Bears struck.
Now he is the future of football in Chicago and fans couldn’t be more jacked. Nagy is right there with them. This is something he’s daydreamed about for a long time. Keep in mind Fields has only been a Bear for less than a week. Yet already the head coach has stories. Stories of just how motivated and borderline obsessed the quarterback is with being great.
While appearing on The Morning Juice podcast, Nagy explained how quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo is already in constant communication with the rookie. So much in fact that he’s receiving messages at night.
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“We’re getting text messages…video clips on our cellphones at night of Justin just doing our cadences in his bedroom.”
That must’ve been a sight to behold. A guy yelling out “Blue 80” in his room in the middle of the night. Yet it gets even better. Nagy also told a story of how the Bears brought Fields and his family in to visit Halas Hall. The new facility left an impression on the quarterback, yet nothing could’ve prepared him for the pièce de résistance.
“When we were giving him the tour the day after the draft, it would’ve been that Friday morning. He came in and the poor kid is on like an hour of sleep. Comes in with his family and we’re giving him the tour of our new facility and showing him around. The second we walked into our brand new weight room, Justin’s eyes just lit up. Our strength coach came over and he (Justin) just looked at him with this big smile and he goes, ‘I’m going to be living in here.’ How do you not love that?”
Hard work is second-nature to a guy like Justin Fields
All one has to do is look at him. He’s in phenomenal physical condition. A freak athlete who also puts the extra work in to basically make his entire body a weapon on the field. Rest assured quarterbacks who are 6’3 and can run a 4.41 in the 40-yard dash don’t grow on trees. They’re a rare breed. Throw in the rocket arm and accuracy at all levels? It’s no wonder people are so excited about him.
Yet what seems to excite Matt Nagy is what’s between the ears. Not only is Fields a driven young man with an outstanding work ethic. He is intelligent too. Highly intelligent. He can absorb plays given to him and retain them with ease. That is the sort of thing that separates the great quarterbacks from everybody else. Absorbing massive amounts of information and processing it at high speeds.
Throwing the athletic ceiling on top of it?
Justin Fields has a chance to be special. Will it happen? Nobody can know for sure. The only certainty is Nagy and the Bears are going to do everything in their power to help him. A supportive coaching staff. Protection. Weapons. They’ve invested in plenty. Fields will have to do his part. Put in the work and adapt to the much faster speed of the NFL level. He appears up to the challenge.