Matt Nagy made the landmark decision at some point Tuesday. Justin Fields would remain the Chicago Bears starting quarterback. Not only for their game Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders and not just until veteran Andy Dalton was fully healthy again. Fields will be the top dog full time. For the rest of the season and beyond. No turning back.
Nagy shared that news with his quarterbacks Tuesday, then made the public declaration at 11:57 a.m. Wednesday during his news conference at Halas Hall.
“(Justin) has done everything to show us that he’s ready for this opportunity,” Nagy said.
While much of Chicago rejoiced at the momentous but still somewhat surprising development, Fields reacted to his promotion about as you’d expect.
“Justin was like he normally is,” Nagy said. “Very stoic.”
Fields was so unfazed, in fact, that he turned down a Tuesday evening invitation from his parents to go out and celebrate. Go without me, he told them.
“I’m trying to win this weekend,” Fields said. “So I was just home with my dog, Uno, watching film.”
The time has arrived. At long last but also so suddenly. Fields’ opportunity to lift the Bears organization to new heights and establish himself as a franchise quarterback will proceed without extraneous obstacles at Halas Hall to steer around.
“This is Justin’s time,” Nagy said.
Fields’ journey as a starter — which began two weeks ago after Dalton injured his left knee — will continue Sunday at Allegiant Stadium with the rookie chosen to carry the Bears forward for the rest of the season. So why did Nagy reverse his insistence that Dalton would be the starting quarterback as soon as he was healthy again? What does Fields need to do, both short and long term, to prove he is the answer for the Bears at the sport’s most important position? And how can the Bears best position their young quarterback to have success both this season and beyond?
Tribune reporters Dan Wiederer and Colleen Kane talk through it all in this installment of “Real Talk.”
Dan Wiederer: I have to admit, Colleen, I sat up in my chair Wednesday when Nagy dropped that bomb on the assembled media inside the PNC Center.
Fields as the undisputed starter? With Dalton pushed out of the way for good?
Wow!
It’s not that the decision was stunning. Or that it is even all that risky for the Bears going forward. It’s just that Nagy had been so adamant in recent weeks that, regardless of Fields’ on-field performance, Dalton would return to his starting role as soon as he was fully cleared medically to do so.
“When Andy’s healthy, he’s our starter,” Nagy asserted as recently as Monday morning.
So why the sudden 180? We asked Nagy that directly Wednesday, and the Cliff’s Notes version of his jumbled 227-word answer was that Fields has earned the promotion with his continued growth really since May. Bears coaches have fallen in love with Fields’ preparation habits and competitiveness. They admire his desire to be great coupled with his understanding of what that requires. And they were thoroughly impressed last week with Fields’ ability to handle struggles and respond in a positive fashion after a brutal first start in Cleveland. So yeah, with the big picture in mind, turning the huddle over to Fields was the practical play.
“We’re so confident in where he’s at,” Nagy said. “Just let him grow.”
Makes sense. All of this makes perfect sense. As surprising as that might be.
Colleen Kane: And because it makes so much sense, Dan, there seems to be a feeling of not just excitement but relief surrounding the Bears, most certainly among fans but maybe internally as well.
I’m not saying that because Dalton played poorly in his six quarters of play. As Nagy noted again and again during his previous “Andy is our starter” answers, Dalton played pretty well in Week 2 before he injured his knee against the Cincinnati Bengals.
But there’s relief that the Bears finally decided to let Fields’ development play out on the field, with all of the good and bad that might come with it.
While Nagy sidestepped a question about it, he also might feel some sense of peace knowing he doesn’t have to defend his plan to start Dalton anymore. And let’s be honest, for the media, it’s nice to know we won’t have to comb through Nagy’s winding answers about it either.
There might even be some relief for Fields knowing it’s his job to grow with now, though as you mentioned, he played it pretty cool Wednesday.
“I was a little bit surprised, but I mean, not really crazy surprised,” Fields said. “He was pretty straightforward with me and Andy. I think my teammates believe in me. So I’m just grateful for the opportunity and just trying to get ready to work.”
Obviously this is just the beginning of the work for a player with 10-plus quarters of NFL experience.
Wiederer: Right. The good news for Fields and the Bears is that, barring injury, he will finish this season with 62-plus quarters of experience. That extensive playing time, through all the ups and downs, will prove invaluable. And given that Fields has proved he has the resolve to endure struggle, the mindset to continually pursue growth and the temperament to avoid becoming overwhelmed, there was little sense forcing him to continue his development off to the side.
“Justin has earned that trust with us,” Nagy said.
Still, by handing over the steering wheel of the offense to a rookie, the Bears also have to adjust their expectations and recalibrate their patience levels. Nagy seemed aware of that Wednesday as he acknowledged the rainy days that are certain to pop up regularly in the Fields forecast between now and mid-January. And in an indirect fashion, Nagy at least acknowledged that the new mission to develop Fields in a starting role might supersede the desire to win as many games as possible in 2021. That’s always a delicate balance, especially for a coach with reasons to worry about his job security.
To be clear, Nagy didn’t concede that the move to start Fields for the long haul ultimately could hurt the Bears in the 2021 standings while still positioning them for a brighter future. “We’ve talked before about the positivity, the glass-half-full thinking with the what-ifs,” Nagy said. “And that’s where we’re at right now.”
Which means the Bears still might believe they can groom Fields and stay in playoff contention at the same time. But even if they can’t, the decision to put Fields’ development at the top of the priority list is the best thing for the organization long term.
Kane: If the Bears had chosen the perfect time for Fields to make his first start, it likely would not have been against the Cleveland Browns, whose fierce pass rushers sacked him nine times in Week 3. Likewise, after the Bears cruised past the Lions, this next month doesn’t look like the easiest stretch of games for Fields as he takes over as QB1. The Bears face three straight 3-1 teams — the Raiders, Green Bay Packers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers — followed by the 2-2 San Francisco 49ers.
But the way Fields handled the Browns loss undoubtedly was another factor in helping the Bears feel confident he will be able to navigate the inevitable bumps ahead. Coaches and teammates praised his level-headedness as he set out with the offense to make corrections last week. As offensive coordinator Bill Lazor noted, “This is a tough guy, physically and mentally.”
And Fields seems to have perspective, noting the important thing is to not make the same mistakes twice.
“I saw Russell Wilson posted a tweet saying, ‘I love adversity.’ And I truly do love that because it just brings a whole different person out of me,” Fields said after Sunday’s victory. “And in some ways I’m glad last week happened. If we would’ve won last week, it wouldn’t have pushed us as much to get better and practice hard.”
Wiederer: Fields will face another significant test Sunday in what promises to be a super-charged environment in Vegas. We can safely guess thousands of Bears fans will be in attendance at Allegiant Stadium ready to go nuts for every long completion and every off-script scramble. (Who knows —perhaps the rookie even throws his first career touchdown pass too.)
Still, Bears fans should remind themselves to take the occasional breath and retain perspective on what is no doubt an energizing transition.
Since the draft in April, I’ve made it clear that all the hope and excitement and long-term belief Fields provides is exciting and fun and, for the most part, justifiable. But the grand expectations need to remain tethered to reality.
Take last weekend’s performance with Fields throwing for 209 yards in a 24-14 win over the Lions. Solid outing? Absolutely. Encouraging moments? For sure. But a spectacular performance? That’s a stretch. The Bears had a nice day offensively, especially when measured against the previous week’s disaster in Cleveland. But they still wound up 1-for-8 on third down and topped out at 24 points against a Lions defense that came into the day allowing an average of 32 per game.
Yes, Fields provided a handful of those field-stretching, stadium-shaking completions Bears fans have been starving for so long to experience consistently. (He finished with five completions of at least 20 yards.) But to characterize all those throws as special is an exaggeration. Those were all plays standout NFL starters make on a regular basis. And that’s where Chicago needs to better understand how to distinguish between good and extraordinary to keep the Fields analysis in the reality zone.
Kane: Absolutely, there’s going to be a balance here for Bears fans as they merge their excitement with realistic expectations and evaluations.
Fields might not have been ready for a party Tuesday night, but Bears fans who have endured decades of mediocre-to-bad quarterback play probably deserve a celebratory drink or two now.
No, Fields is not close to breaking that Bears’ quarterback curse yet. But he has being given the chance to try, and that’s something to get excited about.
Wiederer: On the topic of celebratory drinks, I’m confident the Bears fans who do travel to Vegas this weekend will find a way to take you up on that suggestion. And if the Bears win Sunday? Look out.
You’re right though. When the Bears drafted Fields, the excitement mushroomed instantly. Somehow, with the quarterback confusion of the past month, some of that delight was replaced by agitation.
Now, at the very least, Fields has the stage and a massive audience that’s eager to see the show. To that end, Wednesday’s twist was welcome and intriguing.
Away we go.
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