Getty QB Justin Fields
Matt Nagy is finding it difficult to contain his excitement, and fans of the Chicago Bears are right there with him.
The Bears head coach spoke to reporters June 9 during OTAs, and he had some very encouraging words about rookie quarterback Justin Fields, who has been impressing all in attendance since organized team activities began.
While veteran acquisition Andy Dalton had an ugly day of 7-on-7s, tossing three interceptions, Fields wowed with a deep ball for a touchdown to wideout Damiere Byrd, leaving his head coach and attentive media in awe. So far, it’s looking as though Nagy and company have found exactly what they were looking for in Fields, who Nagy says already possesses that killer instinct you want your signal-caller to have.
14. Justin Fields with the walk-off vs. Andy Dalton at #Bears OTA:
Justin Fields uncorked a bomb Wednesday down the left sideline to new #Bears receiver Damiere Byrd, who caught it in stride for a touchdown.
It was the type of throw that sent the Bears sideline buzzing out on the practice field.
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Nagy on Fields: He Has ‘Rip Your Heart Out’ Mentality
“Yeah, so his command right now,” Nagy said about Fields. “He’s back there repeating every word and he’s flipping it and he’s going through in his mind how to call the play — like he’s in the huddle. … The big part of that is getting the right personnel, understanding the formations, where’s the ball at, it’s on the left hash, right hash, middle of the field, first wide vision. And so he’s going through all of that. I thought today he had a real good day of seeing that. I thought he spun the ball well.”
The deep ball to Byrd stood out, though, and Nagy had some revealing comments about his young quarterback when breaking down the play:
“That deep ball down the sideline — he has that mentality of rip your heart out,” Nagy said about Fields. “So there were a couple of plays in there — not just today but other days — where these quarterbacks are staying aggressive. And you got to see a taste of that today with Justin. He made the nice throw to Damiere down the sideline and that ball just took off.”
Young? Aggressive? Ready and able to throw game-ending daggers? The Bears haven’t had a player under center who matches that description in a very long time.
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Fields Already Bonding With Teammates
“Yeah, he’s been awesome so far. Great teammate, great person,” second-year tight end Cole Kmet said about Fields. “Comes into work every day with his head down and ready to do the right thing. He’s coming out here every day and you can see that. He’s learning from everyone and everything that happens. So he’s been awesome to get to know and get to play with on the field.”
Free agent acquisition and former Kansas City Chiefs running back Damien Williams has also been impressed with what he has seen from the rookie quarterback.
“He threw a ball today in a cover-two coverage. It’s a little hole shot that you’ve got to kind of get it in there, and (it was a) perfect back-shoulder,” Williams said, referring to an entirely different pass than the deep ball to Byrd. “It was beautiful.”
Whew! The Bears, of course, have named Dalton the starter, but if the Red Rifle continues to flounder while Fields continues to flourish, look for some big-time drama to emerge this fall in the Windy City.
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