Getty RB David Montgomery of the Chicago Bears.
David Montgomery loves what he has seen so far from Justin Fields. The rookie quarterback for the Chicago Bears has been dazzling teammates and coaches at every turn, and after working with Montgomery at OTA’s, the running back is more than a tad impressed.
The third-year running back praised the former Ohio State quarterback’s athleticism while also noting that Fields has been both confident and willing to glean whatever knowledge he can from veteran signal-caller Andy Dalton.
“Justin is definitely, he’s a freakish athlete, to say the least,” Montgomery told the media on June 2 after organized team activities began. “He already kinda carries that leader mantra that you rarely see in rookies that I know I didn’t have. He’s great and he’s progressing well. It’s good to see him as young as he is being able to take the reins. Looking at Andy, following behind Andy, Andy being able to show him the ropes. He looks great out there. I’m proud of that kid.”
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Early Word on Bears QB Room Has Been Positive
Bears head coach Matt Nagy is also thrilled to have the young quarterback on board, and has spoken in glowing terms about Fields and how well he has adjusted to his first pro locker room so far. During OTAs, Nagy discussed how Fields has been benefitting from working with veterans like Dalton and Nick Foles:
It’s very natural,” Nagy said about the chemistry between Fields and Dalton. “Those guys have each others’ backs. … With Andy, that he’s been doing this for nine or 10 years, so when he calls a play and he sees a short motion coming in and the guy’s going to quick tick and then hit it on a shallow cross, he times it up just right. Well, Justin has never done that before. This is the first time he’s doing that. So when he brings a guy in short motion, quick ticks it and hits him on the run, the timing might be a little bit off. So Justin just needs more reps. Well, Andy has done that for nine years. Andy has seen rotation and he’s seen post-snap stuff, and I think football-wise they’re growing at really good paces right now, but they’re also helping each other out, which is going to make us better.
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Fields Also Earning Praise for Even-Keeled Temperament
When asked how Fields responds to his own mistakes, Nagy said some encouraging things about the 22-year-old quarterback. “It’s been good,” Nagy said. “He’s extremely, extremely calm, which I love. So, when something bad happens, the next play it doesn’t matter to him because he’s so calm and he has confidence in himself. When something good happens, he reacts the same. And that part, that’s a good trait to have, because you can never get too high, you can never get too low. That’s why he’s had the success he’s had.”
The Bears have been adamant they will start Dalton, but if Fields continues to impress, we could see him sooner than later. According to the Bears head coach, Fields is a young man on a mission.
“He’s wired the right way and that’s what I love about him. All Justin wants to do right now is football. That’s all he cares about.”
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