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Veterans of the Chicago Bears defense are being urged to tell head coach Matt Nagy to start quarterback Justin Fields over veteran Andy Dalton. The Bears coach has been baffling in both his refusal to have an open quarterback competition when his second-stringer is clearly more talented than his starter, and he is the only head coach to select a quarterback in the first round only to severely limit his opportunities for reps with first-team players.
Nagy and the Bears named Dalton the team’s starter immediately after signing him in March, before moving up in the draft to select Fields. After three preseason games and one full training camp, it’s clear Fields can make plays Dalton can’t — and while there are sure to be rookie hiccups along the way, the bulk of fans and analysts think Fields should start over Dalton.
Now, some are suggesting Nagy’s decision to keep Fields on the bench is going to impact the team’s locker room in a very bad way.
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Dalton vs Fields Preseason Numbers
Sure, it’s only the preseason, but Fields displayed an uncanny ability to make plays with his arm:
And his legs:
Or both on the same play:
While Dalton had a nice 73-yard strike to Rodney Adams for a touchdown in the Bears’ second preseason game against the Buffalo Bills, that play was made more by Adams than it was by Dalton. The difference between the two quarterbacks seemed stark, and it’s evidenced in what Fields can bring with his feet.
Here’s a look at what the two QBs did this preseason:
Fields: Completed 30-of-49 passes (61.2% completion rate) for 276 yards and two TDs. He also ran the ball 11 times for 92 yards and a touchdown, finishing with a QB rating of 96.98.
Dalton: Completed 13 of 21 passes (61.9% completion rate) for 164 yards, a TD, and an interception. He had an 82.2 QBR.
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Jeff Saturday to Khalil Mack: Talk to Matt Nagy
On the August 30th episode of ESPN’s “Get Up,” analysts and former players Dan Orlovsky and Jeff Saturday discussed the Bears’ current situation at quarterback, and neither could believe how Nagy specifically has been handling his quarterbacks.
“Justin Fields can make up for more of the deficiencies on your football team than Andy Dalton can, simply because — and Jeff Saturday knows this — one of the reasons why quarterback run/zone-read was developed in football was for bad offensive lines,” Orlovsky, a seven-year NFL vet, said as Saturday nodded enthusiastically.
“This goes back to the (Mitch) Trubisky thing. Why can’t we build the offense around the quarterback’s talent rather than trying to take the quarterback and make him fit into our offense that I want to run?” Orlovsky added.
Saturday, who played center for 13 seasons with the Indianapolis Colts and one with the Green Bay Packers, agreed with Orlovsky. A two-time All-Pro and six-time Pro Bowler, Saturday won a Super Bowl with the Colts in 2007, and he has worked with one of the greatest quarterbacks of all-time in Peyton Manning, so he knows a thing or two about what a winning locker room looks like.
“If I’m in the Chicago Bears locker room,” Saturday said, “I am pissed. Listen — you know who helps us win the game. Bottom line. This ain’t about organizational future. I’m not a general manager. My job is to play good football and get paid on Tuesday cause I earned it on Sunday or Monday. That’s my job. Your job as a coach is to put the best 11 on the field. You know who the best 11 is? Justin Fields is one of them. So put him on the field.”
Saturday then encouraged one of the leaders of Chicago’s defense to talk to Nagy about the situation.
If you’re a player, you know it’s not for long in the NFL, and Justin Fields gives (the Bears) the best chance to make the playoffs. That’s the truth of it. And he does make up for this offensive line. Listen, for what they cannot do, they at least have a 1,000-yard rusher (David Montgomery). You blend that with being able to boot, waggle and run nakeds both ways, and you give this offense a chance to put up points. That is the way they’ll win games. This is not a shot on Andy Dalton, this is a locker room issue, and I’m telling you, if I’m sitting in there, I’m going to the coach’s office, and I’m gonna let him know. Khalil Mack, go let him know. That defense that can win games — go let him know. Cause the truth has been seen by the players.
It seems clear the truth has been seen by the vast majority of people watching these two quarterbacks — including Nagy — but when he does anything about it remains to be seen.
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