Post by JABF on May 5, 2021 8:20:33 GMT -6
Great question, and I liked his answer. What do you think, when should Fields start?
LINK
Shouldn’t the expectation be that Justin Fields beats out Andy Dalton for QB1 in camp? — @binkfigginss
Bears fans are over the moon after the selection of Fields in the first round of the draft, and they’re probably more eager than Matt Nagy and his coaching staff to see him on the field. But the Bears need to be smart about how they bring Fields along. I don’t see any reason to put a ceiling on what he can accomplish as a rookie, but it also would be a critical mistake to force him onto the field before he’s ready and risk stunting his development and confidence. Some have advocated for Fields playing right away to fast-track his development, but can you do this if you believe the Bears have a playoff-ready defense? The team is getting older on that side of the ball and needs to make choices accordingly. Nagy has detailed the lengths the staff is going to in terms of putting together a plan to introduce Fields to the pro game and the Bears offense, and it will be interesting when he finally reveals some of those specifics. Unfortunately, I doubt Nagy will give us a step-by-step preview before Fields sets foot on the practice fields at Halas Hall, but you never know.
Dalton is the starter as long as he can hold off Fields. If Fields picks up the offense quickly and shows he can make a seamless transition to the NFL, he will put pressure on the veteran right away. The last thing the Bears want is to get into a hole at the start of the season and be in chase mode, so they need to start the quarterback who gives them the best chance of winning. These days, you don’t see many teams draft quarterbacks in Round 1 and prepare to sit them for their entire rookie season. There’s pressure to see the guy play, and the Bears had to trade up and draft a quarterback because otherwise they were in a no-win situation at the position beyond 2021. So I would expect Fields to start at some point this year. How soon? I’d only be guessing at this point. I haven’t seen him or Dalton practice with the team yet.
Shouldn’t the expectation be that Justin Fields beats out Andy Dalton for QB1 in camp? — @binkfigginss
Bears fans are over the moon after the selection of Fields in the first round of the draft, and they’re probably more eager than Matt Nagy and his coaching staff to see him on the field. But the Bears need to be smart about how they bring Fields along. I don’t see any reason to put a ceiling on what he can accomplish as a rookie, but it also would be a critical mistake to force him onto the field before he’s ready and risk stunting his development and confidence. Some have advocated for Fields playing right away to fast-track his development, but can you do this if you believe the Bears have a playoff-ready defense? The team is getting older on that side of the ball and needs to make choices accordingly. Nagy has detailed the lengths the staff is going to in terms of putting together a plan to introduce Fields to the pro game and the Bears offense, and it will be interesting when he finally reveals some of those specifics. Unfortunately, I doubt Nagy will give us a step-by-step preview before Fields sets foot on the practice fields at Halas Hall, but you never know.
Dalton is the starter as long as he can hold off Fields. If Fields picks up the offense quickly and shows he can make a seamless transition to the NFL, he will put pressure on the veteran right away. The last thing the Bears want is to get into a hole at the start of the season and be in chase mode, so they need to start the quarterback who gives them the best chance of winning. These days, you don’t see many teams draft quarterbacks in Round 1 and prepare to sit them for their entire rookie season. There’s pressure to see the guy play, and the Bears had to trade up and draft a quarterback because otherwise they were in a no-win situation at the position beyond 2021. So I would expect Fields to start at some point this year. How soon? I’d only be guessing at this point. I haven’t seen him or Dalton practice with the team yet.
