Chicago Bears: This Week Should be the Start of Fields’ time

With Chicago Bears starting quarterback Andy Dalton still nursing a bone bruise, Justin Fields gets his shot. Could the team go back after this happens?

With Andy Dalton’s knee injury (bone bruise), the Chicago Bears now have a full-fledged quarterback controversy. Some say that there already was one. Bears fans clamored for Justin Fields to start from the moment the Bears drafted him. The problem with that premise is that head coach Matt Nagy kept his plan on sitting Fields down in favor of Dalton. He wouldn’t back off that plan, no matter what.

Now, however, with Dalton’s injury, things changed. Dalton’s knee injury opens the door for Fields to take over as QB1. Nagy keeps insisting that with Dalton healthy, he would be the starter. That point was reiterated in this week’s press conference.

Depending on the severity of a bone bruise, recovery time can range from a week to a month. That means the signs point to FIelds making his first NFL start this week against the Cleveland Browns. Nagy might have no choice but to start Fields, at least for this week.

Around FPC

NFL: Tom Brady On The Cusp Of 80K Yards And More

NFL: Raiders Constrict Steelers’ Offense 26-17

NFL: Bruce Arians Doesn’t Deny Bucs Interest In Richard Sherman

MLB: AL Notes: Schedule Difficulty May Be The Key In Wildcard Race

Wrestling: WWE Remains In Denial About AEW

PODCAST: Full Press NFL Podcast Ep 9: Can Tom Brady Play Until 50? Week 2 Picks and Preview

The question now is how long the Fields era lasts. If he has a good showing against the vaulted Browns defense, will Nagy back down from Dalton as the starter?

This is the perfect excuse for Nagy and the Chicago Bears. They could start Fields and keep him there while not breaking their promise of having Dalton as the starter. Of course, it is ridiculous that the team wants to ease a player’s feelings. Nagy’s prevailing thought should be the good of the team and not Dalton’s feelings. Dalton is a longtime professional and knows what the deal is in Chicago. He is nothing more than a bridge to Fields. If it is good for the team for that to happen this week then the move needs to be made. Why Nagy keeps insisting on delaying the inevitable is incomprehensible.

Is Fields ready, though?

Some people argue that FIelds’ performance in Week 2 against the Cincinnati Bengals showed that he isn’t ready. That’s a short-sighted view. Fields had to come in without the game plan suited for him. He had little to no reps with the starters throughout training camp and preseason games. It continued into the start of the season. Sure, the Bears had a couple of sub-packages for him, but there was no plan for an extended number of snaps.

With Dalton’s injury, the game plan is tailored for Fields. Also, he finally gets the reps with the starters he needs. We saw last week that he made some great throws that the receivers missed. There were three touchdown passes that should have been made (two to Allen Robinson and one to Darnell Mooney). Furthermore, there was a critical false start on Fields on the Bengals’ five-yard line. Fields was pulling back and clapping, expecting the snap. There was a miscommunication between Fields and center Sam Mustipher. This is also something that works better with reps.

Once Fields gets his start this week, it’ll be difficult to sit him down again. Unless he completely falls flat on his face, the Bears need to keep him as QB1. Will there be growing pains? Yes, FIelds will make rookie mistakes. He’ll also make some incredible plays. If he has a game plan suited to his skills and good rapport with his teammates, those incredible plays will happen in abundance.

We all waited for the FIelds era to begin. it took an injury for it to happen, however. Now that we’re on the precipice of it happening, Nagy and the Bears need to accept it and let it continue. It’s time to scrap the plan.