At this very moment, Chicago Bears fans are probably all buzzing about Justin Fields’ second practice against the Miami Dolphins.
From what we’ve heard, those who were there saw something special. Fields completely torched the Dolphins, especially in the red zone drills, throwing three touchdowns on four attempts and also rushing in a score.
Saturday, he’ll have his chance to do it again. Only this time, it’ll be live action in his first preseason game as a pro.
Head coach Matt Nagy told reporters about his strategy when it came to Fields’ playing time against Miami, and he didn’t hold back. Nagy said he’d like to see Fields “get a ton of reps,” noting that he’ll have Fields play into the second half “for sure.”
Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy seems to have completely shifted gears on his preseason mentality.
The fact Nagy will allow his first-round rookie quarterback to play what sounds like over half of the game on Saturday is a far cry from his stance when it came to former starter Mitchell Trubisky.
If you remember, two years ago Trubisky played just one series in his first preseason action against the Carolina Panthers. That series included three handoffs and zero pass attempts.
After the game, Nagy was asked by reporters if he was comfortable with Trubisky not attempting a single pass all preseason. His response?
“Um, yes.”
Nagy was all about staying mentally prepared for the regular season with Trubisky, but never gave him a real chance to shine and get his feet wet in the preseason. After all, preseason is where you want the mistakes to happen, so that they don’t uproot themselves during the regular season.
Maybe the fact that Trubisky wasn’t Nagy’s guy to begin with had something to do with that previous mentality. Or, maybe it was due to Nagy being a first-time head coach in his second year. It’s possible he’s learned much since then.
It is also possible that Fields is simply a guy he wants to see more out of than Dalton. Maybe Nagy truly believes there’s a chance he could take the starting job before Week 1 rolls around. With a stellar performance on Saturday, Fields could get the media controversy all stirred up before the regular season even opens.
No matter what happens, what we know is this: Nagy wants to see a ton of reps from his rookie quarterback on Saturday — and that’s a good thing. Fans will be excited. Fields’ teammates will be excited. This Bears team is all about the kid. It’s Fields’ team, and it’s only a matter of time before it becomes official.
