October 2, 2021: Surprising No One

The Bears surprised absolutely nobody when they announced on Saturday that Justin Fields will be the starting QB on Sunday vs Detroit. Did you really think Andy Dalton was going to play? Did you think Nagy would throw Foles in there? I don’t know why everybody made such a big deal about Nagy NOT announcing this during his Friday press conference. People thought it was a sign of no confidence in the kid; I thought at the very worst it was gamesmanship… bad gamesmanship, because everybody knew anyways, but a shot at trying to mislead the opponent. At least he tried…

It would have been different had Dalton not been limping around in practice all week. You’re really going to throw him back in there, nowhere near 100%? He shouldn’t go back in period, ever, but they’d certainly not be stupid enough to start the guy when he’s still recovering from an injury. Yeah, yeah, Dalton will be the starter when he’s healthy… I’ve heard enough of that too. Whatever “deal” was struck when the Bears signed him, it’s off. Don’t tell me Nagy called a shit game plan to try to justify his decision to start, and to stick with Dalton when he’s healthy. He wouldn’t do that; that’s just crazy to think… right?

And then there’s Foles… you’re telling me no other team could have used a backup QB with a Super Bowl ring on his resume. Instead we have to waste whatever we’re paying him to be a 3rd string QB? We couldn’t have gotten anything for him… from anybody? A 7th round draft pick? A backup offensive lineman? A case of Miller Lite? I’m sure he’s been great for Justin Fields to learn from, just like Dalton. To be able to learn the art of quarterbacking from those two legends… man, how lucky. OK, maybe I’m being a bit unfair. These guys do have experience; they can teach him the day in day out routine of being a QB. They can help him with that part. That’s worth the price of admission right there, no?

But more than anything, to be able to learn how to run an NFL offense from a shrewd play caller like Nagy? This is where Fields will really thrive. Is this guy just setup for failure? I saw something saying Fields should force his way out of Chicago; now that’s just flat out stupid. Look, for all that I’ve just said, the fact is Fields is still a rookie QB, who has about 6 quarters under his belt. He’s going to have to learn too. For all the potential this kid seems to have, he needs to prove himself as well. Thing is, we’re going to hold onto that hope as long as possible… you know, that he IS the guy. We won’t accept anything else at this point, and will throw anybody and everybody under the bus until that day.

So let’s get on with it, shall we? Fields will start Sunday, and that’s good enough for me, in this week to week league. The Bears offense can’t possibly look worse than they did, so… after this week, regardless of the result, things will be trending positively, right? Right. Bear Down!