Bears Mailbag -- What's With Matt Nagy's QB Plan Stubbornness?

It's not often that Bill Belichick influences how Chicago Bears fans feel.  But today, they certainly do.  With news breaking that New England released Cam Newton and named Mac Jones their starting QB, Bears Twitter has been set ablaze.

Might I add:

This does beg the question -- what's with Matt Nagy's plan to still play Andy Dalton and sit Justin Fields? We'll cover that and more in this week's Bears Mailbag.  Follow me on Twitter @DhruvKoul to continue the conversation.

Bears Mailbag

In preseason, Fields certainly moved the offense better than Dalton did, showed off his terrific physical attributes (strong arm, speed, etc.), and also showed growth in several areas of "playing quarterback."  He commanded the offense, showed poise, kept his eyes downfield in the face of pressure, and showed he is in a better spot with the offense than the coaching staff expected. All of that is great. However, Andy Dalton has been no slouch.  No, he didn't play great in the preseason, but Dalton did look good in practices and has shown strong command of the offense and decision making.  He has not looked like a first-year QB in this offense. That said, we won't really know how these QBs play until the Bears start a) game planning for a specific opponent and b) scheming accordingly.  The "actual players" on offense will take the field and the "actual" play calling in this newer scheme will shape up. Bears fans are excited about Fields, and I get it.  But it's not as simple as "play your 11th overall pick."  Nagy and Ryan Pace need to ensure two things this season: - Fields is truly developing properly and looks good when he takes the field. - The Bears are winning. Nagy cannot afford a dud of a season.  The first part will help the second part.  And the Bears are desperately avoiding a Miami 2020 situation -- they will NOT rotate QBs.  Once they roll with Fields, Fields is the guy. Nagy has to be absolutely sure Fields is ready.  Dalton buys them time, as much as fans don't want to hear it. (I also want to point out that Dalton will not be some Grade A scrub that fans seem to think he is.)