Chicago Bears: Did Justin Fields throw Matt Nagy under the bus?

The talk surrounding the Chicago Bears is how little head coach Matt Nagy trusts rookie quarterback Justin Fields. Fields might have offered his own criticism of Nagy after the team’s win in Week 4.

One thing we knew about Chicago Bears rookie quarterback Justin Fields was his ability to bounce back from bad games. He even said after the team’s humiliating loss to the Cleveland Browns in Week 3 that he welcomed the adversity. He said it turns him into a different person.

We saw his ability to bounce back with his big passing plays deep helped the Bears come away with a 24-14 victory over the Detroit Lions in Week 4. He showed why so many people were high on him in this year’s draft.

Despite that, head coach Matt Nagy still doesn’t have trust in Fields. He announced in his press conference that when Andy Dalton is healthy, he’ll regain his starting position.

As you could imagine, that announcement did not sit well with Chicago Bears Nation. Not only that, analysts around the NFL criticized that announcement. How could you just bench the young quarterback after he showed that he is ready for the pro game? At this point, he needs seasoning. He won’t get that seasoning sitting on the bench, coming in for just a handful of games.

Yet here we are. Nagy is fighting everyone around the league, insisting Dalton is the man who should be the starter. He’s doing his best to keep Fields rotting on the bench, no matter what.

Last week, as the Bears prepared for the Lions, Nagy said that all three quarterbacks, Dalton, Fields, and Nick Foles, were in play to start. He even came up with a silly narrative about Fields’ hand being injured despite a negative MRI and Fields saying it felt fine. In fact, the Bears had tryouts for a few quarterbacks during the week to spread the silliness.

Justin Fields snaps back at Nagy?

So far, we haven’t heard anything from Fields except words toeing the company line. He says he’s okay with Dalton being the starter and he’s learning a lot watching him. He said that before the season, however. After starting two games and playing half of a third, will he feel the same if he has to head to the bench once again?

Well, we might have heard part of Fields’ response to Nagy not having faith in him. Nagy grudgingly admitted that offensive coordinator Bill Lazor took over at calling plays. The offense ran smoother and had more success.

Fields felt a difference as well. After the win, he noted how much calmer Lazor was during the game than Nagy was, per Pro Football Talk.

"You know, Bill, he’s up in the box, so his voice is always calm. That’s the one thing I like. Coach (Nagy), it’s hard for him to be calm if he has focus on the defense, focus on special teams. (Lazor’s) voice is calm. He’s up there in the box seeing the field well and he did a great job calling plays today."

I should note that Fields wasn’t intentionally trying to throw Nagy under the bus. It was a pointed criticism, however. That is especially true since Lazor heaped praise on Fields a few weeks ago. He said he saw back during the preseason that Fields was ready to handle everything.

There seems to be better chemistry forming between Fields and Lazor than Fields and Nagy. That doesn’t bode well for Nagy’s future in Chicago.