So a day after Dalton threw for 317 yards and directed a late field-goal drive that gave the Bears a 16-14 walk-off victory over the winless Lions on Thanksgiving Day at Ford Field, there was plenty of quarterback fodder as the Bears begin a “mini-bye” week before facing the Cardinals on Dec.
Considering that the Bears are a long shot to make the playoffs and that Dalton’s steady veteran hand arguably gives them a better chance to win right now anyway, Nagy doesn’t have to rush Fields back.
Addressing yet another brush fire from last week, Nagy denied a report by veteran Bears reporter and analyst Hub Arkush — who has close, long-held ties at Halas Hall — that Bears chairman George McCaskey ordered Nagy to make Fields the starter after Fields’ first NFL start against the Browns on Sept.
Nagy had said the day after that game — in which Fields was sacked nine times in a 26-6 loss — that Dalton would remain the starter when he recovered from a knee injury he suffered against the Bengals the previous week.
He and team president Ted Phillips are well aware of Bears fans’ disdain for them meddling in football affairs when they have virtually no football background.
When the season started, Fields played five snaps against the Rams and two against the Bengals as a change-of-pace quarterback — similar to how Saints coach Sean Payton used Taysom Hill in place of Drew Brees.
When Justin gets back to being healthy, he’s back in.