Which Justin Fields Starting Dates Are Better
Bears coach Matt Nagy has already deprived fans of the right to see Justin Fields start the season opener by announcing this during minicamp.
It's difficult to dispute his logic when so many NFL teams have taken the same approach. Only six of the 23 first-round quarterbacks drafted since 2014 have been allowed to start the opener.
Then again, doesn't Chicago deserve better after waiting so long for a quarterback?
A team with a proven, winning veteran starter or a new one can at least appease the masses until the prodigy steps forth. In the case of the Bears, it's the latter.
At one time someone might have called Andy Dalton a proven winner but no more. He is a veteran starter new to the Bears, so this little bit of the unknown can whet the appetite of fans until Fields is deemed ready.
Besides, starting Fields in a season opener at Los Angeles, the first time they ever put fans into the building for a regular-season home game in prime time, and with Aaron Donald across the line looking to rip off heads really does not seem ideal for a debut.
So where, then?
There are some places in this Bears schedule more conducive to rookie baptism than others.
There are also some downright horrible places where Nagy could finally give in and put the kid on the field.
Here are the five best and five worst points for Fields to begin playing in this seemingly endless schedule of 17 games the NFL has forced on everyone. Make a note here, though: George McCaskey didn't vote for it and we may find out why at some point before the season.
Worst Debut Points for Justin Fields
5. At Detroit, Week 12
Normally a game against an opponent forever on the rebuild would rate a place among the best points to start a rookie for the first time. This one has so many reasons not to do it that the opponent becomes irrelevant. First, it would mean we'd wait until almost December to see Fields, on Nov. 25. Who wants to wait that long? Second, unless this has been a promised date to Fields to start and he's preparing long in advance for the game, there could be little worse than taking a team with virtually no practice time to play for a Thanksgiving Day game in Detroit, a game played at 11:30 a.m. Except when they have a chance to get Matt Patricia fired, the Lions usually only get up for a game on Thanksgiving anyway. They would be up for this chance to embarrass the rookie. It's also the first year for their ball-bat wielding coach, his first chance to lead a team in that traditional Lions game. This could all lead to a very upsetting Thanksgiving dinner for many in Chicago.
4. At Tampa Bay, Week 7
Not much needs to be explained about the pitfalls of making a debut against the defending world champions on Oct. 24 in a 3:25 p.m. national telecast, beyond the fact Tom Brady will be out to get his revenge for losing that game in Chicago last year. The real problem isn't Brady as much as the confusing, blitzing defense Todd Bowles would throw out at Fields.
3. At Seattle, Week 16
Let's face it. No one is going to be happy if they're waiting until the day after Christmas in a 3:05 p.m. game to start Fields for the first time. Fields probably won't even like waiting that long to start. Doing it in Seattle, amid the noise from "the 12th man," against a team that always is in the playoff hunt, would make for a rough start. Toss in the added distraction for Fields of going against Russell Wilson, the quarterback he says he has patterned his game after in recent years, and it's all too much for a rookie.
2. Green Bay, Week 6
This is assuming the Bears are facing the Packers with Aaron Rodgers deciding to play instead of hosting Jeopardy, going on the celebrity golf tour or selling insurance full-time for a living. Normally, a Week 6 placement at home might be an ideal point to start Fields, but doing it against their biggest rival and with Rodgers at quarterback is always going to rank high among bad ideas.
1. At Green Bay, Week 14
This would make the list of worst five even if Rodgers didn't start. By December, Jordan Love would have at least an inkling of how to handle the job. Regardless, this date would force Bears fans to wait until December to see Fields and it's a prime-time setting in a road game against an opponent the Bears struggle against. If it is Rodgers starting, toss in his dominance of the Bears over the years, a 21-5 record against them. On the other hand, if Fields were to start for the first time in this game and come away with a win, it might be the point where Bears fans can borrow a phrase from the movie "The Matrix," and say, "He is the one."
Best Debut Points for Justin Fields
5. At Las Vegas, Week 5
If you're going to debut in a road game, Las Vegas might be the ideal location. For one, the place might be loaded up with 20% to 30% Bears fans, if not more. Chicago fans are among the best at traveling to follow their team regardless of how the Bears are doing record-wise. Las Vegas is a new and desirable place for them to travel to in order to support the team. The Raiders are playing in front of their own fans in a new location for the first season, but Las Vegas isn't exactly a giant metropolis of long-time Oakland fans. The Bears might have as many former fans living in the Vegas area as the Raiders do. This 3:05 p.m. kickoff on Oct. 10 could be like a home-away-from-home game. It's also situated well to make a decision to start Fields. If the Bears came off a loss to Detroit at home in Week 4, there couldn't be any better time for them to say "so long" to Dalton. If they lose to Detroit at home in Week 4, Nagy may need the distraction of Fields playing just to keep from being run out of town.
4. Arizona, Week 13
This is waiting too long for his debut, to go until Dec. 5. But it is at Soldier Field and so it's more QB friendly for Fields. It's also against a team traditionally lacking even an adequate defense. A battle, possibly even a shootout against Kyler Murray, would be a fun, interesting debut.
3. Baltimore, Week 11
If you wanted to be on the cautious side with Fields, like the Bears are, waiting until this one could be ideal. First, it's the middle of the schedule and everyone has seen more than enough of Dalton by then. It's ideal because Fields would have two weeks to prepare for the game—the Bears have a bye week right before this. Sure, they have been terrible coming out of bye weeks with Nagy as coach. They haven't won a game after a bye since 2013. But they've lost coming out of three straight byes with Nagy as coach and Mitchell Trubisky as his quarterback. This might be different. It's usually difficult to face Baltimore's defense but the Ravens' offense relies on the run and the Bears on defense are usually at their best stopping the run. So they'd give the rookie a chance. And it's at Soldier Field, so Fields wouldn't need to worry about crowd noise. Also, he'd have a game under his belt then as they go on a short work week to get ready for Detroit on Thanksgiving the next week.
2. Cincinnati, Week 2
What could be better than Sept. 19? They keep their promise to start Dalton in the opener. No one said he was going to start in Week 2, though. Fields then gets to start in the home opener and the buzz in Chicago would be huge. The Bengals are not one of the stronger opponents on the roster. Their quarterback didn't finish his first season because of an ACL tear. They were ranked 26th on defense and 29th on offense. Already there is talk they need a coaching change. This is the next-best starting date for fans, although maybe not for Fields as he still is learning how things are done in the NFL in Week 2. No doubt Nagy would rather wait to start Fields later than this. Starting Fields in this one would also deprive Dalton of a chance to face his old team, but he already did this and slaughtered them with Dallas last year.
1. Detroit, Week 4
The average starting point for the 29 quarterbacks drafted the last decade in Round 1 and were allowed to play before Week 17 as rookies is 3.4 weeks. This would be an average starting point for a rookie to debut. Fields has been around a few weeks to get an idea what game week is like. Now they let him play against a weak, rebuilding opponent at Soldier Field on a Sunday at noon. Getting clobbered the week before in Cleveland will make this an easy decision for Nagy. They'll be 1-2 on the year. It's an excellent point to hand Dalton his parting gifts and thank him for participating.
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