NEWSLETTER
Between chants of “We want Justin!” and this reaction upon Justin Fields’ entrance into Saturday’s game, Bears fans have made it clear who they want to start the season as QB1. And if that wasn’t enough, the cascade of boos that fell upon Soldier Field after each three-and-out series by the first-team offense really drives the point home.
Bears fans have seen enough of Andy Dalton. Especially the ones who have been in attendance at Soldier Field.
Sure, Head Coach Matt Nagy insists on starting Dalton because of a desire to see how he performs in the regular season. Maybe Nagy feels as if 8,151 regular-season snaps over the last nine years isn’t a large enough sample. Whatever the case may be, the 33 preseason snaps fans have seen over the last two weeks has been enough for folks in attendance to voice their displeasure about the situation.
All that to say, Fields doesn’t want to hear it any more:
Justin Fields after hearing jeering and chants of his name during Andy Dalton's series on the field: "I think it's kind of disrespectful to Andy, them cheering my name out like that. … Cheer for who's out there playing on the field."
— Chris Emma (@CEmma670) August 21, 2021
This is truly a pro move from the rookie quarterback. There is no doubt Fields wants to be this team’s starting quarterback. And Dalton has made it known that, while Fields’ time to shine will come, it won’t arrive until after Dalton relinquishes his starting spot. So rather than fan the flames, Fields comes correct with the right message. That will surely buy him some respect from veterans in the locker room — starting with Dalton.
