Category: 2021 season

Justin Fields credits Andy Dalton for being a mentor in 2021

Andy Dalton didn’t let an awkward quarterback situation get in the way of mentoring Justin Fields last season.

When Justin Fields was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the spring of 2021, it brought hope and optimism that the team had finally solved their dreadful quarterback woes after years of ineptitude. It also brought the potential for a very awkward situation with veteran Andy Dalton, who signed a one-year, $10 million deal to be the starter just a month and a half earlier. It turns out the two players not only navigated a rocky situation effectively, but became extremely close in the process.

Fields recently spoke with Barstool Sports’ Pardon My Take Podcast and discussed a variety of topics, including his and Dalton’s relationship through an uncertain time.

“Andy’s amazing,” Fields said. “I mean, even this year he was texting me after good games that I had and said ‘I saw your game. Great job bro.’ Just his family, his wife, his kids. They’re amazing. Andy and Nick [Foles] they taught me a lot last year just with the life of being an NFL quarterback and he kind of took me under his wing. I’m definitely very appreciative of that and I wish Andy nothing but the best of luck.”

Fields went on to explain that Dalton was able to look past any potential awkwardness with the impending quarterback controversy and be there for the rookie when he needed it.

“He’s always been great to me. Always seen the bigger picture, not really getting that confusion,” Fields said. “Just the situation we were in last year, not getting in the way with our relationship. Always kept it cordial with me and was kind of a big brother to me.”

The situation Fields mentions was the inevitable passing of the torch. Dalton was a stop gap and Fields was the future. It only took two weeks for that to get into motion when Dalton went down with an injury in the Bears’ Week 2 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals, with Fields getting the start in his place in Week 3 against the Cleveland Browns. Despite the horrific offensive showing, the Bears committed to Fields for the season and Dalton’s assurances of being the starter were all gone.

Dalton didn’t owe Fields anything and might have felt slighted by him or the team for their decision to move up for a quarterback. Dalton started just six games in 2021, throwing for 1,515 yards with eight touchdowns and nine interceptions during his lone season in Chicago. Fields officially took over as the top quarterback and Dalton signed with the New Orleans Saints last offseason as a backup but wound up starting 14 games.

Though their time together was short, Dalton clearly made a lasting impact on Fields, giving him a needed mentor at a critical time. Perhaps that makes the signing and “QB1” tweets all worth it.

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Does Matt Nagy regret how he handled Bears QB Justin Fields?

Matt Nagy: “We knew (Justin Fields) was our future, and we wanted to…do everything we possibly could to make sure he succeeded.”

Former Bears coach Matt Nagy isn’t remembered fondly in Chicago. But he did play a part in drafting quarterback Justin Fields, which has to have fans feeling at least a little appreciative.

Nagy, now the Chiefs quarterbacks coach, finds himself coaching in the Super Bowl one year removed from what was an ugly final season with the Bears.

Excitement was at an all-time high with the drafting of Fields, but Nagy’s handling of the rookie quarterback rubbed fans and analysts the wrong way.

Whether it was Fields not getting a chance to compete for the starting job with veteran Andy Dalton, questionable game plans or failing to adapt his offense to fit Fields strengths, it became a matter of when — not if — Nagy would be fired. Nagy made it to the end of the 2021 season before he was canned, along with general manager Ryan Pace.

Nagy was asked about whether he had any regrets with how he handled Fields last year.

“Everyone said, ‘You’re trying to do the Alex Smith-Patrick Mahomes deal.’ They’re all different,” Nagy told CHGO Sports. “We wanted to make sure we handled Justin — we knew that was our future, and we wanted to handle him and do everything we possibly could to make sure he succeeded — scheme, how we handled practices.”

Nagy admitted it “didn’t go the way we wanted” but he used it as a learning experience.

But with Nagy coaching for his job last season, did he feel a sense of pressure to develop Fields in a short span?

“These guys are so young,” Nagy said. “When they’re thrown into it, everybody thinks it can just happen overnight; they’re going to play like they did in college. That’s not real. When you’re a coach and you go through your offense, your scheme, your players, you want to do everything you possibly can to make sure they succeed.”

Fields’ career got off to an ominous start with his first start against the Browns, where he was sacked nine times (including four times by Myles Garrett). It was a disaster from start to finish, and it’s something Nagy regrets.

“It wasn’t what we wanted for Justin,” Nagy said. “…The last thing you want is to hurt somebody’s confidence, a young quarterback, like we did that game. No one wants that for anybody.”

Flash forward a year, and Fields is coming off a sophomore season where he emerged as one of the NFL’s most electrifying players, despite shortcomings on the roster.

While it was another ugly season — with Fields being sacked 55 times and leading the worst passing offense — it’s hard not to be excited about the future after what Fields showed in Year 2.

It’s safe to say Nagy won’t be receiving a warm reception in Chicago anytime soon. But, if anything, thanks for Fields.

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Bears release first depth chart ahead of Week 1 game vs. 49ers

The Bears released their first depth chart ahead of Sunday’s season opener against the 49ers, which didn’t feature too many surprises.

The Chicago Bears are gearing up for their Week 1 opener against the San Francisco 49ers, where Chicago will be looking to pull off the upset in the first game of the Matt Eberflus era.

The Bears released their first depth chart ahead of Sunday’s season opener against the 49ers, which didn’t feature too many surprises and provided the answers to some questions regarding position battles along the offensive line and defensive end.

Here’s a look at the Bears’ first depth chart of the season:

How much was Bears QB Justin Fields affected by pressure in 2021?

Considering the circumstances of Justin Fields’ rookie season, it’s not a shock that the Bears QB was affected by pressure in 2021.

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Bears quarterback Justin Fields’ rookie season was rocky to say the least. To the point that head coach Matt Nagy and general manager Ryan Pace were relieved of their duties and a new regime ushered in.

Pro Football Focus examined how different quarterbacks were affected by pressure, based on the difference in their PFF grades from a clean pocket and pressured pocket.

Fields was among those quarterbacks that were affected most when pressured. He had a clean-pocket passing grade of 78.4 and a pressured-pocket passing grade of 33.1 for a difference of 45.3.

That ranked fourth most behind only San Francisco’s Jimmy Garoppolo (1st), Miami’s Tua Tagovailoa (2nd) and Houston’s Davis Mills (3rd).

The Buckeye-turned-Bear signal-caller registered only 353 total dropbacks — the second-fewest of the group — and only 87 of his attempts were pressured. He completed 40 of them with only two touchdowns. Fields tied for the fifth-most turnover-worthy plays (11) and was sacked 36 times on such plays.

Considering the circumstances that Fields was dealing with — questionable offensive line and and even worse play caller in Nagy — it’s not a surprise. Fields was sacked nine times in his first start against the Cleveland Browns, and it’s hard to imagine that wasn’t in the back of his mind for the duration of his rookie season.

Looking ahead of the 2022 season, things aren’t much better. There are still questions along the offensive line, as the Bears don’t have their starting combination in place heading into training camp. Not to mention, outside of Darnell Mooney, Fields doesn’t have any proven commodities at wide receiver.

But the good news is that Fields finally has an adequate play caller in new offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, who’s already promised to build the offense around Fields’ strengths.

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Bears’ Darnell Mooney details locker room vibe during ‘brutal’ 2021 season

Darnell Mooney described the Bears locker room vibe last season when the team was continuously losing, and it was as bad as you’d expect.

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During the final year of Matt Nagy’s tenure with the Chicago Bears, it became apparent that he wouldn’t be Chicago’s head coach beyond 2021. But there were questions if a move would come mid-season, especially given there were some difficult outings during the 6-11 season.

Bears wide receiver Darnell Mooney described the locker room vibe last season when the team was continuously losing, and it was just as bad as you’d expect.

“You could definitely feel the energy a lot of guys just having that time like, ‘Let’s just get this over with. It’s getting brutal out here, just continuing losing,'” Mooney told Red Line Radio. “It’s definitely hard to have the mindset going into next week, ‘My god, we just keep losing.'”

At one point, the Bears had two losing streaks of five and three games, including some rough outings against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, San Francisco 49ers, Green Bay Packers and Baltimore Ravens, where Chicago lost to backup quarterback Tyler Huntley.

Mooney was also asked about the infamous Cleveland Browns game in Week 3, where Justin Fields was sacked nine times in one of the Bears’ worst offensive performances in franchise history.

“I’ve never been a part of that situation ever,” Mooney said, acknowledging that it was a rough contest.

That game set the tone for what would be a brutal 2021 season, where both Nagy and general manager Ryan Pace were fired following the regular-season finale.

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Cowboys land both starting cornerbacks on PFF’s top 10 list for press coverage

Trevon Diggs was ranked No. 1 in press coverage last season; Anthony Brown took enough advantage of his environment to finish 9th. | From @ToddBrock24f7

Everything’s bigger in Texas, they say. But when the Dallas Cowboys defense is on the field, their starting cornerbacks are both among the best in the league at making things exponentially smaller for opposing quarterbacks. Like throwing windows and completion rates.

Pro Football Focus has released its list of the top 10 press cornerbacks, and Trevon Diggs and Anthony Brown both make an appearance, speaking well of the vast improvements made to the defense overall last season in Dan Quinn’s first year as coordinator.

But press coverage is about the player more than the scheme. And PFF’s Conor McQuiston caveats his countdown by admitting that ranking press cover men is especially tricky business.

But so is throwing against the Cowboys corners, based on the statistics utilized. It’s not just targets and pass breakups and yards; but target percentage, yards per route run allowed, and percentage of targets charted as “open,” among others-  and the weights given for each stat that make up a composite score for each player.

Dallas isn’t the only team with two representatives on this list. The New Orleans Saints duo of Marshon Lattimore and Chauncey Gardner-Johnson came in at Nos. 4 and 5, respectively.

The rankings represent 2021 performance and are not necessarily meant to be forward-looking projections.

Rams WR Cooper Kupp heaps praise on Bears CB Jaylon Johnson

Bears CB Jaylon Johnson is getting some well-deserved respect from one of the NFL’s best in Rams WR Cooper Kupp.

Entering the 2021 season, the Chicago Bears knew they were facing a formidable foe in Week 1 when they traveled out west to face the Los Angeles Rams.

The Bears predictably came out with a loss, losing 34-14 as quarterback Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp were masterful for the Rams. Stafford completed 20-of-26 passes for 321 yards and three touchdowns, with Kupp receiving seven of those passes for 108 yards and a touchdown.

The game was the beginning of a special season for Stafford, Kupp, and the Rams. With a top-five passing offense and Kupp leading the league in receptions, yards, and touchdowns, the Rams went the distance to win Super Bowl LVI. But during his historic season, Kupp admits he was impressed by a few cornerbacks he faced along the way, including a young Bears defender way back in Week 1.

Speaking with Dan Patrick on the Dan Patrick Show, Kupp was asked who was the best defensive back he faced during the season. The reigning Offensive Player of the Year named two players who were not only great, but perhaps aren’t getting the respect they deserve. One of those players was Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson.

“I thought he was a guy that would come up and challenge you, and we had to have a plan for him,” Kupp said.

The other player he listed was Indianapolis Colts cornerback Kenny Moore, who flourished under Johnson’s new head coach Matt Eberflus when he was defensive coordinator prior to taking the Bears coaching job.

“Those two off the top of my head stick out as guys that I knew were challenging play in and play out,” Kupp told Patrick.

Johnson, by most accounts, had an improved second season compared to his rookie year, while being tasked with becoming the team’s top cornerback after the departure of Kyle Fuller. Though his passes defended decreased from 15 to nine, he snagged his first interception of his career and improved in areas such as targeted quarterback rating (107.5 to 101.9), lowering yards after completion (270 to 214), and reducing his missed tackle percentage (17% to 13.2%.

Against Kupp and the Rams in Week 1, Johnson had five total tackles and one pass defended. He was targeted three times, allowing just one catch for 13 yards.

Entering his third season, Johnson will have more help in the secondary as general manager Ryan Poles bolstered the defense in the draft with rookies Kyler Gordon and Jaquan Brisker. Johnson will continue to play a key role on defense in Eberflus’ system and is still looking to take that next step towards becoming an elite cornerback. But he has a fan in Kupp and may not be slept on for much longer.

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Former Bears EDGE Cassius Marsh still isn’t over egregious taunting call

Former Bears EDGE Cassius Marsh shared a hilarious TikTok that shows he hasn’t forgotten the egregious taunting call heard ’round the world.

One of the most memorable and controversial games from the Chicago Bears’ 2021 season was a 29-27 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday Night Football in Week 9.

There were plenty of questionable calls against Chicago throughout the game, but the most egregious was the taunting call on former Bears edge rusher Cassius Marsh by referee Tony Corrente.

Marsh, a former Steeler, was flagged for taunting following a fourth-quarter sack on Ben Roethlisberger when he looked toward the Pittsburgh sideline, even though the camera showed he wasn’t taunting.

The NFL never admitted they made a mistake with the call, which led to a Steelers field goal and was the ultimate deciding factor in the two-point win by Pittsburgh. But in front of a national audience, it shined a brighter light and more criticism on the NFL’s officiating.

Flash forward seven months later, and it’s clear Marsh still hasn’t forgotten about Corrente’s taunting call, as evidenced by a hilarious TikTok the former Bear shared.

“I think that one was just bad timing,” Marsh said shortly after the game. “It’s pretty clear to everybody who saw it that I wasn’t taunting. I’ve been doing the celebration my whole career. It’s just sad to see stuff like that happen in a close game like that.”

Marsh, who played four games with Chicago in 2021, is a free agent.

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Cowboys trio lands in Top 25 for latest merchandise sales

The Cowboys were the only team to land five players in the Top 50 for player-branded sales for the period before 2021 training camp. | From @ToddBrock24f7

The latest sales figures have been released for NFL player-specific merchandise.

The Cowboys are, once again, America’s Team.

Cha-ching.

The rankings from the NFLPA are for the period of March 1, 2021 to May 31, 2021, so the list is somewhat behind the very latest trends and doesn’t even include the last season of play. Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons, for example, had yet to begin his remarkable rookie campaign; he falls outside the Top 25 as a result.

At No. 6, quarterback Dak Prescott is the highest-ranking Cowboys player on the list, which includes all player-branded merchandise sold online and in brick-and-mortar retail outlets. Fans were clearly eager to rep Prescott’s gear as he made his way back from the injury that prematurely ended his 2020 season.

CeeDee Lamb places 13th; the wide receiver was preparing to start just his second season in the league for the period that sales were tabulated.

Running back Ezekiel Elliott is 16th. His inclusion here gives the Cowboys three players inside the Top 20. No other team can make that claim.

The aforementioned Parsons sits at No. 28, the fourth-highest-ranking defensive player. Again, this was before his transcendent Defensive Rookie of the Year season had even begun. He no doubt moved much higher as the 2021 season played out.

Amari Cooper- while he was still in the silver and blue, anyway- comes in 47th.

Tampa Bay’s Tom Brady led all player-specific merchandise sales for the prescribed period; Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes, Buffalo’s Josh Allen, Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow, and New England’s Mac Jones round out the top five.

George Kittle, one spot below Prescott, is the highest-ranking non-quarterback in the Top 50.

The Cowboys outpaced all NFL teams with five players on the Top 50. San Francisco landed four players on the list; the Buccaneers, Steelers, and Rams all featured three players.

Twenty-eight of the league’s 32 teams have a player somewhere in the Top 50.

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Bears name Robert Quinn, Khalil Herbert recipients of Brian Piccolo Award

Every year, the Bears select a veteran and a rookie to honor with the Brian Piccolo Award. This year, it’s Robert Quinn and Khalil Herbert.

Courage. Loyalty. Teamwork. Dedication. A sense of humor. Those are just a few traits that described the late Brian Piccolo.

Every year, the Chicago Bears select a veteran and a rookie that best exemplify those traits to honor the former Bears running back with the Brian Piccolo Award. This year’s recipients are pass rusher Robert Quinn and rookie running back Khalil Herbert.

Quinn is coming off his best season with the Bears, where he set a franchise single-season record with 18.5 sacks. He tallied 12 sacks in the final eight games, recording at least a half sack in 14 of 16 games. Quinn was voted to the Pro Bowl and named second-team All-Pro.

“It’s definitely an honor to be nominated for this,” Quinn said, via ChicagoBears.com, “so thank you to the McCaskey and Piccolo families and my teammates for voting for me.”

Herbert, a sixth-round rookie, impressed during his short stint in a starting role in place of an injured David Montgomery. From Weeks 5-8, Herbert rushed for 344 yards, never rushing for less than 72 yards during that span. He also proved his effectiveness as a kickoff returner.

“I’m honored to receive this award,” Herbert said. “I just want to say thank you to the McCaskey family, the Piccolo family and the Bears organization for allowing me to be a part of this rich tradition. Embodying loyalty, teamwork and dedication is something I always strive for on and off the field, so I’m honored to receive this award.

“I also want to thank my teammates for voting for me to be the rookie that receives this award. I will continue embodying these characteristics on and off the field and hope to make everybody proud in this room and my family back home.”

Piccolo is most known for his relationship with former Bears Hall of Fame running back Gale Sayers, and their friendship was the spotlight of the film Brian’s Song, which has left a profound impact on many who have watched it.

Piccolo passed away after embryonal cell carcinoma, an aggressive form of germ cell testicular cancer, had spread to his chest cavity. He was 26 years old. Still, Piccolo’s memory lives on through the stories told and an annual award that honors those traits that defined his character.

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