Brian Flores shared praise for Justin Fields preseason opener
The Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores shared his impressions on Chicago Bears rookie quarterback Justin Fields after their preseason matchup. Fields accounted for 142 passing yards and one passing touchdown, as well as 33 rushing yards and another touchdown on the ground.
Brian Flores on Justin Fields
Following the Miami Dolphins 20-13 loss against the Chicago Bears, head coach Brian Flores had positive things to say about Fields’ performance in the game and throughout their scrimmages in practice.
“He threw the ball well on the run, today and the entire week,” Flores said of Justin Fields, as reported by Omar Kelly of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. “He has a bright future if he keeps working.”
Whatever it was that Flores saw in their scrimmages, Fields felt confident it would translate into their official game.
“Practicing against the Dolphins all week, I knew our offense could score on them,” Fields stated afterwards.
Flores’ praise for the rookie quarterback might ring sour for fans of his following the NFL draft. The Dolphins passed on drafting Fields with their sixth-overall pick of the draft, instead choosing wide receiver Jaylen Waddle. Fields went on to be selected at 11th overall. While the decision made perfect sense as the Dolphins selected Tua Tagovailoa with the first overall pick in 2020, some fans are impatiently waiting for him to develop.
While it was still preseason, Fields won their first quarterback matchup as Tagovailoa threw the ball for 99 yards and an interception. As Fields looks to improve and become a known NFL name, any success he has will be held up against his draft ranking as a missed opportunity.
Praise for Fields
The day saw plenty of praise come Justin Fields’ way from around the nation, including the likes of NBA superstar LeBron James. As Wade Peery of On3 Sports detailed, one of his biggest supporters was his own head coach, Matt Nagy. Bears head coach Matt Nagy stated in his post-game press conference on Fields’ debut, “He was extremely calm the whole time.”
Nagy continued to field questions about the emerging quarterback position battle in Chicago in his press conference. He’s told each and everyone of his quarterbacks to stay in the present moment and worry about that. The Bears head coach commented that he thought his rookie quarterback did an excellent job of staying in the present.
“I’ve continued to say that all we want to do–we want them to be the best quarterbacks they can be,” Nagy said. “Don’t worry about tomorrow. Don’t worry about next week. Don’t worry about the future. Just worry about today. I thought that Justin did a great job of worrying about today and he played smart football. He made plays.”
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