Arkush: Stop the nonsense. Dalton is Bears starting QB
The party is over for those of you who have insisted on pretending there was ever a debate about who will be the Bears starting quarterback Week 1 against the Rams in Los Angeles.
Bears head coach Matt Nagy posterized you in the paint, and dunked on you in the end zone Tuesday morning.
Rookie Justin Fields will start the final preseason game Saturday in Nashville on Saturday. That's because Nagy has decided to treat it like a traditional final exhibition game, and his Week 1 starter, Andy Dalton, will be rested and protected to prepare him for the Rams.
Asked specifically, "Andy is not playing because he's your Week 1 starter?"
Nagy's two-word response: "Correct. Yep."
As to which starters might be playing in Nashville, Nagy indicated a focus on the offensive line that, as of yet, has not been completely intact throughout training camp.
That may give Fields a better opportunity to grow in his first NFL start, but Saturday is more focused on preparing the offensive line to protect and give Dalton all the help it can when games start to count.
The irony of it is this is what Nagy has said consistently and without fail from the moment Dalton was signed and Fields was drafted.
I've done my best to avoid the conversation because I knew it was pointless, but what's cultivated it and kept it going is the false notion that Fields has done something on the field to force Nagy to change his mind.
Most of you have seen Fields for roughly two quarters against the Miami Dolphins and two more against the Buffalo Bills.
While he's been impressive with his legs in those outings, he's done nothing with his arm to demand consideration for the starting job.
If you had watched practice every day you'd have seen him do some very impressive things with his arm and struggle at other times.
The bottom line is Fields simply has not outplayed Dalton throughout camp, which you would expect to be a prerequisite to claiming his job.
Listen, my opinion is Fields' ceiling is uniquely high. I think Fields is going to defy the exceptionally long odds against first round QBs becoming stars, maybe even before this season is over.
But there was never any reason to believe he would be ready this quickly, and it is more than reasonable to believe Dalton gives the Bears the best chance to win on opening night.
Fields has known this was the plan since he got to Chicago. Nagy also confirmed on Tuesday that Dalton's play will dictate how long he keeps the job.
"Big picture, when we talked about this from the very start, we said whoever is going to be best for the Chicago Bears and that's going to obviously deal with production and wins, right," Nagy said. "And Andy knows that, Andy is well aware of that."
Contrary to what many would like to believe, saving their jobs isn't the main reason this is Nagy's and Ryan Pace's QB plan.
The No. 1 priority of every single person in the Bears organization and every fan should be winning as many games as possible and competing for a Super Bowl.
Whether that's at all realistic for this group is moot. Their guts and about 100 years of NFL history tell Nagy and Pace this is their best chance. At least for now.
And it doesn't mean there is nothing else Fields can do.
When I asked Nagy if he'll have a "Fields Package" - a handful of plays in the game plan each week to take advantage of his special talents as so many teams have with young QBs not yet ready to start - Nagy gave me a sly grin and said, "You know, it's something that, you know, I don't know."
So maybe Nagy didn't flat-out admit it, but I'd take that as a yes.
@Hub_Arkush