Tyson Bagent on his improvements heading into Bears-Saints |
CHICAGO - The first game was promising, but the second game was not as good for rookie quarterback Tyson Bagent out of Division II Shepherd. Overall, Chicago struggled to move the ball, and that caused the game to become one-sided incredibly fast. Going into this third game as the starter, starting fast is something Bagent identified as crucial for success.
“I think it just all goes back to the slow start. I think that can have an effect on the offense, just with the early hiccups that we had. And then I think later on in the game, we were able to crease a couple runs there,” Bagent said. “But, it’s about that quick start. Pass game or run game, if you get off to a hot start in either one of those, that can usually carry into the second, third quarter at least. So, just being able to start a little bit faster was my biggest take.” There have been some analysts who pick fun at Bagent for coming from a Division II school. But, he does possess a number of skills that are necessary in a quarterback. Naturally, as a rookie, he made some mistakes, such as the interceptions. But for the most part, Bagent was able to read the defense and get the ball where it needed to go. However, he is a player who is always seeking to improve. “Obviously, continuing to hone in on the weekly process, just getting everything completely nailed down,” Bagent said. “I think once you get out on the field, just being able to read and react and trust what you see and go through your progressions and value the ball above all else.” For a player who played 53 games in college, Bagent has learned about the importance of repetition. Getting more practice lately, particularly with the starters, is something that has helped Bagent develop more as a player. Hopefully, for Bears fans, that will show in the game this Sunday against the New Orleans Saints (Noon / CBS). “I think repetition is the mother of all learners. So the more reps I can get at this full speed in the game, I’m sure the more comfortable I’ll be,” Bagent said. “So, it’s always good to continue to get reps, and I’m just looking forward to continue to develop the best that I can through this time.” However, it cannot be a week in Chicago football without some drama. On Tuesday, the Bears acquired edge rusher Montez Sweat from the Washington Commanders, which should help Chicago develop more pressure and alleviate some pressure for Bagent. Perhaps the bigger news came the next day as another sign that Matt Eberflus will most likely not be the head coach for the Chicago Bears next season - the firing of running backs coach David Walker. This was the second time in under two months that a coach Eberflus fired departed the team, the first being with the bizarre resignation of defensive coordinator Alan Williams. Having this occur is quite the bad look for Eberflus, who was already on thin ice as he has the worst win percentage for a head coach in franchise history. If Bagent is with the Bears next season, hopefully, it will not be as chaotic as this season has been. Then again, it would be hard to have more going on internally than Chicago has had. Also, if Bagent can weather the storm here, then he definitely is where he belongs.
