NFC Notes: Bears, Packers, Vikings

Bears

Bears’ HC Matt Nagy is still trying to teach rookie QB Justin Fields and correct some of his mistakes in practice.

“We went through the progression of what you see post-snap and why you don’t throw it to that spot, and he gave me a great answer as to why he went there,” Nagy said, via Adam Jahns of The Athletic. “So now we as coaches see why he did it. We can correct him. And now the next time that play’s called, I’m going to guarantee you that he won’t make the same mistake, and now you’ve got a chance to make a touchdown instead of an interception.”

Fields said he has a good head on his shoulders and tends not to make the same mistake twice. He also says that if he doesn’t do things that are football-related each day, he feels that he isn’t being productive.

“Me, personally, I tend not to make a mistake more than one time,” Fields said. “So once I’ve made that mistake I learn from that mistake, and I mean there’s a 99 percent chance that that same mistake won’t happen again. For me, if I go a day without getting better in one way, whether it’s mentally (or) physically, I feel lazy and I feel like I’m not doing enough to accomplish what I (want to) accomplish. For me, personally, I have to do something football-related, whether it’s studying my plays for 45 minutes, an hour or working out, I have to do something to feel like I’m being productive. I love to feel like I’m being productive and I don’t like feeling like I’m being lazy, because that’s one thing that I can control is my work ethic.”

Fields is also still learning to call plays in the huddle, something he will certainly have to adjust to at the NFL level.

“I would say that’s the biggest change for me,” Fields said. “It’s not even the play call. It’s not the reads, none of that stuff, but it’s going to be saying the play in the huddle. Some of our play calls are really long. That’s what I do. I get the script the night before and I just go through them and read them. Once I go through it a few times, boom (snaps his fingers), I have it down like that.”

The Bears currently have a strong mentor for Fields in veteran QB Andy Dalton, who is doing his best to bring the rookie along. 

“Andy has just completely taken me under his wing,” Fields said. “Any question that I have for him, he’s going to answer, even when I’m throwing. I think there was one day after OTAs, I was throwing extra after practice and he stayed out there specifically to see maybe what I was doing wrong. He was just trying to help me out.”

Packers

Ian Rapoport mentioned that he’d be surprised by any “hardcore negotiations” between Aaron Rodgers and the Packers over the next two weeks and doesn’t expect any progress until training camp.

“I’d be surprised if there was any hardcore negotiations over the course of the next couple weeks. To me, and based on the people I’ve spoken with, this is really something that will be wrapped up either way, if they do find the solution that Green Bay has wanted, if Aaron Rodgers does get the security that he wants potentially in the form of a new contract, probably not going to happen until the start of training camp,” Rapoport said.

• According to The Score WI, Packers QB Aaron Rodgers has renewed his membership to Green Bay Country Club for the remainder of the year.

Vikings

Vikings’ Co-DC Andre Patterson notes that the players Minnesota has brought in this offseason will provide competition and experience to a team that needs help defensively.

“Competition makes everyone better,” Patterson said, via Vikings.com. “Competition makes everybody compete and makes everybody strive to improve because they’re all fighting for a job, and to me, what we have going on right now in the secondary … is great competition. And that’s going to cause everyone to improve. That’s going to cause everyone to see who’s getting better, and the cream is going to rise to the top. So, to me, that’s how you get better, when you have a lot of competition.”

• Vikings ILB Eric Kendricks lamented the calf injury he suffered last year: “I felt like I was having one of the best seasons of my career.” (Chris Tomasson)