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Mike Ditka thinks Justin Fields should be Bears' Week 1 starter

There’s been a lot of discussion this offseason about whether or not Bears rookie quarterback Justin Fields should be given the chance to start immediately in Week 1.

Count former Bears head coach Mike Ditka among those who wants to see Fields start Week 1, citing the best learning experience is learning on the job.

“Put him on the field and let him learn,” Ditka told CBS Sports’ Jeff Kerr. “You learn by playing, you don’t learn by watching.”

Ultimately, it’s Matt Nagy who makes the final call, and he already made it clear that Fields won’t have a chance to win the starting job in training camp. Nagy wants Fields to sit behind veteran Andy Dalton much like Patrick Mahomes sat behind Alex Smith his rookie year. Still, Ditka has the confidence in Nagy to develop Fields.

“Matt Nagy knows how to handle Fields, and he’ll do a good job with him,” Ditka said.

Fields impressed during the offseason program, where he flashed his deep-ball accuracy, athleticism and football intelligence throughout the spring. There were also expected rookie mistakes along the way, including taking snaps under center for the first time in his career.

While Fields likely won’t see the field in Week 1, the Bears plan on giving him plenty of work during the preseason, which already makes this the most-anticipated preseason for Bears fans in awhile.

There certainly wouldn’t be an issue with Dalton starting Week 1 if he proved to be the better option. But Nagy not giving Fields the chance to earn the starting job hasn’t sat well with fans. Still, it feels like a forgone conclusion that Fields will see the field sooner rather than later this season.

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