CHICAGO (670 The Score) — Looking like he walked straight out of an Abercrombie and Fitch catalog into the interview room at Soldier Field, the coolest athlete in Chicago this week gripped the lectern and asked his questioners a question.
“How’s everybody doing today?" Bears quarterback Tyson Bagent said with a grin.
Nobody in the room had a better day than Bagent did Sunday in the Bears' 30-12 rout of the Raiders in his first NFL start, the kind of performance that apparently surprised everybody but the undrafted rookie from Division-II Shepherd University and Martinsburg, W. Va. Google says the population of Martinsburg is 18,773, and more than a few family members and friends made the trip to see Bagent provide a welcome diversion in a Bears season full of drudgery.
Until now.
The biggest reason for the mood shift showed up for his postgame media session wearing ripped blue jeans, a white designer T-shirt with “NOBULL” on the front and a blue knit skullcap that allowed a few of his long blonde locks to hang out the back. Balancing aw-shucks humility with an endearing self-assuredness, Bagent thanked everyone from his coaches to his offensive linemen. He looked forward to catching up with people he has missed during his first experience away from home. And Bagent obviously explained how he made it look so easy in running the Bears' offense as efficiently as it has functioned all season.
“Repetition is the mother of all learners," said Bagent, sounding like one of those coaches he thanked.
Then somebody asked Bagent about being replaced by Nathan Peterman for the final snap of the first half with the ball at the Bears’ 46-yard line so Peterman – who the Bears believe has a stronger arm – could throw a Hail Mary pass.
“I’ve got a cannon, I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t," Bagent said.
Oh, yes, he does – and it’s loaded with confidence.
Whether it was that obvious swagger Bagent supplied or the stagger in the Raiders defense – likely a little of both – the Bears turned an undrafted rookie’s moment into one every Chicago fan can unapologetically enjoy.
Is it too soon to refer to Bagent as Football Bedard?
Sure, but based on the early reaction to Bagent becoming 1-0 as a starter, one day thousands more than the official attendance of 62,199 will claim they were there the day he helped end a 10-game home losing streak.
“It was amazing," Bagent acknowledged.
Nothing galvanizes a football city like a tale of an underdog, especially if he’s a backup quarterback, and this one really begs for a screenwriter. Bagent’s Hollywood story could've happily ended with him making the 53-man roster but now the plot changes. Now, after looking the part as naturally as Bagent did in his starting debut, it’s fair to wonder how his role changes and what his next act will bring.
The only guarantee is it will bring more attention, a reality for which Bagent also prepared.
“It’s really easy to turn the phone off," Bagent said of the expected hype.
Good, but somebody in the Bagent family or on Team Tyson might want to appoint someone to trademark all the nicknames.
Secret Bagent 17. Bagent of Change. Bagent Orange. The Bagency. The Good Shepherd.
Pick your favorite one and put it on a T-shirt. Savor a rare fun moment for a franchise where they've been far too hard to find.
Just don’t lose sight of the biggest takeaway from all of the hyperbole Bagent made possible by completing 21 of 29 passes for 162 yards and a touchdown for a 97.2 passer rating.
The kid can play.
The 29th Bears quarterback to start a game since 2000 instantly became the most popular, the one talented enough to earn his coaches’ trust and capture Chicago’s imagination. If you want to put your co-worker in a good mood Monday morning, mention Bagent – and wait for the smile. It was the kind of once-in-a-lifetime stuff that quickly can become Chicago sports legend, enough to compel Fox play-by-play announcer Kevin Kugler – a Cubs fan – to reference former Cub Tuffy Rhodes’ three-home run Opening Day outburst in 1994 that nobody on the North Side ever will forget.
It will be most memorable for Bagent, who received one of three game balls that coach Matt Eberflus handed out.
“Coach was nice enough to give me one," Bagent said.
He earned it by showing uncommon poise. Consider the last game Bagent started, less than a year ago, came for Shepherd University in the Division-II playoffs. Shepherd University’s football programs operates with a $1.3-million budget. Raiders pass rusher Maxx Crosby, the man chasing Bagent around Sunday, will make 10 times that much this year — $13 million. The size of jump in competition level can't be overstated.
Yet it barely fazed Bagent, who exuded confidence and carried himself like someone who belonged. He bought himself time by climbing the pocket or, when necessary, escaping it with mobility that’s underrated. He engineered the offense like savvy veteran, whip smart and fundamentally sound, such as when he exaggerated his ball fake on a bootleg rollout in the first half. He delivered passes in time and on time, giving his receivers a chance to run after the catch and developing a rhythm to every offensive drive.
He stayed within himself without forcing the issue, understanding his limitations by executing a game plan committed to the horizontal passing game.
This column comes with a disclaimer that any opinions expressed about Bagent have absolutely nothing to do with Justin Fields and the Bears' commitment to him. I’ll read that sentence really fast and make it the last paragraph like they do for commercials if that helps reinforce the point. And realize that reminder is as much for me as it is for you, because I love this story.
Still, I'll keep reminding myself that impressions of Bagent need not be related to evaluations of Fields, as much as people began jumping to such conclusions by the end of the first series Sunday.
Fields will reportedly miss two to three weeks with a dislocated thumb and remains the starter when he’s healthy. Bagent certainly can complicate that decision if, say, the Bears are on a winning streak or he keeps playing at this high of a level. The differences in the ability to process information quickly and release the football on time appeared stark, so the Bears need to keep an open mind, from Eberflus to offensive coordinator Getsy to general manager Ryan Poles. They need to avoid speaking in absolutes. They need to remember one game a season does not make. They need to stress how it would be premature – even after an outing that promising – to suggest Bagent will be QB1 for the remainder of the season.
I asked Eberflus postgame who the Bears starting quarterback was when Fields gets healthy.
“Justin Fields is our starting quarterback," he answered without hesitation.
It was the right answer. As easy of a scapegoat as Fields would be for everyone in big jobs at Halas Hall, they need to let it play out.
That isn’t saying that Bagent wouldn’t run the offense more efficiently than Fields. That’s merely stating the obvious, that getting carried away by one beauty by Bagent this year would be as ill-advised as believing a six-game stretch by Fields last season had answered the Bears’ age-old question at quarterback.
It does give Bears offensive coaches a key data point for Bagent – and for themselves. Getsy called a game that put his quarterback in the best position to succeed.
The Bears never really tried to stretch the field with Bagent because the Raiders never made them. The offensive line dominated in the running game, allowing D’Onta Foreman and Darrynton Evans to add their names to the list of ones that raised eyebrows at every postgame tailgate party. Who are those guys again? Foreman rushed 16 times for 89 yards and scored three touchdowns. Evans added 14 carries for 48 yards as the Bears compiled 173 yards on the ground. Bagent was only sacked once, a significant accomplishment with an elite rusher like Crosby coming every snap.
Consider that the offensive line consisted of the 31st different combination in Matt Eberflus’ 24th game and the strength of the ground game seems even more impressive. With the injury to right guard Nate Davis and the inconsistency of Cody Whitehair’s snaps at center, Teven Jenkins moved from left to right guard with Whitehair playing left guard alongside center Lucas Patrick. Along with tackles Darnell Wright and Larry Borom – despite Borom’s two holding penalties – the Bears' starting offensive linemen could say for the first time in a long time that everything good that happened started with them. Eberflus alluded to Patrick playing center and organizing blocking schemes as a key.
“There are multiple ways to win, but we believe in running the ball," Eberflus said.
Meanwhile, the defense played well for the third straight week – long enough in the NFL to consider that a trend. Cornerback Jaylon Johnson – who recently acknowledged the trade speculation surrounding him – proved why the Bears should sign him to a contract extension with a 39-yard pick-six of Raiders quarterback Brian Hoyer. Johnson later added another garbage-time interception that looks like a line drive in the box score, as they say in baseball. Linebacker Tremaine Edmunds reacted quickly to catch an interception that went right through Raiders running back Josh Jacobs’ hands.
“It’s just continuity," Eberflus said of the defensive turnaround. “They got me calling (signals) and there’s continuity there and we’re aggressive with the calls and the techniques."
The secondary, which has been buoyed by nickel back Kyler Gordon’s return, again resembled the strength of the team. The defensive front limited Jacobs, the NFL’s defending rushing champion, to 35 yards on 11 carries. Suddenly, the defense has gone from liability to asset.
And the subject of Bears quarterback is one nobody in town wants to change.
David Haugh is the co-host of the Mully & Haugh Show from 5-10 a.m. weekdays on 670 The Score. Click here to listen. Follow him on Twitter @DavidHaugh.