In an unprecedented move, the Chicago Bears have decided to rest their starters in the game that many look at as the dress rehearsal game
Matt Nagy has not been afraid to be outspoken, and aggressive so far in his time with Chicago. He has opened up the offense, he was aggressive in player acquisitions, and now he is going against the grain in a situation that will surprise many.
In the game that is known as the “dress rehearsal” game, Week three of the preseason, Matt Nagy has decided to bench his entire starting unit, including Mitchell Trubisky. With the fourth preseason game generally known as a meaningless game, it should be thought as that the starters preseason is over.
This could come off as surprising to some, but especially in the Chicago Bears case, it makes sense.
After their best week of practices so far in 2018, Matt Nagy met with the team today to inform them most starters, including Mitchell Trubisky, will not play in #KCvsCHI. Coach Nagy and his staff had planned for this all week, giving starters on both sides of the ball extra reps.
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) August 25, 2018
The point of the dress rehearsal game is that you are preparing the entire week as if it Week One. The game planning, the walkthroughs, everything is in the mindset of playing a game week. As the tweet mentions, Matt Nagy was so pleased with their performance in this area that he felt comfortable letting them go without playing the game. They brought it this week and were prepared in his eyes and are rewarded for it.
Then, there is the idea that the Chicago Bears not only had the Hall of Fame game but also met with the Denver Broncos for joint practices. While many starters did not play in the Hall of Fame game, the joint practices are a great new way to get reps in with the starters and could be a new trend.
While preseason games are filmed, and all 31 other coaches can see schematic adjustments on tape, only one team can see things you try in joint practices. There is a good chance that what Nagy saw that week that was not being filmed against quality competition has to do with resting starters for this game.
Look for other teams to start to add joint practices and then rest starters at this point.
That is because injuries are popping up more than ever. Practice times are limited in the offseason, and the adjustment in physicality can throw people off. Easing it in could be a smart decision. This is a team that already lost Adam Shaheen, who had big intentions in the offseason.
With the extra game and joint practices, injury concerns and a team that demonstrated a well-prepared demeanor, it is not a big deal to rest the starters in this game. It is just a great way to get the depth of this roster stronger.