A Few Levels Higher for Bears Rookie

Tyson Bagent gets another start and says he realizes now what not to do with the ball after encountering higher-level talen in NFL secondaries.

Tyson Bagent has the opportunity to apply what he learned from Sunday's 24-17 loss to New Orleans.

He definitely learned a lesson in that game.

"Yeah, not turn the ball over," he said.

Replacing Justin Fields for a fourth straight start Thursday night due to a dislocated thumb, Bagent will try to make amends for the four turnovers he had among the five total by the Bears against the Saints.

It's a little more complicated than just don't turn the ball over, though.

"Just, I mean, nothing that I didn't know," he said. "We're playing against high-caliber NFL talent and players every week at every position. So if you're behind on a throw, while it could easily be an incompletion, these players have the talent in order to make that a turnover.

"So being on time, being on target, being locked in and being able to finish games all the way through."

Two of the interceptions Bagent threw could be described simply as waiting too long and then throwing over the middle into the teeth of coverage. 

Some QBs have the rocket arm to get away with this but Bagent isn't quite as blessed, even if he did tell everyone he had a "cannon," earlier this season.

The former Division II Shepherd University QB realizes the difference now between the cornerbacks who ran a 4.3-second combine 40-yard dash and what he was used to facing at Shepherd.

"I think that's what everybody has to adjust to is just not only are you playing against physical specimens but you're also playing against dudes who don't really make mistakes either," he said. "So you've just got to be that much sharper and on top of what you're trying to accomplish."

He doesn't think what he saw from New Orleans scheme-wise took him by surprise like the Bears described on a few throws against the Chargers a week earlier in defeat.

"Yeah I would say that the only thing that was different was just the caliber of guys I'm playing against," he said. "I've played a lot of football games in college. I went through all the spring ball. You know our defensive coordinator has been there for a very long time so he was always trying new things.

"I think I faced a lot of drop-eight (into coverage) my senior year. So one way or another I feel like I've seen everything that a defense can do, just haven't played against this caliber before."

Bagent has completed 74 of 110 for an excellent 67.3%, but averages just 6.3 yards an attempt and has six interceptions to three TDs. The two strip-sacks made against him proved huge in two games.

All he knows now is he wants the chance to get out and prove he's better than the way he finished what had been a good effort Sunday until the fourth quarter.

"Yeah, 100% yeah," he said. "I think that any time that a game doesn't turn out how you want it to I'm almost just more eager to get back out there and kind of flip the script on that.

"So definitely thankful for every opportunity I get."

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