Tyson Bagent on potential first NFL start: “Everything’s fallen into place” |
CHICAGO - When you are going into a game with a rookie quarterback, there are always concerns. However, this 23-year-old rookie comes into the NFL with a lot of experience from Division II Shepherd, leaving the Bears in good hands going into week seven against the Las Vegas Raiders. Tyson Bagent is a player that values preparation, so he is prepared to play and says that the coaching staff do not need to change their play calling to accommodate him because he knows the plays.
“Whatever they want to put on that call sheet will be understood through and through by myself and I’ll put that on me,” Bagent said. “Going into the game last week, I just kind of told them … ‘I know the whole call sheet. So, don’t be afraid to do your thing, call your plays. Don’t hinder the offense just because I’m going in there because I’ve prepared for this all week.’ I take pride in doing that.” Bagent was forced to come in late in the game against the Minnesota Vikings last week. Because of him, Chicago got their first touchdown of the game off of his one-yard rushing touchdown. He was on his way toward another touchdown drive when he threw the ball to receiver DJ Moore, who was left one-on-one, but it ended up getting picked off. Bagent said that he got a little “too greedy” on that play seeing Moore left in that position. But now that he is getting more reps this week, he will be more prepared and can build more chemistry with the players. “It will be a little bit more comfortable with the amount of reps that I’m going to receive this week,” Bagent said. “You just got to stack the days this week so we can be as prepared as we can on Sunday.” At the beginning of this season, Bagent was the third-string quarterback behind Nathan Peterman. Him and Peterman have now flipped places as a result of the hard work this rookie has continued to put in throughout the entire season. “I just tried my best everyday, just made sure I was locked in both physically and mentally, make sure I knew what was going on, the timing of everything and make sure I was still taking care of my body,” Bagent said. This quarterback is truly the embodiment of an underdog story. He came from a small town in West Virginia and went to an in-state Division II school. Going into his fifth year, he contemplated transferring to a Division I school to boost his draft profile. However, he felt he had a good coaching staff in Shepherd and wanted to finish with them. “To look where I’m at and to look at how everything’s fallen into place, just nothing but extreme gratitude and just feeling super blessed to be able to be that motivational role (for) the younger people in my family, kind of be that person they can look up to,” Bagent said. “Really, just motivation for everybody that may be at a smaller level and all the people back home.” Bagent is getting the opportunity of a lifetime this coming Sunday (Noon / FOX). To add to the drama, Raiders’s quarterback Jimmy Garropollo is doubtful. If he is unable to play after being hospitalized on Sunday, former Bears quarterback Brian Hoyer will get the nod as starter.
