Andy Dalton on Justin Fields hype: 'The worst thing you can do is look over your shoulder'

Dalton isn't focused on when he'll cede the job to his current backup

There will eventually come a day when the Chicago Bears turn their starting quarterback job over the Justin Fields, on whom they used the No. 11 overall pick in this year's NFL draft after trading next year's first-rounder (among other things) to the New York Giants for the privilege of securing his services. That day is not here yet, though, as Andy Dalton was named the starter for the team's opening game against the Los Angeles Rams. 

Dalton is on what essentially amounts to a one-year deal with only $5 million in guaranteed salary, he's 34 years old, and his play has been in decline for several seasons. Fields is a highly talented, 22-year-old with at least five years of team control on his contract. They can protest and compare their situation to that of the Chiefs with Alex Smith and Patrick Mahomes all they want, but this transition is going to happen -- and likely sooner rather than later. 

Dalton, though, is determined not to focus on that. "That's the worst thing you can do is look over your shoulder," he said this week, per the Associated Press.

Instead, Dalton is focused only on what's in front of him: the game against the Rams.

"We're talking about tuning out the stuff you don't need to focus on and knowing where you need to put your time and effort and all that kind of stuff," Dalton said. "I think that's just where I'm at. You don't worry about all the other stuff."

When he signed with Chicago in free agency, it was with the expectation that he'd be the team's starter this season. Of course, neither the Bears nor Dalton knew then that the team would be able to trade up for its quarterback of the future, thus putting a rather definitive clock on the end of Dalton's tenure under center. 

"There's a lot that's gone on since March, but all that's led to this point right here," Dalton said. "Regardless of everything that's gone on, we're here at Week 1, and this is exactly what I wanted. I wanted this opportunity. And now we're looking forward to making the most of it."

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