The Chicago Bears season came to a close as they defeated the Minnesota Vikings backup players to finish 8-8 on the year. Matt Nagy and Ryan Pace held their season-ending press conference today and here is what they had to say.
As the Chicago Bears disappointing season came to a close, it was not shocking to hear the media ask some hard questions regarding Mitchell Trubisky and his performance in 2019. Ryan Pace led most of the press conference and the two words he used the most to describe this season was regression and inconsistency.
Pace used the same words when describing Trubisky’s performance, but he made it clear that Trubisky is going to be the starting quarterback in 2020. This should not shock anyone even with Trubisky’s poor performance. Pace has confidence in not only Matt Nagy, but also in Trubisky. He said he sees enough flashes to feel comfortable with Trubisky going forward and although he has not hit as quickly as other quarterbacks, he still sees growth and believes Trubisky is their guy.
Pace talked about how they have hard decisions to make this offseason and that will include the quarterback room with two unrestricted free agents in Chase Daniel and Tyler Bray. Pace would not hint on their plan but said on more than one occasion he wants to add talent and competition to every position and that includes the quarterback room.
Do not take this as they plan on bringing in a guy like Marcus Mariota or Teddy Bridgewater. Neither of these guys are realistic options with their cap space situation and honestly, Pace does not seem to want to bring in anyone who could take over the starting position on day one anyway.
This is not going to make many Bears fans happy, but he will die on the Trubisky sword it seems. Honestly, I am right there with him, but I do believe they need to draft a developmental quarterback.
Matt Nagy made it known that he wants Mitchell Trubisky to become a master at understanding coverages and although he is not far off, he wants this to be Trubisky’s main offseason focus. He also believes mastering Level 202 will slow the game down for Trubisky. Finally, Nagy said Trubisky’s mechanics from the waist up is fine. However, he wants him to work on his footwork within the pocket and learn to trust the pocket more.
This is not news though and is likely the reason why Ryan Pace and the Chicago Bears are not committed to Trubisky’s fifth-year option right now. Honestly, I believe they do move forward with the option as the money is only guaranteed for injury anyway.
Beyond the quarterback, Anthony Miller is going to need surgery again on his left shoulder. This is not a good sign as the young receiver finally started to turn things around. Matt Nagy does not seem too happy with his mouth though and made mention on Miller needing to work on his on the field antics after he makes a catch.
Expect the tight end room to look different as Ryan Pace went on and on about availability. He said he likes Trey Burton and Adam Shaheen, but availability is very important. If they are not available it makes it difficult for this offense to thrive. I took that as Shaheen is out and Burton may be here but there will be competition.
The same seems to be for the offensive line. It seems like all five of the players who finished the season plus Bobby Massie will likely be back, but Ryan Pace made it known that he wants to bring in competition for those players. I would not be shocked if there is a surprise cut for the Chicago Bears offensive line early in the offseason process.
Matt Nagy is not committing to making any coaching changes as of now. Both Pace and Nagy said they plan on taking a step back, remove the emotions and then do a complete self-evaluation on what worked and what did not. Despite a tough 8-8 season, Pace did seem happy with the resilience he saw from his coaches and player. They fought through the animosity and brought most of them closer together as a team and franchise.
What did you think of what was said? Did you pick up on any “hints” that we may have missed?