3 reasons Matt Nagy is not on hot seat
Chicago Bears are not happy with Matt Nagy but he is not going anywhere yet
After a disappointing loss that extended a losing streak, it is easy to understand why fans of the Chicago Bears have lost faith in Matt Nagy. He was hired to fix the offense, and the issue has not been fixed halfway through his third NFL season. However, while fans are disappointed, they have to realize that they are overly emotional right now.
Matt Nagy has a lot to learn, grow on, and improve as an NFL head coach. However, whether you like it or not, he is going to get the time to do that in Chicago. Matt Nagy is not on the hot seat, and almost nothing that happens this season is going to put him on the hot seat. Here is why.
3. Winning Record
Matt Nagy is currently 25-16 as an NFL head coach. That is not elite by any means. However, nine games above .500 in the NFL with three years of coaching is still pretty good. Yes, it is bumped up by his 12-4 campaign. Still, while things fluttered last season, he kept the ship afloat and guided them to 8-8.
Even this season, the expectations were low. However, while the three-game losing streak hurts, 5-4 is about where many expected Chicago at this point, if not above where they expected him.
In his first year he exceeded expectations, in his second he did not. Now, in year three, he is about where we think he is. This is not just the media perception. According to betting odds the Chicago Bears went over their win total in 2018 by 6 games, they went under their win total by one game last year, and this year they sat at 8.5. He has outpaced the betting odds of the sharpest minds in the world to date.
Call me crazy, but a coach needs to consistently fail to meet expectations before the seat gets hot. Maybe Bears fans thought of their team higher, but Nagy has won more games than oddsmakers have expected to date.
Beyond that, take a look at the records of coaches who were hired the same year as Matt Nagy
Matt Nagy – 25-16
Mike Vrabel – 24-16
Frank Reich – 23-17
Jon Gruden – 16-25
Matt Patricia – 12-27-1
He has been the winningest coach hired that year and Bears fans want to fire him. Vrabel needed a win over Nagy to get closer to him.
Fans will cry that the defense wins him all of his games. The fact of the matter is that the head coach controls the team, and the wins and losses fall on them. The Titans offense has excelled but defensive head coach Mike Vrabel has not taken heat for a below-average defense.
Beyond that, remember times before Matt Nagy? The Chicago Bears went 27-53 in the two coaching stints before he came in here. Maybe 25-16 is not what you want, but he would have to go 2-37 to repeat 2013-2017. If you lived through 2013-2017 you have the patience to let Matt Nagy figure this out.