Chicago Bears: How Matt Nagy failed as a head coach
By Joseph Herff
Matt Nagy ruined the Chicago Bears as head coach
Right after the horrid John Fox experience that was the 2017 Chicago Bears‘ season, Ryan Pace knew he needed to hire an offensive-minded head coach to help his newly-drafted and promising quarterback in Mitchell Trubisky. He had shown flashes in the 2017 season of being a great quarterback even while throwing the ball to the likes of Kendall Wright and Dontrelle Inman.
Pace had put the pieces in place. They had a veteran leader on the offensive line with Kyle Long and an up and coming center in Cody Whitehair. Their offensive line was solid, they had a great running back in Jordan Howard, and they had their quarterback of the future. A few key moves and a head coach later and they could make a few playoff runs.
Pace then brought in Matt Nagy. The Bears interviewed a variety of head coaches like Steve Wilks, Josh McDaniels, and even their defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, but Pace went with Nagy as he believed Nagy would turn the Bears’ offense into a powerhouse using the Andy Reid scheme that Nagy learned under him in Kansas City.
It all worked out in 2018. The Bears finished 12-4 and were one kick away from winning a playoff game against the former Super Bowl champions the Philadelphia Eagles. Their offense was solid and promising as Trubisky posted the third-highest quarterback rating in the NFL and earned a Pro Bowl alternate spot. It looked like the Bears were just getting started with their solid offense and out-of-this-world defense all under Nagy’s great leadership and culture.
Then 2019 happened. The Bears fell flat on their face as they lost some key pieces like Adrian Amos, Kyle Long to retirement, Trey Burton to injuries, and defensive coordinator Vic Fangio who earned a head coaching job. The Bears fell way short of expectations finishing 8-8 with their offense taking a major step back along with their defense.
Here we are now. After the great 5-1 start, 2019 has happened all over again as the Bears have dropped five straight, sitting at 5-6. The once-mighty 2018 Chicago Bears have turned into the laughingstock of the league as they have gotten dismantled for three straight weeks on both sides of the football.
So, what happened? How did Matt Nagy get us here?