Is Matt Nagy turning things around as Chicago Bears head coach?

Perhaps the biggest thing we learned from the Chicago Bears most recent two-game winning streak is that Matt Nagy is better off as the head coach of the Bears than the play-caller of the team. While many fans are quick to credit Bill Lazor for the turnaround, and that is fair, Nagy stepping back as play-caller, and up as head coach may have been exactly what this team needed.

To start, it is not like all NFL head coaches call plays. John Harbaugh, Mike Tomlin, and Pete Carroll are famously three of the best coaches in the NFL and none are known for calling plays, but rather for their CEO involvement in the team. Even Bill Belichick has handed off playing duties a few years back.

The reality is that head coaching is about much more than play calling. There are so many ebbs and flows of a game that a coach has to be aware of, and too often Matt Nagy was in his call sheet and missing a key moment of the game.

That is not happening anymore with Nagy overseeing things. He noted as such in a press conference that was much less awkward than post-game after the Lions win. Nagy was much more gracious to praise Bill Lazor, but also admit that he is seeing the game better because his head is not in the call sheet.

Nagy noted that one play he even missed the coaches read off the first play call on offense because he was working with the defense, talking about a recent drive. That is something Nagy was never able to do when he was calling plays.

To be fair, Nagy still lost a challenge, so not everything is perfect. Still, it is clear that he is now more involved in the overall game, and the Bears need somebody who can provide that. Matt Nagy was not hired to be offensive coordinator, but rather head coach. It seems like in year four he is starting to realize what that means.