Chicago Bears: Revisiting the four moves necessary to start winning again

The Chicago Bears must fire Matt Nagy as soon as possible

It is funny how much can change in a year. When I wrote my article last season discussing the decisions that George McCaskey had to make, I talked about how much I liked the team chemistry. I spoke about how the team was sticking together despite the losing streak they were on. I even talked about the young players on the team that had me excited for this team’s future.

Well, just as I wrote then, I am writing again now. Matt Nagy must be fired and I wouldn’t wait until the end of the regular season. Matt Nagy gave up play-calling last season and the team saw a shift in performance. They averaged nearly 30 points per game and won just enough games to back their way into the playoffs. Well, things reverted back in 2021 and although Matt Nagy already gave up play-calling again, the offense is just not clicking.

Why you might ask? Well, for the same reasons we have been talking about since 2019. The personnel packages are frustrating, the play-calling is awful, the scheme itself is suspect and it does not seem like the coaches are able to adjust. To make matters worse, there are disciplinary issues happening now too that are making it obvious that Matt Nagy is losing respect in the locker room no matter what he tries to sell at his press conferences.

Just like last year, screens and quick slants are not being used when teams are heavily blitzing the poor offensive line and getting to the quarterback. Play-action passes also seem non-existent. These are a rookie quarterback’s best friends when he is playing behind a poor offensive line.

For those who are on the “Justin Fields holds onto the ball too long” train, Fields is getting less than 2.5 seconds to throw the ball on plays he has been sacked. Many times it is less than two seconds. If we look at Fields 22 sacks, he is only directly responsible for five of them. A quarterback cannot develop this way and the Chicago Bears need to find a head coach and play-caller who can develop a scheme that helps Fields grow into the player I know he will be before he’s completely ruined.