How Long is the Rope for Matt Nagy?

Vendor Russ Adams chats about Bears' Coach Matt Nagy with Executive Assistant Patrick Edwards.

Patrick: All right, so this week, I’m sitting down with Russ to get his thoughts on the Bears and Coach Matt Nagy. Will Nagy coach for the remainder of the season?

Russ: Shoot, you say the rest of the season!? Shoot, what about the rest of the week—man, the rest of the day isn’t a tough bet either way. That said, I don’t believe he’ll be fired until the end of the season.

P: That’s what all of the reports I’m reading predict. Any positives about him in your eyes?

R: Well, the Bears are 32-28 with him in nearly four years including this season. Also, he’s led the Bears to the playoffs twice. I mean, no matter how good you are, that’s not an automatic for any team. Just that for a big-time franchise such as the Chicago Bears, a lot more is expected. The main problem is that the Green Bay Packers rule the NFC North and, unfortunately, the Bears have yet to figure out how to knock them from the perch. Shoot, they have a tough time even making the games competitive.

P: Good point. So, is it the coaching or is it the players? I mean, at the end of the day, all of the players are professional football players making a heck of a lot of money. Shouldn’t they be able to beat any team; rather, shouldn’t they be able to compete with any team?

R: Damn good question. Look, it’s not just Nagy who should leave the Bears; Ryan Pace, the General Manager (GM), should also be gone. In Pace’s seven seasons with the Bears, the Bears are 46-61—a mere .430 winning percentage— and have only had one winning season despite making the playoffs twice.

P: Now, weren’t the Bears rebuilding Pace’s first three seasons?

R; That’s true, so that’s a definite factor in deciding what to do with him. However, he’s had two screw-ups that are huge cons in coming to a decision. One, he traded up in 2017 to draft quarterback Mitch Trubisky and, two, he hired Matt Nagy to coach the Chicago Bears in 2018.

P: What about the drafting of quarterback Justin Fields? That’s got to be a pro in the decision weight, right?

R: Well, drafting Fields could end up being a masterstroke—I mean, shoot, he’s really talented. However, poor management of the offensive line and other personnel mistakes have prevented the offense from showing enough improvement to support Pace’s case to stay.

P: What would you think if Pace were to fire Coach Nagy, but remain with the team?

R: Look, I believe the leading factor in the Bears' inability to have success is their head coach, Matt Nagy. Now, of course, the others who, for example, hired and trust him to do right, should receive some of the blame. But as the onfield lead, he or she must be held accountable for any deficiencies on the team. So, if this were to happen, I’d be okay with it.

P: All right, so in regard to a replacement for Nagy, who do you think?

R: Ex-Bear Mike Singletary is out there; Buffalo Bulls’ Offensive Coordinator Brian Daball, who took a Bills team from last to first, and who has helped develop their quarterback Josh Allen, is out there for the taking as well.

P: Some good stuff, Russ. Any last words?

R: Yep. What happened to the Bears’ offensive line?

P: I don’t know. What happened?

R: They went to Buffalo.

P: Hilarious.

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