Chicago Bears legend, Hall of Fame defensive tackle Dan Hampton, has had enough of Matt Nagy.
After a 26-6 drubbing at the hands of the Cleveland Browns that saw Chicago’s offense net just 47 yards on 42 offensive plays in the debut of rookie quarterback Justin Fields, Hampton, like many fans and analysts, has had enough of the Bears’ head coach and play-caller.
On the September 26 episode of “The Hamp & O’B Show,” Hampton and former Bears defensive end Ed O’Bradovich broke down the team’s recent loss to the Browns, which was one of the worst offensive performances in Bears history, per Jon Greenberg of The Athletic. Hampton’s solution? Fire the current GM and head coach — and if that doesn’t happen, the former member of the vaunted ’85 Bears defense had an unconventional suggestion for the rookie QB.
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Hampton, O’Bradovich Call for House Cleaning in Chicago
Noting the team’s problems stem from the top, both Hampton and O’Bradovich blasted Nagy and general manager Ryan Pace, calling for the dismissal of both. “Everything they touch turns to you know what,” Hampton said.
For his part, O’Bradovich made a plea to team chairman George McCaskey to get rid of both men. “George, you got to take a long hard look at these first three games, OK? And then take another hard look at last year, and the year before, with both Pace and Nagy,” O’B said. “To keep him (Nagy) around with the rest of these coaches, that is a mistake. … You can’t let this clown be the head of the show.“
The Bears’ o-line, who gave up nine sacks against the Browns, also caught some major criticism. “They have no business being in the National Football League,” O’Bradovich said about the five starters on the Bears’ offensive line.
It was Hampton who took things to the next level in a passionate rant, however.
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Hampton: ‘If I’m Justin Fields, I’m Not Playing Again’
Nagy’s use of Fields — the lack of designed runs, rollouts and screens, specifically — befuddled the majority of analysts who watched the game, and it confused — and angered Hampton.
Justin Fields starting debut:
30 dropbacks
4 using pre-snap motion
2 using max protection
2 designed rollouts
2 designed QB runs
🤷♂️
The former All-Pro defensive tackle took umbrage with Nagy’s offensive design specifically, as it failed to incorporate any chip blocks, and the offense not at least double-teaming top pass rusher Myles Garrett — who finished with a career-high 4.5 sacks — was an egregious error.
“Myles Garrett today — pretty good player,” Hampton said. “Had a career day. At the end of the telecast, (former Bears tight end and current FOX analyst) Greg Olsen, who used to be here, he said all week long, everybody was screaming in Cleveland: ‘Oh, where’s the pass rush?’ And the defensive end says: ‘We’ve been chipped and doubled and we’ve been flummoxed because opposing offenses basically took us out of the game.’ We’re so smart, we don’t even chip one time, and they pillage our first-round draft pick?”
Hampton then said this, and it’s hard to tell how serious he was about it: “Hey, If I’m Justin Fields, I tell him (Nagy), I’ve got a bad shoulder, I’m not playing again. I wouldn’t play behind this guy’s play-calling one more down. They’re going to get him killed.”
While Hampton was likely being facetious, he does have a point about Nagy’s inability to protect the team’s top asset by tailoring the playbook to suit his strengths, as well as the Bears’ coach’s inability to make in-game adjustments.
“The most important player in this organization isn’t George (McCaskey) it isn’t Pace, it isn’t Khalil Mack — it’s the quarterback now,” Hampton said about Fields. “It is the future of your franchise. The next decade is all about him, and to leave him in there and let him take a beating that was merciless, and act like you didn’t have any concern about it, is sickening.”
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