Getty Head coach Matt Nagy of the Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are coming off a 21-9 Wild Card playoff loss to the New Orleans Saints, the second postseason defeat for head coach Matt Nagy in his tenure with the team. Nagy won Coach of the Year in his first season with the Bears in 2018, and they made the playoffs before falling to the Philadelphia Eagles, also in the Wild Card round.
Chicago was 12-4 that year, and after two straight .500 seasons, it feels like the team is stuck in a perpetual quicksand, particularly on the offensive side of the ball. Nagy, who was brought over after serving as the offensive coordinator in Kansas City, was supposed to maximize the potential of quarterback Mitch Trubisky while also bringing a dose of creativity to the offense. He has done neither of those things, with the Bears finishing 26th in total offense this year and 29th in 2019, and Trubisky still suffering from poor mechanics and an inability to read defenses.
After Chicago’s second early exit from the playoffs in three years, many former players and current analysts pointed the finger at Nagy
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Former Bears Players Blame Matt Nagy for Many of Team’s Biggest Issues
On NBC Sports’ Football Aftershow, several former Bears players leveled firm, but fair criticism at the Bears head coach. “Nagy I think is the problem, honestly,” former defensive lineman said. Ex-Bears All-Pro center Olin Kreutz also posed a reasonable question about whether Nagy has done his job: “Why do we have 12 quarterback coaches in the building, and our quarterbacks are struggling?”
Former All-Pro linebacker Lance Briggs also went all in on Nagy on Twitter, responding to Chicago’s obvious lack of discipline after Anthony Miller became the team’s second wideout to get ejected for throwing punches this season against the Saints:
The lack of discipline and concentration on display today is alarming. You’re either coaching this stuff, or you’re allowing it. 🤬
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Rex Ryan Slams Matt Nagy: ‘I Don’t Like Him’
It wasn’t just former Bears players criticizing Nagy — many fans and analysts have also leveled harsh criticism at the head coach, with the some of the most pointed judgments coming from former head coach Rex Ryan and ex-Lions quarterback Dan Orlovsky of ESPN’s Get Up.
“Time to move on. It’s time to move on from Matt Nagy and Mitchell Trubisky,” Orlovsky said. Noting that the Bears have scored one touchdown or less 18 times in Nagy’s 50 games as a head coach, Orlovsky didn’t hold back in his criticism of Nagy, saying Sunday’s loss to the Saints should be the last straw for the head coach.
Ryan’s commentary was a tad more personal:
I’ve never been a big fan of this Nagy guy, and quite honestly, It’s because of the way he handled the Trubisky thing. He put everything on him. I mean, he’s (Trubisky) the guy they blame everything on. Well, why don’t you look at yourself first, man? Dude, you scored three points in this game — I know it was nine, but no, it was three points. And quite honestly, you’re an offensive guru. That’s why you came here … You’ve gone to the playoffs two of the last three years. Congratulations. That’s because the NFC is a hell of a lot weaker than the AFC.
Ryan, who went 65-68 as a head coach for the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets, also added this jab:
“I don’t like him. I don’t like the way he doesn’t take every damn bullet for [Trubisky]. That’s your job as a head coach. You don’t make your quarterback take every bullet. You take the dang bullets. That’s what I don’t respect about this guy.”
As of now, all arrows are pointing to the Bears retaining Nagy and letting Trubisky go, so we’ll see what happens.
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