Getty Outside linebacker Robert Quinn #94 of the Chicago Bears rushes the passer during the first half of a game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium on October 10, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Bears defeated the Raiders 20-9.
Chicago Bears pass rusher Robert Quinn can probably expect a fine from the NFL later this week, but don’t count on him apologizing for speaking his mind.
Following the Bears’ 17-9 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Monday Night Football, Quinn was asked about his thoughts on Bears head coach Matt Nagy getting flagged for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in the first half and replied with a brutally honest critique of the game’s officiating crew. The Bears had nine penalties called against them for 91 yards in Week 15, including five that were personal fouls.
“Honestly, some of these calls are starting to get a little crazy,” Quinn said in the postgame. “These refs seem like they’re controlling the game a little too much. So when a play is clean and they’re throwing a flag for something that they thought they could change a game just by one flag … let guys play ball. If this was a couple years ago, half of this stuff wouldn’t even be called. But now, they got so many of these stupid rules (that) they’re dang near in a ref’s hands (and) could change it in any given moment.
“I think they need to go check the refs they’re hiring and not our coach.”
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Nagy on Penalty: ‘I Don’t Regret It’
Quinn’s remark about checking the refs and not “our coach” was a direct reference to the penalty called on Nagy between the first and second quarters. Nagy had gotten animated with the officiating crew over a personal foul they called two plays earlier on Deon Bush for unnecessary roughness, penalizing the Bears safety for a hit to Vikings tight end Tyler Conklin’s head that many — including Nagy — vehemently argued should have gone unpunished.
“I saw what happened,” Nagy said in the postgame when asked about the ordeal. “Our guys are fighting their asses off to get off the field, and I saw what happened. So I explained my opinion on it. And I don’t regret it.”
As you might imagine, Nagy didn’t have nice words for the officials caught in his wrath. Referee Scott Novak told pool reporter Patrick Finley in the postgame that “the flag was thrown when he started to use inappropriate language towards the official.”
When asked to elaborate, Novak added: “I won’t repeat what was said. But when it crosses a line and it’s inappropriate, then that’s when we throw a flag.”
Quinn’s Resurgence Earns Pro Bowl Nod
One of the least surprising things about Monday’s release of the final Pro Bowl voting results was that Bears outside linebacker Robert Quinn had been selected for the NFC roster. While Quinn had not been picked for the Pro Bowl since going in back-to-back seasons in 2013 and ’14, he has been nothing short of dominant in 2021 for Chicago, recording 16 sacks through the first 14 games season and managing to do so without All-Pro game-wrecker Khalil Mack on the other side of the line for much of it.
Quinn was especially good during the Bears’ three games in November, tallying 5.5 sacks, 14 tackles, six quarterback hits and two forced fumbles and winning NFC Defensive Player of the Month. He has also continued to wreak havoc at an elite level in December with five sacks in the first three games, including two each in the losses to Green Bay and Minnesota.
Quinn needs just three more sacks to match the career-best mark he reached during his 2013 All-Pro season for the then-St. Louis Rams. He is also just two sacks away from breaking Richard Dent’s Bears franchise record (17.5) set during the 1984 season.