Bears coach Matt Nagy must show he’s worth keeping after 2 years of pitiful offense

[Brownie]

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Bears coach Matt Nagy must show he’s worth keeping after 2 years of pitiful offense​

If Nagy wants to stick around for the Justin Fields era, he must offer evidence that he’s the right man for the job in 2021.
By Jason Lieser Jun 19, 2021, 5:00am CDT
Nagy went 12-4 in his first season as head coach, then 16-16 the next two. | AP Photos

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There’s an abundance of explanation and rationalization for the Bears’ offensive failures the last two seasons.
They can blame their quarterbacks, who have been among the NFL’s worst, or an offensive line that crumbled rapidly and has just two starters left from the 2018 team that won the division. Various skill players haven’t been what the Bears hoped for. Kicker problems haven’t helped.

But it would be an oversight to leave coach Matt Nagy off the list of problems. The Bears’ plunge isn’t something that has happened to him; he has been squarely at the center of it.
It got so bad for Nagy last season that he did the unthinkable and handed play-calling duty to offensive coordinator Bill Lazor. Despite a modest uptick after the change, Nagy predictably reclaimed that role this offseason.
It could be his last chance to show he’s up to the task.
The Bears hired Nagy to fix quarterback Mitch Trubisky and pump voltage into a fizzling offense. Since then, there has been a constant reshuffling of personnel, but the coach has stayed the same. While general manager Ryan Pace has tried to correct his errors by supplying Nagy with better quarterbacks (Andy Dalton and Justin Fields), skill players (tight end Cole Kmet and receivers Darnell Mooney and Allen Robinson) and — maybe — a sturdier offensive line, it’s time for Nagy to improve as well.
Asked what he’ll do differently after steering the Bears’ offense to the seventh-fewest points in the NFL the last two seasons, Nagy didn’t offer much.
“I’ll make sure that schematically, I’m putting our guys in the right position, working off of their strengths and what they do well,” he said, essentially restating his job description. “Every year is a little bit different, but you want to create an identity as fast as you can.”
He carried on for another minute or so, but mostly it was a jumble of coachspeak that didn’t reveal anything. He certainly has that part of the job down. If Nagy has done any self-analysis over the last few months, he’s not about to disclose his findings.

He should have had quite a bit to comb through after an 8-8 season that ended with a decisive loss to the Saints in the wild-card round of the playoffs. The Bears beat one team in 2020 with a winning record — the eventual champion Buccaneers, oddly enough — and continued their spiral on offense.
The Bears scored 26.3 points per game (ninth in the NFL) in Nagy’s first season, although that was boosted by an incredible defense. Without defensive touchdowns and takeaways that allowed the Bears to start drives already in field-goal range, that number would have been just 22.4.
Whether the Bears had a legitimately decent offense or merely a mirage is up for discussion. But there’s nothing to debate about how bad Nagy’s offense has been since.
Over the last two seasons, the Bears ranked 26th in points (20.4 per game), 29th in yardage (314.1), 24th in passer rating (85.3), 26th in yards per carry (3.9) and 30th in third-down conversions (35.2%). They sit among hapless teams like the Jets, Jaguars and Lions. Nagy is now 1-5 against the Packers and was outscored 76-41 while getting swept by them last season.
The only positive is that the Bears have committed the 11th-fewest turnovers in two seasons, with 41 in 32 games.
Signing Dalton, developing Kmet and tweaking the offensive line won’t fix everything. Not even close.
When the Bears hired Nagy as a first-time head coach at 39, they did so because of the offensive expertise they believed he developed over years working under Andy Reid. Whether he could lead a team was yet to be seen.
So far, they’ve gotten the opposite of what they expected. Nagy has likability but not credibility. He seems to have maintained strong locker room support and mostly has been a good voice for the team publicly, but the Bears are still waiting on all those touchdowns.

He took the job knowing Trubisky was the franchise quarterback, and he couldn’t maximize him. He had a hand in trading for Nick Foles, and that went poorly — maybe worse. Now he swears by Dalton, saying he’s the No. 1 quarterback this season regardless of how quickly Fields progresses.
Quarterback flops. Offensive slop. How much more can he survive before the Bears lose faith? That’s the difference between Pace’s and Nagy’s job security. While Pace seems to have bought himself at least one more year by drafting Fields, it’s not necessarily true for Nagy.
No one expects him to produce an offensive juggernaut with this roster, but it can’t be another season of hoping to score 17 points and praying it’s enough. If he wants to stick around for the Fields era, he must give the Bears a reason to believe in him.





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Bears coach Matt Nagy must show he’s worth keeping after 2 years of pitiful offense

If Nagy wants to stick around for the Justin Fields era, he must offer evidence that he’s the right man for the job in 2021.

chicago.suntimes.com

 

[Montucky]

Packers implode and win only five games.
The Vikings are getting worse not better.
The Lions would be a little threatening if they were not the Lions.

Bears are going to win ten games and with it the NFC North. They'll have no choice but to print a new contract for both Matt Nagy and Ryan Pace since three out of four years in the playoffs is something they are not going to give up. I have mixed feelings about the whole thing, but I bet this is how it plays out for Mr. Matt Nagy.

 

[Nail Polish]

Packers implode and win only five games.
The Vikings are getting worse not better.
The Lions would be a little threatening if they were not the Lions.

Bears are going to win ten games and with it the NFC North. They'll have no choice but to print a new contract for both Matt Nagy and Ryan Pace since three out of four years in the playoffs is something they are not going to give up. I have mixed feelings about the whole thing, but I bet this is how it plays out for Mr. Matt Nagy.

I can't see how the other teams in the division regressing makes Nagy a better coach.

 

[Montucky]

I can't see how the other teams in the division regressing makes Nagy a better coach.

They won't fire Matt Nagy after winning the division twice in four years and making the playoffs three times in four years. Even if the Bears don't win a playoff game in that span.

 

[Nail Polish]

They won't fire Matt Nagy after winning the division twice in four years and making the playoffs three times in four years. Even if the Bears don't win a playoff game in that span.

I can't predict the future

 

[iueyedoc]

Just 2 yrs?

 

[WindyCity]

Nagy is in the cross hairs for sure.

The personnel on offense has been a major issue, but we have addressed a number of the personnel issues, and while we don’t have elite personnel on offense it should be good enough to be a solid, productive offense.

Coaching needs to be a net positive now that issues at QB, OL, and WR have been addressed.

 

[Brownie]

Nagy is in the cross hairs for sure.

The personnel on offense has been a major issue, but we have addressed a number of the personnel issues, and while we don’t have elite personnel on offense it should be good enough to be a solid, productive offense.

Coaching needs to be a net positive now that issues at QB, OL, and WR have been addressed.

Pretty much the issue since he's gotten here. Personnel hasn't been all-world, but the offense should still have fared better than his design has allowed.

For what his expertise is supposed to be based on his hiring (building offenses), he has failed.

But like others have said, I doubt they let him go unless the offense looks like TOTAL garbage. He'll have some built in excuses and this organization is captivated by him selling them on potential rather than results.

 

[Visionman]

Unless they completely, and I mean completely, fall apart, Nagy isn’t going anywhere.

 

[Chicago Staleys]

I have little faith in the 2021 Chicago Bears and that Nagy just wakes up and knows how to coach. He has 3 quality wins in 3 years and I can argue they were win because of the 1 phase of the game he doesn’t coach.

He’s a bad coach and the McCaskey will keep him another year because they are clueless and it’s the Bears way.

 

[Bust]

Everything is based around Fields development.

Last thing bears need is a constant merry go round of coaching staffs impeding Fields development

 

[Enasic]

Yeah, maybe Nagy won’t be a moron anymore. Anything’s possible!

 

[ThatGuyRyan]

Packers implode and win only five games.
The Vikings are getting worse not better.
The Lions would be a little threatening if they were not the Lions.

Bears are going to win ten games and with it the NFC North. They'll have no choice but to print a new contract for both Matt Nagy and Ryan Pace since three out of four years in the playoffs is something they are not going to give up. I have mixed feelings about the whole thing, but I bet this is how it plays out for Mr. Matt Nagy.

Matt Nagy is in over his head as a head coach. Ryan Pace, for the most part is a decent evaluator of college talent but he has been nothing short of terrible as a General Manager.

 

[Montucky]

Matt Nagy is in over his head as a head coach. Ryan Pace, for the most part is a decent evaluator of college talent but he has been nothing short of terrible as a General Manager.

I’m OK with giving them a protracted tenure to learn how to do these jobs, even if I agree pretty strongly about Matt Nagy. Constant front office and head coaching turnover is not a path to success.

 

[jts1207]

Nagy has 2 years tops. He will ride Dalton as long as he can so he will have a built in excuse to be brought back next year. He’s an idiot who can’t coach.

 

[Montucky]

Nagy has 2 years tops. He will ride Dalton as long as he can so he will have a built in excuse to be brought back next year. He’s an idiot who can’t coach.

Matt Nagys only path to job security is a division title. Even if Justin Fields looks great the Bears will gladly give Nagy the Anthony Lynn treatment, especially if Doug Pederson is looking for a job again. But if Nagy wins? I don’t think there’s any way they let him walk if he puts together a successful season.

 

[Black Rainbow]

Unless they completely, and I mean completely, fall apart, Nagy isn’t going anywhere.

Fall apart?

They never left the ground.

 

[Black Rainbow]

Calls for firing Nagy will be red hot this year.

I have little faith in him. Fans will say "he's ruining Fields" or at best "wasting his potential."

Pace drafted Fields, so for most fans, he's off the hook - but he shouldn't be because he hired Nagy.

 

[Montucky]

Calls for firing Nagy will be red hot this year.

I have little faith in him. Fans will say "he's ruining Fields" or at best "wasting his potential."

Pace drafted Fields, so for most fans, he's off the hook - but he shouldn't be because he hired Nagy.

I have no faith in Matt Nagy but I look around the NFC North and nobody else is in a position to win this division to my eye. It’s all a train wreck.

 

[Rob Noxious]

I am starting to not like just looking at Nagy’s face. If he starts to mess up the best prospect our Bears have ever had at QB, I’m expecting you guys to run his ass out of town. I would do it, but I live in Ohio. Thanks.