Luke
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http://www.kansascity.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/red-zone/article193551879.html
Kudos to Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Pace for hiring Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy. It’s a smart move.
First off, the Bears’ future rests in its ability to develop quarterback Mitchell Trubisky. Period. They gave up resources to get him, and Pace’s tenure will likely depend on how well Trubisky plays. Giving him a creative, offensive-minded head coach with a quarterbacking background was paramount, and Nagy, a former Arena League quarterback, fits the bill.
At 39, Nagy is still young enough to relate to players, and I can’t stress enough how many positive things I heard about him from players. Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith, who had a career year this season as he finally started to consistently push the ball downfield, loves Nagy.
“Awesome — killer,” Smith told me when asked about Nagy’s ability to relate to players. “When he got to be up in the room in front of everybody as a coordinator, you never know how guys are going to handle that. I think the thing all of us appreciate is that he didn’t even blink.
“A lot of guys get up there and puff their chest or something and change. But (here) you’re just like, ‘Same old Nags.’ Still laid back and having fun, loves what he’s doing, loves ball, loves joking with the guys. You can see that and I think guys really appreciate that, and I think that’s only carried on even more.”
Nagy’s personality also shines through in interviews, where he answers questions genuinely and with a smile, while adequately walking the tightrope between giving just enough to fill reporters’ notebooks but not giving away too much. He has the look of somebody who can be the face of a franchise.
But what Bears fans should really like is Nagy’s creativity and knack for calling plays. Since he took over as the primary playcaller for coach Andy Reidin early December, the Chiefs’ offense came alive again after a miserable two-month slump, as Nagy consistently dialed up the zone-running plays they used to so much success earlier this season. Nagy is a sharp guy who also increased the reliance on run-pass options that Smith likes so much and cut down the “trick-ya” plays the offense had grown too fond of.
“I think he thinks a little different from Coach (Reid) and kind of adds to that, where now you’re kind of getting some of the spice that’s not your typical West Coast offense,” Smith told me. “Coach lets him put that in here and there and we showed we can handle it. I think that’s why, the last couple years, there’s a little more diversity in the stuff we do. That’s what I appreciate. I think he loves to stay aggressive and I think that’s what’s rubbed off on us.”
Now, I know Bears fans want to know who was calling plays in the second half of the Titans’ loss, in which the Chiefs blew an 18-point lead. I don’t think that will be easy to find out; despite Nagy’s increased playcalling role, Reid still had oversight and involvement, which means he deserves some credit for the late-season offensive revival, too. It’s not as simple as saying Nagy called the good plays while Reid called the bad ones, as Reid consistently joked when asked about the playcalling after the game.
Overall, the inability to put the Titans away was a team failure, one in which everybody shared a piece of the blame. The Chiefs dialed up all those second-half passes, I suspect, because they knew running the ball against the Titans would be tough sledding.
The Titans had the league’s fourth-best run defense, and they devote multiple resources to stopping the run. Running the ball against that front consistently was never going to happen with this offensive line, and I suspect the coaches knew that, which is why they dialed up so many passing plays. Those were open, by the way; there was a failure to execute by the quarterback (missed shots) and receivers (drops).
So, really, who cares who was calling the plays in the second half (well, except for that horrendous third-and-1 sprint option — there was no excuse for that). I honestly don’t think an increased emphasis on the run would have helped. The Titans’ physical front would have shut that down, they would have still blown the lead, and everyone would be crushing Reid for “going into a shell” anyway. What needed to happen was for the passes they dialed up against the league’s 25th-ranked pass defense to work. They were open, but nerves got tight as the Titans mounted a comeback, they couldn’t catch a break and execution was off.
Anyway, Bears fans, nothing is certain in the NFL, but I think Nagy, because of his personality and playcalling knack, is one of the best head coaching candidates Reid has had in Kansas City (better than the Eagles’ Doug Pederson), and I think your team made a good hire. Take that for it’s worth.
Kudos to Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Pace for hiring Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy. It’s a smart move.
First off, the Bears’ future rests in its ability to develop quarterback Mitchell Trubisky. Period. They gave up resources to get him, and Pace’s tenure will likely depend on how well Trubisky plays. Giving him a creative, offensive-minded head coach with a quarterbacking background was paramount, and Nagy, a former Arena League quarterback, fits the bill.
At 39, Nagy is still young enough to relate to players, and I can’t stress enough how many positive things I heard about him from players. Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith, who had a career year this season as he finally started to consistently push the ball downfield, loves Nagy.
“Awesome — killer,” Smith told me when asked about Nagy’s ability to relate to players. “When he got to be up in the room in front of everybody as a coordinator, you never know how guys are going to handle that. I think the thing all of us appreciate is that he didn’t even blink.
“A lot of guys get up there and puff their chest or something and change. But (here) you’re just like, ‘Same old Nags.’ Still laid back and having fun, loves what he’s doing, loves ball, loves joking with the guys. You can see that and I think guys really appreciate that, and I think that’s only carried on even more.”
Nagy’s personality also shines through in interviews, where he answers questions genuinely and with a smile, while adequately walking the tightrope between giving just enough to fill reporters’ notebooks but not giving away too much. He has the look of somebody who can be the face of a franchise.
But what Bears fans should really like is Nagy’s creativity and knack for calling plays. Since he took over as the primary playcaller for coach Andy Reidin early December, the Chiefs’ offense came alive again after a miserable two-month slump, as Nagy consistently dialed up the zone-running plays they used to so much success earlier this season. Nagy is a sharp guy who also increased the reliance on run-pass options that Smith likes so much and cut down the “trick-ya” plays the offense had grown too fond of.
“I think he thinks a little different from Coach (Reid) and kind of adds to that, where now you’re kind of getting some of the spice that’s not your typical West Coast offense,” Smith told me. “Coach lets him put that in here and there and we showed we can handle it. I think that’s why, the last couple years, there’s a little more diversity in the stuff we do. That’s what I appreciate. I think he loves to stay aggressive and I think that’s what’s rubbed off on us.”
Now, I know Bears fans want to know who was calling plays in the second half of the Titans’ loss, in which the Chiefs blew an 18-point lead. I don’t think that will be easy to find out; despite Nagy’s increased playcalling role, Reid still had oversight and involvement, which means he deserves some credit for the late-season offensive revival, too. It’s not as simple as saying Nagy called the good plays while Reid called the bad ones, as Reid consistently joked when asked about the playcalling after the game.
Overall, the inability to put the Titans away was a team failure, one in which everybody shared a piece of the blame. The Chiefs dialed up all those second-half passes, I suspect, because they knew running the ball against the Titans would be tough sledding.
The Titans had the league’s fourth-best run defense, and they devote multiple resources to stopping the run. Running the ball against that front consistently was never going to happen with this offensive line, and I suspect the coaches knew that, which is why they dialed up so many passing plays. Those were open, by the way; there was a failure to execute by the quarterback (missed shots) and receivers (drops).
So, really, who cares who was calling the plays in the second half (well, except for that horrendous third-and-1 sprint option — there was no excuse for that). I honestly don’t think an increased emphasis on the run would have helped. The Titans’ physical front would have shut that down, they would have still blown the lead, and everyone would be crushing Reid for “going into a shell” anyway. What needed to happen was for the passes they dialed up against the league’s 25th-ranked pass defense to work. They were open, but nerves got tight as the Titans mounted a comeback, they couldn’t catch a break and execution was off.
Anyway, Bears fans, nothing is certain in the NFL, but I think Nagy, because of his personality and playcalling knack, is one of the best head coaching candidates Reid has had in Kansas City (better than the Eagles’ Doug Pederson), and I think your team made a good hire. Take that for it’s worth.
