After the failures of the Chicago Bears offense in 2019, a lot of people were looking for scapegoats. Head coach Matt Nagy was a popular target. This isn’t a surprise. This is his system he installed and he’s the one calling the plays. Some have criticized him for being stubborn and unwilling to adjust. Is this true? New offensive coordinator Bill Lazor doesn’t get that impression.
He was brought in to replace the departed Mark Helfrich. He explained during his first meeting with the Bears media that the head coach was wide open to suggestions on how the offense can be made better. Even if that means making some changes. Not every coach will be willing to do that. A welcome sign that Nagy is more focused on winning than doing things his way.
Lazor said Nagy was quick to ask for evaluations on whether he made the right calls.
“I’ve been in good staff rooms and I’ve been in staff rooms that weren’t a lot of fun,” Lazor said Wednesday in his first interview with Chicago media. “To me, this was a really good staff room this spring — as long as we were able to stay in it before the offices got shut (because of the coronavirus). We were able to have those conversations because we have a leader that’s open to evaluating and who wants to get better.
Bill Lazor recognizes what Nagy is trying to do
One of the hardest things to do in life is change. Nagy came from a system in Kansas City that worked. He saw it work for years. Not just with Patrick Mahomes but Alex Smith and Donovan McNabb. It makes sense he’d try to stick with it. Especially after what happened in 2018. Sure it wasn’t perfect but given enough time this type of system tends to thrive. Unfortunately, some of the players just haven’t acclimated to it. So the responsibility falls on him to either adapt or stick to his guns.
He chose the former.
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That is what Lazor was brought in to do. Apply his many years of experience in the NFL and college to find solutions. Whatever it takes as long as it helps the Bears win. The good news is Lazor is more qualified for this responsibility than Helfrich was. While Helfrich was a smart guy, he had no understanding of the pro game. He’d never worked there in his life prior to joining Chicago.
Lazor doesn’t have that issue. His wide range of stops with various teams under different head coaches can and should be of great value to Nagy in the coming months.