Matt Nagy is a great head coach. There’s no arguing it at this point. The man has a 25-13 record so far in his tenure with the Chicago Bears. Nobody else in the Super Bowl era has had a better start with this franchise. He is a leader of men and finds ways to win football games. That is his primary job.
So why are fans so routinely frustrated with him?
It’s because he makes winning look like such a chore every week because of his offense. The Bears have yet to finish a season higher than 21st in total offense under Nagy. Through six games they are 28th this year. So that streak remains very much alive. What is it about the coach that leads to such issues?
Most would argue it’s his play calling which can be erratic. Others say his situational awareness and game management. Both are fair criticisms. However, the true source of Nagy’s problem is neither.
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His comes from a somewhat more troubling direction.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-VBIQw12QA&ab_channel=ChicagoBears
The Carolina game exposed Matt Nagy the personnel guy
Truth be told? Nagy isn’t a terrible play caller. He can actually be quite good at times. Sure he has bad stretches from time to time but that is not his biggest weakness. No, Nagy’s issue rests on identifying which players should be playing and which should not. His eye for what is best for his offense truly is questionable. The Carolina game personified this.
Mistake #1 – Starting Rashaad Coward
It began before the game even kicked off. The Bears made the decision to start Rashaad Coward at left guard in place of the injured James Daniels. It was a confusing move to say the least. Coward had worked exclusively on the right side up to that point in his career. It was made even odder since Alex Bars was the one who replaced Daniels the previous week against Tampa.
To say this was a questionable move would be an understatement. Especially given what happened in the game.
Rashaad Coward.
Woof.#Bears pic.twitter.com/g4BNnjFbdC
— Erik Lambert (@ErikLambert1) October 20, 2020
Man. Coward just had no chance.#Bears pic.twitter.com/IaBMRp9s8O
— Erik Lambert (@ErikLambert1) October 20, 2020
I mean how can Nagy watch this and think to him, "Yeah, I think we'll be fine with Coward at left guard the rest of the year."#Bears pic.twitter.com/Q87QxNHNOb
— Erik Lambert (@ErikLambert1) October 20, 2020
Coward was outclassed all afternoon by a Panthers defensive front that was missing two starters. He got no movement in the ground game and offered little in pass protection. Also don’t forget Coward lost the training camp battle at right guard to Germain Ifedi, a guy who played tackle since 2017.
Mistake #2 – Playing Demetrius Harris more than Cole Kmet
Want to know why Matt Nagy doesn’t make any sense? Follow this logic. He’ll play Darnell Mooney, a rookie 5th round pick more snaps than Anthony Miller (242 to 213). Yet he refuses to play Cole Kmet, the Bears’ top draft choice more snaps than Demetrius Harris (127 to 171).
What makes it look even more egregious is the stat lines.
- Harris – 11 targets, 5 catches, 30 yards
- Kmet – 5 targets, 3 catches, 32 yards, 1 TD
So Kmet has been targeted fewer times and yet he has more yards and touchdowns than Harris. Why again does Nagy refuse to play the rookie more? There is no real justification outside of he just likes Harris more. The two worked together back in Kansas City. The head coach does seem to show favoritism to such players, deserved or not.
It’s stuff like this that makes it easier to understand why the Nagy offense may not function as it should. There is evidence to suggest he doesn’t always play his best players.
Need a little more evidence?
Maybe the name Taquan Mizzell might jog the memory. Back in 2018, the Bears had a good backfield. Jordan Howard? Tarik Cohen? Even Benny Cunningham was a solid backup. Yet Nagy figured it was a better choice to give 70 snaps that year to Mizzell, who was a 4th-stringer who’d been brought over from Baltimore the season prior.
The Bears got him the ball 17 times on offense. His one standout moment was a 10-yard TD grab against Detroit. Outside of that, he had little to offer. Those 16 touches could’ve gone to far more deserving players. Yet Matt Nagy was stubborn and wanted to get him involved.
Those tendencies have not changed and they’re holding him and his offense back.