It doesn’t look like the Chicago Bears will be bringing in a savior at the trade deadline. There are just too many obstacles from limited money to teams just being unwilling to part with players more than usual. No doubt a byproduct of living in a COVID-19 reality. So that means Matt Nagy will have to try fixing his broken offense in some other way.
Thus far the head coach hasn’t had any answers. He tried switching quarterbacks to Nick Foles. That worked for a time but then the offensive line started to have issues. James Daniels tore his pec. Now Cody Whitehair is out with a calf injury. Combine this with an anemic running game and it’s making life incredibly difficult for the 31-year old QB.
So is there anything to do?
It appears Nagy might have an idea. Everybody has heard about Foles’ supposed criticism of his play calling during the Monday Night Football broadcast last week. The quarterback stated it was a miscommunication and made sure to visit Nagy right away in order to clear the air. There are no signs of any heat between the two.
In fact, according to Ian Rapoport, they seem to have started making some tweaks to how they’ll approach games moving forward. Nagy reportedly is taking more input from Foles on how he would like the offense conducted. Namely more quick passes. Ways to get the ball out of his hands fast. Take pressure off the offensive line.
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Maybe not a perfect fix, but it’s at least a sign Nagy is open to changes.
Matt Nagy knows he must adapt or die
Thus far the winning of the past two months has kept Nagy safe from any true criticism. Or any fears of losing his job. However, that ugly loss in Los Angeles felt like a stark wake-up call. A well-coached team with a good defense completely smothered them. The Bears offense had no answers and Nagy came off looking quite inept with some of his play calls.
Yes, not all of it is on him. He’s at the mercy of some talent deficiencies on that side of the ball. Still, good offensive minds make the most of what they have. Thus far it hasn’t looked like he’s done that. The man seems a little too married to his system and not coming to the realization he may not have the necessary players to implement it.
So his only option left is to change.
Getting input from a veteran like Foles is a good thing. Step one in a proper offensive tweak is making sure you know what makes your quarterback most comfortable Foles likes to get the ball out fast. Mix in some run-pass option and just keep defenses on their toes. The Bears have some receivers who can do things after the catch like Allen Robinson and Darnell Mooney.
Why not try getting them the ball on quick slants and other YAC-friendly routes? It can’t hurt to try because nothing else has worked.