It’s hard being a quarterback in the NFL. Really hard. There’s a reason only a handful of humans on the planet Earth can do it with any amount of sustained success. It doesn’t just take the ability to throw a football well. It takes an almost superhuman knowledge of the game and a requirement to process that knowledge in a matter of seconds from one play to the next. If everything isn’t done perfectly, plays don’t get executed. If plays don’t get executed, the team doesn’t win. Matt Nagy understands this.
The new Chicago Bears head coach has been linked to the quarterback position since he was a kid. He played in high school, college and the Arena League. He then coached it for several years in Kansas City. In that time he learned what it takes for the position to succeed, and people might not fully grasp how deep the details can go at times.
Jay Cutler once said that it typically takes three years to master an NFL offense. Nagy knows this too. So if he wants Mitch Trubisky to avoid not being effective in this new offense until 2020, he needs to find ways to accelerate the learning process. He’s already using some interesting methods in training camp. Some of which seem utterly insane at first glance.
Matt Nagy is so detailed he’s tweaking how Trubisky says plays in the huddle
Under normal football parameters, a quarterback waits outside the huddle until he receives a play being sent in. He then enters the huddle, recites the play to the rest of the offense, gives the cadence and finally breaks it. This is how Trubisky did it last year and it’s the common method for most offenses.
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At least early on, Nagy is taking it a step further. He wants to find ways to help his young quarterback get a deeper understanding of the offense. So he’s actually requiring Trubisky to say plays to each individual player in the huddle that it involves. Peter King of NBC Sports helped explain.
“Because the system is new, Trubisky has worked the off-season to be sure he knows the more complicated offense with more verbiage per play. But Nagy doesn’t just want Trubisky to memorize the calls and repeat them in the huddle. He wants Trubisky to enunciate each part of the play-call while looking at the player or players who are that exact part of the play.
This might be too inside-football … but Trubisky, when calling the assignment for the “Z” receiver, for instance, will probably have a word beginning with Z or simply the letter Z; Nagy wants Trubisky to look at that man when calling it. Nagy wants his quarterback to see if his offensive mates process the call, basically.”
What some people don’t realize is certain offensive plays can be several words long. As many as 15-20 in some cases. Not all of them can be a “Philly Special” or “Ambush” type situation. The point behind this is it gives the primary players involved a clearer understanding of exactly what their job is to help make it a success.
The idea is to use instructing the play as a way for Trubisky to memorize it
Simply learning how to spit out the play is a challenge in those situations. Nagy knows this. So what’s a way to help Trubisky process it a little easier? Having him explain it to each of his teammates in the huddle. By forcing him to act almost like a teacher, it’s also helping Trubisky to learn the play himself. The Bears quarterback is big on leadership, so this sort of method actually speaks to his style.
One thing is clear. Nagy isn’t making any compromises. He’s clearly pushing his quarterback to learn as fast as possible. There’s little room for patience in today’s NFL. The Bears haven’t had a winning season since 2012, haven’t made the playoffs since 2010 and haven’t won a Super Bowl since 1985. He needs to get that ship off the ground fast.
The only way to do that is to make Trubisky a success as soon as possible. Using methods like this may be difficult, but it’s all for the benefit of the team. Just be glad you’re not the one having to do it every day. Aneurysms are never a fun thing.
