Matt Nagy is head coach of the Chicago Bears. He’s also the offensive coordinator. Mark Helfrich may hold that official title, but Nagy is the one who ultimately calls the shots on that sign of the ball. He has the play sheet and he relays the plays to Mitch Trubisky. That was the desired situation the Bears were looking for when they hired him last year. They wanted something similar to Sean Payton and Drew Brees or Sean McVay and Jared Goff.
So far this season Nagy came under the scrutiny of a lot of people for his play calling. They felt he was too conservative. Then they felt he didn’t run the ball enough. He needed to attack down the field more. There were plenty of suggestions but hardly any solutions. Was it really that bad or was it more the offense not executing the plays properly? Mike Sando of The Athletic talked with other coaches around the NFL on this subject.
They seem to be firmly on the side of Nagy. The general feeling is the second-year coach is doing everything in his power to make games easier for Trubisky. Screens, quick outs, shallow crosses, bootlegs, and play action are involved in this process. Monday night in Washington showcased all of that and often to great effect.
“What (Bears coach Matt) Nagy does is what good play-callers do,” a veteran coach said. “He accentuates his quarterback’s strengths and stays away from his weaknesses.”
Matt Nagy is doing everything he can to help Trubisky
It’s easy to criticize Nagy from the sidelines. The reality is the guy is a good coach and a good play caller. He’s doing the best he can with what he’s been given. It’s apparent to everybody at this point that Trubisky is a work-in-progress. He is athletic, has a good arm, and can make some outstanding throws off the cuff. The problem is he still hasn’t learned how to operate from inside the pocket and survey the field as top quarterbacks do.
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Many fear he may never learn this considering he’s already had three years to do so. Then again not every quarterback develops at the same speed. No doubt the Bears are holding out hope that he figures it out. He’s improved from where he was as a rookie, but not nearly enough to give people confidence he wouldn’t be the weak link in a playoff run. There are 13 games left in the season though. That will give Nagy more time to help his young quarterback improve.
Or it may provide a definitive answer on whether the Bears need to consider a change.
