Matt Nagy is a players coach. He has a unique ability to connect with a locker room. It’s why he’s able to get the Chicago Bears to play hard for him. Sure it hasn’t always gone according to plan, but the guy knows the right buttons to push. Don’t be fooled though. The guy is a competitor. He also has standards when it comes to what he expects from his players. If they don’t meet them, they won’t be around long. Eddie Jackson knows this well.
Mark Potash of the Chicago Sun-Times pointed out something the star safety alluded to this offseason. Nagy has his eyes and ears open heading towards training camp. Even more than usual. With no minicamps or OTAs, it has become a bigger challenge for players to work out and practice. While some guys may not like that, the Bears head coach seems to view it as an opportunity.
One that might allow him to weed out guys who might not be as personally motivated as they should be.
‘‘Coach Nagy, he wants to see who is going to be conditioned when we get back to camp and who’s not, and that’s going to tell it all,’’ safety Eddie Jackson said. ‘‘A lot of guys say: ‘Yeah, I’m working. I’m doing this. I’m doing that.’ But it’s all going to show when it’s time to report to camp.’’
Eddie Jackson may have seen this happen before
It’s interesting that Jackson went out of his way to mention that. Last year, the Bears decided to trade former Pro Bowl running back Jordan Howard to the Philadelphia Eagles. Most assumed it was about scheme fit more than anything. Howard didn’t offer a ton of versatility. However, Bill Zimmerman of Windy City Gridiron heard from fantasy football guru John Hansen that there was another reason. The fact that Howard showed up to training camp in 2018 out of shape.
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If true, that was probably not the best first impression to make on your new head coach. It likely may have soured Nagy on the running back from the start. He wants players he can trust will always be ready and don’t need constant prodding from coaches to keep themselves conditioned. This explains why David Montgomery was a draft target last year. In addition to being a good talent, he also had a reputation for being a gym rat.
Jackson knows that Nagy wants to win. He also knows jobs might be on the line this year. So players who show up to camp out of shape, regardless of their supposed importance to the roster, could see consequences for it.
