Matt Nagy came into Chicago with the answer. Or at least that is what he and the Bears wanted people to believe. He was the hotshot young offensive coordinator. A disciple of the great Andy Reid. A former quarterback who understood the position. This guy would have the magic touch to fix the offense and turn Mitch Trubisky into the player he should be.
Just over two years later, Nagy sent the 26-year old quarterback to the bench in favor of Nick Foles. Totally confident that he’d done everything anyone could’ve ever done to make Trubisky a success. As time has gone on though, people have started to question whether that’s true. Foles hasn’t turned out to be the magic elixir the head coach thought either. If anything, he’s been even worse.
This shifted most of the finger-pointing directly at Nagy himself.
According to Adam Jahns of The Athletic, there was some confusion around the NFL when the benching happened. While Trubisky hadn’t been great through the first three games, had he really been bad enough to be benched? Former player Emmanuel Acho even said it felt like Nagy was merely waiting for the quarterback to make a big mistake so he’d have an excuse to make the switch to Foles.
Jahns indicated that there’s a general feeling the coach used Trubisky to explain away why the offense couldn’t function.
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“That said, there is a scapegoat feel to the Bears’ benching of Trubisky in certain league circles. Evaluations of Trubisky always were mixed and will continue to be so, but he had won the Bears’ first two games this season, including a dramatic comeback in Detroit and he wasn’t injured.”
In hindsight, this is proving true. The quarterback wasn’t his first victim either. Remember Nagy gutted most of his offensive coaching staff early in the offseason, opting to bring in guys he has stronger ties with.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLbT_D2xpE0&ab_channel=ChicagoBears
Matt Nagy eventually couldn’t hide any longer
Even after the staff shakeup and benching of Trubisky, the offense continued to spiral. Only two weeks ago was he finally forced to consider the unthinkable. Maybe he’s the problem. There was growing evidence he lacked the prowess to run an offense at a high level. His playcalling was erratic and his game management highly questionable. With Trubisky no longer there to shoulder the blame, the criticism was leveled squarely on him.
So Nagy did the only thing he could do. He handed control of his offense over to coordinator Bill Lazor. A move he admitted was difficult to accept. It’s also one that may have come too little, too late. This entire past year played out with a clear notion that Matt Nagy was doubling down on himself and his system. He hired a staff that knew it better. He pushed to trade for a QB that knew it better. The system works. Just trust him.
Now here he is. Clinging to his job with six games left.
His true opportunities to change his fortunes are long gone. He passed on a chance to hire a coordinator with better play calling credentials. He opted for an expensive QB in Foles that had a history of consistency issues. Also, don’t forget he pushed for more help at tight end than the offensive line. Jimmy Graham gets $16 million and the first pick of the draft on Cole Kmet.
Little decisions that seem innocent by themselves but have a tendency to stack up really fast. So how ironic it is that Nagy must turn back to the man he ostracized in Trubisky to not only save the Bears’ season but also what little credibility he has left as a head coach? Karma tends to work like that.