Matt Nagy sure isn’t Marc Trestman. That much can be said. Back in 2014, Trestman was quiet and withdrawn following the Chicago Bears’ epic 55-14 throttling at the hands of the Green Bay Packers. A man who was clearly defeated in every sense. Nagy isn’t about that garbage. He made that crystal clear during his Monday morning press conference following a 41-25 loss at Lambeau Field.
It was an ugly, ugly night. At different points, the Bears trailed 27-3 and 41-10. The game was never close. Defensively they couldn’t pressure Aaron Rodgers or get off the field on 3rd down. Offensively Mitch Trubisky couldn’t avoid his usual problems with turning the ball over, throwing two brutal interceptions, and losing a fumble.
Nagy didn’t waste any time when he got in front of the camera.
He blasted the players for their poor effort during the game. All the players. Not just the offense and special teams. The defense was the first unit he singled out, saying a performance like what they gave isn’t what they’re about. A pretty bold statement considering they’ve basically carried this team for three years since he arrived.
To him, it feels like the team is trapped in a funk and they can’t wake themselves up. Their fire and competitiveness have vanished. That is unacceptable. There are no excuses for basically laying down for a division rival in a must-win game like that. It was easily the angriest people have ever seen Matt Nagy the coach in any press conference to date.
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Probably because it was that bad, but also because he no doubt senses his job is on the line.
Matt Nagy starts his press conference by challenging his defense after yesterday's 41-25 loss. Talks about personal pride. "If you really care and you understand what we put out there last night, you'll fix it. … That's not who we are in particular as a defense yesterday."
— JJ Stankevitz (@JJStankevitz) November 30, 2020
#Bears coach Matt Nagy: "Yesterday was flat-out embarrassing. That performance yesterday is ridiculous and can't happen and obviously that starts with me."
— Brad Biggs (@BradBiggs) November 30, 2020
Matt Nagy: "Every freaking coach on the staff, every player better wake up and start understanding where we're at. Have some personal pride. Have a freaking sense of urgency. Know where we're at. … Yesterday was flat-out embarrassing and our guys know it."
— Chris Emma (@CEmma670) November 30, 2020
Matt Nagy: “Right now is an extreme low. It’s not fun at all. It stinks. But, if you fight, if you care, if you have a little pride, if your DNA allows you to get a little pissed off and angry … we’ve gotta do it on Sunday, Saturday, Thursday whenever the game is."
— Kevin Fishbain (@kfishbain) November 30, 2020
Matt Nagy seems like he’s grasping at straws
This feels less like a head coach rallying the troops and more like a wounded animal giving out its final death screams. Nagy has had multiple opportunities to turn this thing around in the past several weeks. He’s found ways to waste every single one of them. He got a rare good night from the offense against New Orleans but lost in overtime. The defense smothered Minnesota but the offense managed six points. This isn’t just a breakdown of one unit or another. It’s a team failure.
That falls at the feet of the head coach. He’s supposed to be the one who finds the answers to what ails his football team. Yes the COVID-19 pandemic is a problem. Yes they’ve suffered some difficult injuries. Here’s the thing. The 31 other teams in the league are dealing with the same thing. Almost all of them have managed to avoid a five-game losing streak.
At some point blaming the players can’t be acceptable anymore.
Matt Nagy is getting paid the big bucks to find solutions. For the past two years, he’s looked more and more like the problem. His offense isn’t working. His motivational skills seem like they’re starting to fall on deaf ears. It feels like he’s out of ways to get their attention. In a league that is based around the idea of playing chess and thinking several moves ahead, Nagy seems like he’s moved himself into checkmate.