Matt Nagy is like an inventor. He likes to add certain things to his collection and tinker with them, seeing if he can get them to do something they couldn’t before. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. The true joy is the process of elimination until the eureka moment of discovery. That is how the Chicago Bears head coach is as a play caller.
The man proved last season that he is not afraid to try anything. Here’s just a short list of things he tried over the course of last season:
- Ran an old T-formation play
- Had Tarik Cohen throw a TD pass
- Handed the ball off to Akiem Hicks
- Threw a TD pass to an offensive tackle in Bradley Sowell
- Lined two QBs up for a play at the same time
Nagy will try anything at least once. So it’s little wonder he failed to hide his enthusiasm about the arrival of new wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson. Among players in the NFL today, he might be among the most unique. Not only a world-class kick returner, but he’s also logged time at receiver and running back. All with a handful of successful moments.
Giving a player like that to a mad scientist like Nagy is gasoline on flames. He told 670 The Score as much.
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Matt Nagy will likely craft even weirder plays for Patterson
The New England Patriots used Patterson a variety of different ways. They’d throw to him deep, flip it to him on end-arounds and even hand him the ball in the backfield. The idea was always to take advantage of his vision, acceleration, and speed. If he gets up a head of steam, it’s hard to stop him. It may sound crazy, but Nagy may go a step further.
This is a man who has knowledge of offenses that not only goes back to the 1940s but also spans different leagues. There’s likely a few Arena League play designs that would fit Patterson’s game well. Never mind the fact that he has fellow guru Mark Helfrich there feeding the machine. It is going to be fun to watch how that package develops.
