Matt Nagy was hired by the Chicago Bears for a specific reason. He has a sharp offensive mind. He was groomed by one of the best in NFL history in Andy Reid and showcased a lot of what he could do in Kansas City. One of the things that became clear about him almost right away? Nagy is not a fan of doing the same things too often. Even if those things might be working. This is a man who is striving for defenses to operate with one line in their heads.
Expect the unexpected.
This has led to him calling rather fancy plays in situations that typically demand a straightforward approach. The common term for such moments is getting “cute.” Too often in 2019 these plays ended up backfiring for the Bears and Nagy ended up taking a lot of heat for it. People felt his love for crazy play designs was overriding the need to streamline to offense and make it easier for his players to execute.
Colin Cowherd got the chance to ask him about that on his show The Herd. The head coach explained why he operates that way and where he gets his inspirations from.
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Matt Nagy knows he needs to be better but won’t stop innovating
The truth is Nagy understands last season didn’t go well. He was the first to admit his play calling didn’t get the job done. He spent a healthy chunk of the past few months figuring out what went wrong. If that weren’t enough, he overhauled his coaching staff to bring in more veteran experience. Guys who have strong reputations for play design and coaching up offense like Bill Lazor and John DeFilippo. They should be a big help to him.
It’s easy to forget Nagy has only been calling plays for two and a half years. He’s still learning.
Keep in mind Andy Reid started calling plays for the first time when he became a head coach in Philadelphia. He didn’t produce a true top 10 offense until his fourth season. Nagy has a ways to go but he’s shown enough flashes to make one think he can get there. The fact that he understands the NFL is an adapt-or-die business is a good thing. The less a defense knows about what you’re going to do, the better.
Innovation is not a crime. It is imperative. Nagy just needs to learn when and where to use it better.