Anybody who hasn’t watched the show “West Wing” is not living life properly. During the early seasons, there was an episode where the President had to decide what to do with a large group of Chinese Christian runaways, fleeing religious persecution. Some people wondered if these refugees were really Christians or just trying to find a clever way of gaining entry to the U.S. So the President decided to meet with one of them and wait to hear a particular buzz word that only people who’ve truly read the Bible would know. It was in this same style at Matt Nagy won the Chicago Bears job.
From the outset, GM Ryan Pace liked Nagy. He’d done a ton of research on the Chiefs offensive coordinator, getting opinions from as many as 25 to 30 different people. However, he was not going to jump the gun as many think he did with John Fox three years ago. Nagy would get his turn to make a case just like the others they had lined up.
However, it seems team president Ted Phillips had his own “West Wing” moment, hoping to hear one of the Bears candidates utter a particular phrase. Adam Jahn of the Chicago Sun-Times found out it was a simple one, but something that carried enough weight to get the job if uttered at the right time.
Matt Nagy picked perfect moment to tell Bears what they wanted to hear
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“Throughout the interview process, Phillips kept telling Pace and McCaskey that he wanted to hear one answer.
“God, it’d be nice if when we’re talking to these guys, if one of them or all of them say — and they say it with conviction — I really want to be the coach of the Bears, and here’s why,” Phillips said.
Two candidates did. Nagy said it as his interview drew to a close.
“He said, ‘I really, really want to be the head coach of the Chicago Bears,’ ” McCaskey recalled…”
Talk about ideal timing by Nagy.
It’s a good sign that he’s a man who understands how to read people. Except it turns out he wasn’t done. As if to make sure he crossed the finish line with a flourish, he added another exciting statement to the discussion.
“…It also included an explanation of how he would handle players after a loss.
“We’re not going to just say, ‘Hey, you guys, we fought really hard. It was a tough game. We’ll go get them next week,’ ” Phillips recalled Nagy saying. “ ‘We’re going to have a real discussion about what happened.’
“He’s the only guy that did that. It was really refreshing to hear that from a head-coach candidate.”
That is likely what the Bears brass heard plenty of with guys like Fox and Trestman the previous five years. One can imagine it can get frustrating hearing such men simply try to make the players feel better rather than actively discussing why the loss happened and to make sure it doesn’t happen that way again. Nagy understands that vital part of the job.
Another sign the Bears may have finally gotten the right guy.
