Chicago Bears fans have seen enough. It is clear as day that GM Ryan Pace and head coach Matt Nagy have totally lost control of this 2020 season. They let a 5-1 start slip to a 5-7 record with four to play. It is arguably the worst collapse in franchise history. Conversations have now shifted from if those two will be fired to when. A lot of people want them gone immediately. There is no further point in continuing this charade.
Yet Nagy attended his Monday press conference as if nothing was amiss. He insisted things remain just peachy between him, Pace, and ownership. Of course what else was he going to say? The bottom line is he remains employed and likely to continue towards next Sunday as the head coach. Probably one Pace doesn’t want to endure as it will be against the other QB he passed on in 2017, Deshaun Watson.
So what gives? Why is ownership so hesitant to make the decision?
There are a few factors in play. A big one is that this franchise has never done anything like that. They’ve always allowed a head coach and GM to finish the respective final seasons before evaluating the decision to keep them or move on. George McCaskey is undoubtedly hesitant about breaking that tradition.
Also, it is important to remember the Bears aren’t technically eliminated from the playoffs yet. They could still win out to finish 9-7. With an expanded postseason format, it would give them decent odds of making it in.
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That being said, there is another factor in play this year. An NFL rule change. One that prohibits teams from meeting with prospective GMs or head coaches in person until after the regular season ends. Until then only virtual meetings are permitted. So even if the Bears did fire Nagy and Pace, they couldn’t get serious about replacing them for another month. So why bother rocking the boat until then?
Here’s the full NFL memo on new COVID-19 procedures for interviewing head coach, GM and other candidates — including virtual interviews only until the season ends, and mandates for shorter in-person interviews, masks and social distancing. pic.twitter.com/allPJvRZCt
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) December 7, 2020
Chicago Bears have actually benefitted from holding off before
There may also be a bit of strategy involved as well. Keeping the current regime in place has led to losing. While that was infuriating at first, now there could be tactical reasoning behind it. Namely the hope of letting them guide the team right into a high draft spot. Look around the NFL. Houston fired Bill O’Brien after an 0-4 start. They’re now 4-4 since Romeo Crennel took over. Atlanta started 0-5. Since firing Dan Quinn, they’re 4-2 since. Detroit was 4-7 with Matt Patricia and now 1-0 without him.
While winning might feel nice, it won’t be helping them in the long run. Meanwhile, the New York Jets have kept Adam Gase in place and his team remains winless. This should guarantee them the #1 pick and the rights to Clemson star QB Trevor Lawrence. The same goes for Doug Marrone in Jacksonville who has just one win this year, locking them into the #2 spot. The Bears desperately need a quarterback. A high pick is almost always required to get one.
If the season is already lost, why give somebody else a chance to ruin it?
Just leave Nagy in there and let the slide continue. Then the next regime can accept his parting gift with a hopeful top 10 draft choice they can use to clean up the mess he left behind. All speculation aside? The Chicago Bears will make the changes eventually. It just doesn’t seem like they have many logical reasons to do it now. Other than to send a message.