Pat McAfee is a smart man. One usually has to be in order to play the game of football for a long time. Inevitably this means the former All-Pro punter for the Indianapolis Colts has seen his fair share of interactions between players and coaches on the sidelines. Not just in the NFL but going all the way back through college and high school. So if anybody is qualified to weigh in on the heated exchange between Matt Nagy and Mitch Trubisky on Monday night in Washington, it’s him.
For those who aren’t caught up, the situation went down like this. The Bears had a burn a timeout on 3rd and 2 in the second quarter. Trubisky came to the sideline to talk to Nagy, quarterbacks coach Dave Ragone, and backup QB Chase Daniel. He was clearly agitated about something. Nagy listened for a moment and then got in his quarterback’s face and appeared to shout, “Listen, shut the fuck up. Shut the fuck up, right now. I got you.” This moment went viral after the game and caused a bit of controversy and concern among some Bears fans.
McAfee decided to weigh in on the matter himself on The Pat McAfee Show.
“Coaches, whenever they’re speaking to players, can sometimes be a bit savage. A bit ruthless. There’s a lot on the line. They are investing their time. They are investing their emotions. They’re investing their entire life into something. So whenever there isn’t a performance that they feel you are capable of doing, they’re going to express that…
…But, as a player, when you’re in that moment, just like what Mitchell Trubisky said, that is something that you want. That is something that you love. Every coach I’ve ever been around said once I stop talking to you that’s when you need to worry because I have given up completely on you and I think you’re a complete sack of trash.
So when Matt Nagy gets in Mitchell Trubisky’s face and says, ‘You need to shut the fornicate up right now and step the fornicate up,’ I believe I’m no lip reader…that is a moment that I assume Mitchell Trubisky and Matt Nagy will cherish.
That is a moment that they probably have on the practice field. That is a moment I assume that they’re not scared to have in the public eye and right now that’s a moment that people just need to lay off it.”
Pat McAfee hits the nail on the head in every way
Everything the man says is true. Nagy and Trubisky both downplayed the exchange after the game as if it was all just part of their routine. It just happened to get caught on camera and blown out of proportion by people who don’t understand. This is what can happen between two competitors who want to win. Tom Brady has been known for his sideline explosions throughout most of his NFL career. Why should he get a pass and they don’t?
Besides, it’s not like the moment was detrimental to the team. On the next play, Trubisky found Anthony Miller for 15 yards and a first down. Two plays later he threw a touchdown pass to Taylor Gabriel. So suffice to say the moment got the desired effect. Nagy didn’t yet at his quarterback just for the sake of doing so. He did it because his gut told him it needed to be done to get Trubisky focused on the moment. It worked. Move on.
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