One of the most common trends in NFL history is teams trying to get as far away from failure as possible. The Chicago Bears offered the perfect example with their hiring of Matt Nagy as their new head coach. After seeing John Fox go 14-34 in his three years at the helm, it’s no surprise the team wanted to go in a totally new direction. Taking one look at Nagy and it seems obvious they got what they wanted.
Where Fox was an older coach with a deep background on defense and a somewhat passive personality, Nagy is younger with an offensive expertise and known for his animated and aggressive mentality. Hell, the Bears even hired him from the Kansas City Chiefs, the sworn enemy of the Denver Broncos whom they got Fox from three years prior.
All joking aside, there may be another underlying factor in why the Bears targeted Nagy. One that has to do less with background and more with mindset. There was no greater revelation of this than during Nagy’s most recent press conference wrapping up the mandatory team minicamps before summer break.
Matt Nagy prioritizes swagger over a fear of mistakes on his team
If there was one word that defined Fox during his time in Chicago, it was cautious. He loved to play things close to the vest. Run the ball, play good defense and above all limit the number of mistakes whatever the cost. It sounds nice in theory, but it comes with consequences. Players are often so afraid of making a mistake, they don’t take risks.
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Fewer risks may limit mistakes but it also limits big plays. Winning in this NFL can often be decided by big plays. Don’t believe it? Of the 12 teams who participated in the playoffs last season, seven of them ranked in the top 15 for big plays (number of plays going 25 yards or more). Among those teams? The Kansas City Chiefs at #3. The same team Nagy coordinated. This might explain why he’s a bit more lenient when it comes to taking chances.
Nagy seems to have a mindset similar to John Madden.
The Hall of Famer talked about his somewhat unique coaching style with the Oakland Raiders back in the 1970s. It was a team known for its somewhat undisciplined player but also one that had a ton of success. Madden explained his methodology.
“These are the greatest athletes in the world. They’re like artists. If you take their creativity away from them by making them robotic? Then they’re going to play like robots. But if you give them individuality and if you give them some freedom? Then they can be and play the way they are.”
This sounds a lot like the message Nagy is trying to preach. It’s hard to argue with it. Madden still has the highest winning percentage for a head coach in the modern NFL era, claiming victory in 75.9% of his games. Don’t forget Nagy is a student of Chiefs history now, and that team was the arch-rival of Madden’s Raiders. It wouldn’t be at all surprising if he studied up on the man at some point.
Either way, it’s little wonder the players have rallied behind him so quickly. Madden was beloved by his player in those days. If Nagy does indeed exhibit similar traits, then getting the team motivated won’t be difficult at all.
