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Mark Helfrich Hiring Will Fix Crucial Problem Bears Had Under Loggains

By
Erik Lambert
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chicago bears offense

Is it fair to put all the blame for the Chicago Bears offensive woes on Dowell Loggains? That’s a debate that continues even to this day. Some feel the former coordinator was overmatched by his responsibilities. That he lacked the necessary feel for play calling or game planning. Others insist he was held back by the archaic designs of head coach John Fox.

Either way it was apparent Loggains lacked one particular trait that drove fans crazy. He couldn’t mix things up. The ongoing joke throughout the 2017 season was “Run, Run, Pass.” That’s because this was how so many series went for Chicago. They’d run the ball twice, try to pass and then punt. The lack of creativity did not reflect well on Loggains.

It also put rookie quarterback Mitch Trubisky in a tough spot. Asking him to constantly throw from third and long situations with his lack of experience led to a lot of sacks and other mistakes. The Bears didn’t do enough to give him easy throws and reads to get him in rhythm. That no doubt was one of the reasons they hired Matt Nagy as head coach.

It’s also a huge reason Nagy hired Mark Helfrich to replace Loggains.

Mark Helfrich a master of misdirection at Oregon

The biggest claim to fame that Helfrich has at this point in his career was his direct hand in developing the dynamic offensive attack that made Oregon a national power from 2009 to 2015. Jeff Hughes of Da Bears Blog uncovered an interesting point from an old article that revealed what made it so effective back then.

It confused defenses.

“Oregon’s connection with zone-read option runs is well known. Quarterback Marcus Mariota (left) reads the defense, then decides whether to keep the ball or hand it off to a running back (or receiver).

The Ducks passing game is equally confusing for defenses. Mariota threw the ball 27 times during the first half of the Rose Bowl. All but five of those passes involved some sort of misdirection: a pump fake to a receiver, a designed quarterback rollout, a fake handoff to a teammate, or some combination of the three.

According to profootballfocus.com, Mariota used play action on 51 percent of his 372 passes during the regular season.”

The potential in Chicago may actually exceed Oregon

The 2014 Oregon offense was Helfrich’s masterpiece. It led the national both in total yards and total points. They went into the Rose Bowl against the defending champion Florida State Seminoles and proceeded to take them to the woodshed. FSU had absolutely no answers for the Ducks offense which basically did whatever it pleased.

The scariest part about this is Helfrich only had a couple years to do that with Mariota before he headed for the NFL. If he can produced the same environment in Chicago, he and Mitch Trubisky could terrorize the league for the next decade. Trubisky certainly isn’t a stranger to a spread-style system and he showed plenty of promise whenever allowed to do run-pass option plays.

Nagy certainly knew what he was doing when he made Helfrich the hire.

Grading Matt Nagy’s First Week As Bears Head Coach

By
Dhruv Koul
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matt nagy

Exactly one week ago, the Chicago Bears hired former Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy as the 16th head coach in franchise history.

 

Nagy, who came to the Bears with both fanfare and skepticism, attacked the first order of business vigorously in his first week: Figuring out his coaching staff. And while all of the positions have not yet been filled, the staff is starting to take shape well enough to get extremely excited about it. Like, extremely extremely excited about it.

Here are the highlights:

– OL coach Harry Hiestand from Notre Dame was Nagy’s first hire — and what a hire it was! Hiestand is one of the best OL coaches in football, counting both the college game and the NFL. Hiestand coached the Bears from 2005-2009 before departing for Notre Dame. and at ND, he has consistently churned out top prospects on the offensive line that have come to the NFL and continued their strong play. Zack Martin, Ronnie Stanley, Nick Martin, and soon to be Quenton Nelson and Mike McGlinchey are a few examples. Hiestand is a grand slam hire. I’m excited to see what he can do with Cody Whitehair, especially. What a first impression.

– Mark Helfrich was hired as the Bears’ OC. Helfrich, the former Oregon OC under Chip Kelly before becoming their head coach, is best known for dominating the college game with former Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota. The duo was devastating together, and Helfrich is credited for making Mariota one of the best quarterback prospects to come in to the NFL in years. There were reports that Chip Kelly was interested in bringing him to UCLA to become their OC, but Nagy won Helfrich over instead. What’s interesting is that Nagy will be calling plays for the Bears, so Helfrich is undoubtedly in Chicago to help mold QB Mitch Trubisky and introduce Oregon style concepts into Nagy’s offense. You can guarantee that Chicago’s offense will be extremely exciting to watch next season.

– Chris Tabor was hired as Chicago’s special teams coordinator, and he returns to the Bears after spending time with them as Dave Toub’s assistant from 2008-2010. Tabor comes from Cleveland, where he was their ST coordinator from 2011 until last year. The Browns have been devoid of talent at the bottom of their roster (which usually comprises most of the ST units) for a while, yet Tabor’s units were always still respectable. Also, Tabor’s ability to survive Cleveland’s coaching changes says a lot about what the league thinks of him. This is an underrated hire.

– And finally, last but not least, Nagy did what was thought impossible by keeping Vic Fangio as defensive coordinator. All season, it was reported that Fangio wanted to leave Chicago and return to the West Coast. GM Ryan Pace interviewed Fangio for the head coaching role (more out of respect than real interest), and that may have planted seeds of good faith with Fangio. Despite a relatively drawn out process which included Chicago denying the Green Bay Packers permission to interview Fangio, Nagy and Pace sealed the deal by getting Fangio to agree to a three year contract.

– Not to be forgotten, the Bears have filled out a few other assistant roles as well. Charles London is the RB coach. Mike Furrey is the WR coach. Kevin Gilbride is the TE coach. Fangio is expected to retain many of his assistants on the defensive side of the ball.

But make no mistake, Nagy’s coaching staff is strong and incredibly interesting. You don’t win games in the offseason, but you certainly win respect and credibility. Any doubts about Nagy’s ability to put a staff together were erased immediately with the Hiestand hire. And at the end of the first week, he’s shattered expectations altogether. The thoughts of what he can do for this offense as the offseason continues are a bit NSFW.

Grade: A

NFC North Coaching News Chicago Bears Fans Should Watch Carefully

By
Erik Lambert
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chicago bears fans

Chicago Bears fans have rightfully been focused on their own coaching search over the past few weeks. However, things have since settled down with all of the key positions filled. Matt Nagy is firmly in charge as head coach. Former Oregon mastermind Mark Helfrich is his offensive coordinator. Last but not least? Vic Fangio agreed to return as maestro of the Bears defense. This is good news all around.

At the same time it would be unwise for people to remain ignorant of what’s been going on around the rest of the division. All three of the Bears’ biggest rivals have either made big coaching changes or are about to. Changes that could impact their fortunes, for better or worse in the years to come. If fans haven’t yet grasped what’s happened during the whirlwind of the past couple weeks, here’s a breakdown of the important bits.

Green Bay Packers hire Joe Philbin as offensive coordinator

Most people will be focused on the hiring of Mike Pettine as the Packers defensive coordinator. He’ll be replacing Dom Capers who’d been with the team since 2009. Nobody has really bothered to notice the return of Joe Philbin to the offensive coordinator job he left back in 2012. People forget that when Philbin held the position Aaron Rodgers had arguably the most productive stretch of his career.

In 2010 they won the Super Bowl and a year later in 2011 Rodgers won league MVP, throwing a career-high 45 touchdowns to just six interceptions. A reunion of these two may just lead back to the dominance Green Bay had back then.

Detroit Lions zeroing in on Matt Patricia as head coach

Jim Caldwell was fired for two reasons. He failed to reach the playoffs this season and GM Bob Quinn was waiting on the opportunity to hire his own coach. Now he has that chance and it’s apparent he has a target in mind. New England Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia has been the rumored favorite for the job for the past month and that hasn’t change. Word persists it will be his whenever the playoff run ends for New England.

No doubt the idea is a simple one. Detroit knows they have a great offense in place around Matthew Stafford. What they want is a head coach who will come in and not mess with that but can fix their constantly underachieving defense. Patricia has never fielded a defense lower than 10th in points allowed. The hire makes plenty of sense.

Minnesota Vikings OC Pat Shurmur a finalist for Cardinals and Giants jobs

The other two teams are about gaining new coaches. The Vikings meanwhile are holding their breath on losing one. Their team really became a Super Bowl contender when they promoted Pat Shurmur to offensive coordinator. His ability to elevate Case Keenum at quarterback was the driving force behind punching their ticket to the NFC championship. Now it appears other teams have taken notice.

Shurmur is not only the finalist for one job but two. It’s rumored he’s a heavy favorite to land the Arizona Cardinals gig in the wake of Bruce Arians departing, no doubt because there’s a feeling he could bring one of the Vikings three QBs with him. Meanwhile his name has suddenly popped up as a contender for the competitive New York Giants opening. Either way Minnesota is certain to feel the sting of his loss.

Salty Saints Fan Pays the Price for Testing Akiem Hicks

By
Erik Lambert
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bears 2018 playoff

If there’s one lesson to be learned in this story, it’s this. Don’t try Akiem Hicks on Twitter if you’re not prepared to bring it. One poor New Orleans Saints fan found out the hard way. Things started with the incredible sequence of events that happened in the divisional playoff between the New Orleans Saints and Minnesota Vikings.

It’s important to remember that Hicks had a personal stake in that game. Not only is he a Bears player taught to hate Minnesota, he was also drafted by New Orleans. The Saints had just taken a 24-23 lead on a field goal with 25 seconds left. Minnesota drove down the field and hovered outside field goal range. With maybe enough time for two or three more plays at most, quarterback Case Keenum took a shot downfield to Stefon Diggs.

The star receiver caught the ball and incredibly wasn’t touched as he streaked down the sideline for a stunning game-clinching touchdown. It was an absolute heartbreaker for the Saints who’d fought back the entire game from a 17-0 deficit. Where things got hairy for Hicks was when he called his former team out for heading to the locker room before the required extra point had been taken.

Needless to say Who Dat Nation were not in the mood for his remark and came charging at him for it. Sadly one poor sod bore his wrath the most.

Saints fan gets it bad from Akiem Hicks

There may not be enough aloe on the planet to relieve that burn. If nothing else this proves that Hicks is a Pro Bowler both on the field and on social media, even if the league refuses to acknowledge that fact. Hopefully other angry fans will learn from this poor guy’s costly mistake. Then again this is Twitter, so probably not.

Matt Nagy’s Preparation For Head Coaching Shot Reached Insane Levels

By
Erik Lambert
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matt nagy
Credit: USA Today

New Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy didn’t get the job by accident. He wasn’t the fallback option or hired just because he was young and knew a lot about offense. Colleagues, friends, family and even the man himself would say that he put in countless hours of work to get where he is. It’s something he takes great pride in.

He put in 18-hour days almost every week during the season trying to get his offense ready in Kansas City. The fruits of that labor bore out with the Chiefs having their highest ranked unit since 2005. Alex Smith went from a draft bust in 2012 to a three-time Pro Bowler in five seasons with him. That is a product of his ability to lead but also to focus on the details.

What Bears fans may not now is how maniacally OCD Nagy could get when it came to such things. Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times found that out when the coach revealed what he did in order to prepare himself for an eventual head coaching shot.

Matt Nagy kept journal on every Andy Reid speech for two years

Even after decades of growing knowledge of the sport, fans still only have a modest idea of just how much time, effort and work it takes to be a head coach in the NFL. Forget actually being one. Just the amount it takes to get the job sounds exhausting. Nagy offered a snippet of what he put himself through with a story of his preparation.

Always an avid note-taker, Nagy started keeping a journal regularly two years ago, hoping it could someday serve a second purpose.

“The idea, the mindset,” he said, “of trying to be a head coach.”

He wrote down the speeches Chiefs coach Andy Reid gave and the circumstances that led to them.

“It could be during a losing streak — a way of reaching the team and connecting with them,” Nagy said. “Sometimes it’s tough love; it could be calling people out, connecting with them. [The detail is] good if you write it down. The other part is, it’s about life. I’ll jot it down so I have it.”

Factoring in all the off-season stuff from football school through training camp, preseason and the regular season this can amount to as many as 50 speeches per year. Maybe more. Each of those speeches are likely to run a couple of minutes. So for Nagy to obsessively write every single one of them down? That takes a level of dedication only competitors and lunatics will understand.

It’s also a welcome sign of what’s to come. One big criticism of John Fox was he didn’t pay attention to the small things. He was a motivator who understood how to build a culture, but he’s teams never operated with any sort of efficiency. That’s likely to change with Nagy.

Stan Mikita Accidentally Innovated The Most Custom Piece Of Equipment In Hockey

By
Marc-Louis Paprzyca
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When the term “old school hockey” gets thrown around, a lot of things come to mind. Fighting, no helmets and goalies with no masks for example, but one of the biggest innovations in hockey came from an accident by Stan Mikita in the early 1960s.

The curved blade.

Prior to Stan Mikita getting his stick caught in the doorway, where the players come in and out of the bench, players used sticks with flat blades. The accident cracked Mikita’s blade but didn’t break it. As a result, he noticed a curve in his blade. Instead of going all the way back to the dressing room right away to grab a new stick, he slammed a puck into the boards, noticed a different sound and got his mind thinking.

While Mikita didn’t use that stick in the game, he kept the stick until it broke and started to experiment with curving his other sticks. What he noticed is that the blades needed to be heated up to the consistency of “spaghetti” as he once described it. From there he was able to shape it to his liking.

This also allowed him to shape his shots as well by creating shots with more movement, quicker wristers and harder slap shots.

It took him about a month to figure it out before he put it into game play but that accident changed the game forever. Of course his teammate Bobby Hull caught on and the pair set the league ablaze in the 1960s with a Stanley Cup, scoring titles and mvp trophies.

Today’s NHL players can get anything they can think of straight from the manufacturer without having to bend their own. Within these rules of course, very few players have a curve that a young hockey player can buy off the retail shelf. This gives them the ability to customize their stick to their specific style of game.

In this photo you can see what Patrick Kane used for a long time on the left and one he experimented with on the right. You can see the differences between Marian Hossa’s and Jonathan Toews’ sticks from what you can buy at the store and what they’ve actually used here.

Those guys all used pretty standard curves but then there are guys like Brandon Saad and Duncan Keith who get a little more creative with theirs. Saad has more of a heel curve as opposed to a toe curve. Speaking of a toe curve, get a look at a kink like Duncan Keith uses here. This allows Keith to reach out for pucks that are almost out of reach and pull them back into his body.

Stan Mikita created probably the most customizable and personalized piece of equipment in sports, all by accident. Next time something goes wrong with your equipment you should take a look and wonder if there is anything that can be improved on. Then you too could become an accidental innovator.

Follow @Pappy_Hour on Twitter for more Blackhawks news and musings.

This Creepy Coincidence Proves Matt Nagy Was Fated To Coach Bears

By
Erik Lambert
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matt nagy

Too many things have happened in the NFL over the years to say that destiny has no place in the game. There are plenty of examples that prove otherwise. At first glance the hire of Matt Nagy looked like nothing more than a well-thought out decision. He’s exactly what Chicago Bears GM Ryan Pace was rumored to be seeking:  a young, offensive-minded coach who could grow with Mitch Trubisky.

The Bears had other options like John DeFilippo and Josh McDaniels. In the end it was Nagy who won them over. More than anything his desire for the job and love of Trubisky likely led the way. Not to mention his instant chemistry with Pace. After all the two share similar backgrounds in terms of having to take the long road towards their dreams.

However, there was never any indication that Pace was fated to join the Bears. In fact not a single person, fan or expert, saw his hire coming. It was a genuine surprise. On the other hand if people had dug deep into Nagy’s background? They’d have found a personal story that holds a spooky taste of coincidence that perhaps his arrival in Chicago was preordained.

Matt Nagy NFL opportunity was opened up by a lifelong Bears fan

There was a point in time where Nagy almost went a different direction than football altogether. In 2008 his playing career was almost over and he had a growing family to feed. He couldn’t afford to wait on an NFL opportunity forever. So he sought out work in real estate despite zero experience. It was then he caught a break from a sympathetic man who went to the same high school as Colleen Kane of the Chicago Tribune explains.

Larry Wisdom, a Marmion Academy and Aurora University alum who was the president of a real estate company in Lancaster County, where Manheim is located, entered Nagy’s life at an uncertain time as his playing career was coming to a close…

…Nagy comes from a family of teachers, including his mother and father. His high school sweetheart-turned-wife Stacey also taught. Stouch said he always helped with youth flag football and quarterback camps when he was younger. So coaching was a natural fit.

But he also had to support four children during the recession, and as the AFL suspended play for a season, he sought a job with Wisdom. At a time when selling houses was difficult, it might not have been a great business decision to hire a real estate agent with no experience, but Wisdom saw something in Nagy.

“What struck me immediately, and I confirmed it over time, is he was authentic,” Wisdom said. “He had excellent character. That came through very clearly. He was someone you could trust, somebody who was straightforward. There was an intensity and a passion about him that he would apply to what he would choose to do.”

Shortly after Nagy was offered a chance at the NFL

He didn’t end up working that job for long. Former teammate and friend Brett Veach (now GM of the Chiefs) approached him with an internship opportunity from the Philadelphia Eagles. Nagy was in a conundrum. He’d just started working for Wisdom. It wouldn’t be professional of him to ask for extended time off to take it, but he also had a dream of coaching in the NFL.

Wisdom though lived up to his last name. He advised Nagy to seize the chance. So he did, and the rest is history. Then again there was one small fact about the real estate man that seemed harmless at the time but has since taken on far greater significance. Wisdom is a lifelong Bears fan.

“I was so excited and so delighted, and not just for Matt,” Wisdom said. “Some call it a disease. I’m a lifelong Chicago sports fan. Cubs fan. Bears fan. Many years we’ve had droughts, some hard-suffering years. We want a Super Bowl, and Matt is wired to lead.”

So let’s get this straight. Nagy plays high school football against a school founded by the great grandfather of George McCaskey. Then it’s a diehard Bears fan who advised him to take what was likely his best (and only) shot to reach the NFL? I mean if that’s not considered a tinge of destiny, not much is.

The Most Impressive Job Done By Each of the Chicago Bears New Coaches

By
Erik Lambert
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chicago bears new coaches

The Chicago Bears new coaches have come in quickly since the main man Matt Nagy arrived. It hasn’t allowed for a lot of time to explore their own personal stories. Most fans can afford the time to learn about them and why exactly the team sought out their services in the first place. That is what this article will help to clarify.

Often the easiest way to do that is giving a flashback of the best work that respective coach has done. Vic Fangio and other holdovers will not appear on this list as most fans are familiar with their work by this point. It will be only the new names that have arrived in the past week including the head coach himself.

Some might be surprised by the quality work these men have done.

Matt Nagy:  Getting three Pro Bowls from Alex Smith

People need to remember context in these situation. At the start of 2013 Alex Smith was considered mostly a bust at quarterback. His track record in San Francisco was littered with disappointment aside from a surprisingly decent 2011 season in reaching the NFC championship. Then the next year he was supplanted by Colin Kaepernick. The Chiefs took a chance on trading for him anyway. Nagy was his quarterbacks coach and later offensive coordinator. Together they reached the playoffs four times and Smith has now gone to three Pro Bowls.

Mark Helfrich:  The 2014 Oregon offense

Chip Kelly gets most of the credit for what a juggernaut Oregon became offensively but the truth is the best unit that program ever produced didn’t appear until he’d left for the NFL. That machine was constructed by Helfrich in 2014, the culmination of years of work. Led by quarterback Marcus Mariota it was a balanced attack that ran opponents off the field. Not only did it finish #1 in total yards (8,205) but they also were #1 in total points scored (681). That team would reach the national championship game, proving the high point of Helfrich’s career to date.

Charles London:  The 2015 Texans running game

Having success when you have a star player is easy. Having success when you lose that star player? That’s when the real coaches emerge. London got his moment in the sun in 2015. Four game into that season, Pro Bowl running back Arian Foster was lost to injury. The Houston Texans were forced to push on with a stable of backups and unproven running backs. All things considered they did a way better job than they had any right to. Led by a triad of Alfred Blue, Chris Polk, and Jonathan Grimes Houston finished 15th in the NFL in rushing that season (1,731 yards). They won the division title for their efforts.

Harry Hiestand:  2008 Bears offensive line

Bears fans have no idea how much they’d miss Harry Hiestand until he was gone. In 2009 their offensive line allowed 35 sacks. Not great but fairly solid. A year later after he left? They allowed 56. The man is really good at his job. He proved that in 2008. That year Kyle Orton was their starting quarterback. Chicago, traditionally a running team, threw the ball 557 times that year. That’s dangerous considering how immobile Orton was. Yet the team only ended up surrendering 29 sacks. Keep in mind this was a line with John St. Clair as the left tackle and Josh Beekman as left guard. Hiestand is a treasure.

Mike Furrey:  Limestone College

It’s fair to say most people didn’t do much digging on Mike Furrey. All they know at this point is he’s a former NFL wide receiver who has kicked around the college ranks as a coach to this point. It doesn’t make sense the Bears would take him from Limestone College of all places to become their new receivers coach. Except it does. Furrey in fact did an amazing job down there. Understand that Limestone did not have a football program until 2013. They won just four games in their first two years. Their first season under Furrey? They won five. In their third year of existence.

Kevin M. Gilbride: Odell Beckham’s rookie year

Gilbride was hired to coach up the Bears tight ends. This is a job he can do well as he did with the New York Giants. However, his most impressive work actually came prior to his promotion to that position. Before that he ran their wide receivers group from 2012 to 2014. Given the lack of star power he had he did fairly well. Then in his final year he put icing on the cake. Despite missing the first four games with injury he managed to help rookie receiver Odell Beckham Jr. post 1,305 yards and 12 touchdowns. Again, this was managed in 12 games.

Willson Contreras With The Best Autograph Of All Time

By
Aldo Soto
-

During Day 2 of the Chicago Cubs convention, Willson Contreras brought the house down with the story of the short conversation he had with Jon Lester when the lefty picked off Tommy Pham in 2017.

You’ll remember that highlight being more hilarious because of the St. Louis Cardinals announcers.

Here’s what Contreras told Lester.

A good laugh had by all, but Willson wasn’t done. Here’s how he signed a fan’s bat later on.

Goddamnit, Willson Contreras is awesome.

Pirates Trade Gerrit Cole, Hey Remember When Kyle Schwarber Murdered Gerrit Cole’s Soul?

By
Aldo Soto
-

So, after a rumored trade apparently fell through earlier this week, the Pittsburgh Pirates and Houston Astros eventually agreed to a deal on Saturday. The Pirates acquired four players from the reigning World Series champions, sending right-handed starter Gerrit Cole to Houston.

Cole, 27, had just avoided arbitration with Pittsburgh on Friday, agreeing to a $6.75 million salary. He’s under team control through 2019. Meanwhile, the Astros sent Colin Moran, Joe Musgrove, Michael Feliz and Jason Martin to the Pirates.

Kind of underwhelming for the Pirates, who reportedly were asking for Gleyber Torres from the New York Yankees earlier in the offseason. The Chicago Cubs were linked to talking with the Pirates about a possible trade for Cole, but nothing came of it. You have to wonder though, if the Pirates accepted this offer from Houston, were the Cubs just not that serious about a trade, or were the Pirates afraid of making a trade within the division? You’d have to think that if Ian Happ was dangled out there for Pittsburgh, he’d be a better headliner, compared to the trade with the Astros.

Oh well, at least Cole is out of the NL Central because he was great against the Cubs, putting up a 2.50 ERA and 1.00 WHIP in 14 career starts. HOWEVER! Remember that 2015 NL Wild Card Game? Remember how dumbass Pirates fans tried to get into Jake Arrieta’s head and all he did was dominate? Remember how Gerrit Cole was superstitious about the start time and waited an extra minute, so the game wouldn’t start at 19:08 military time, at the time it was the last year the Cubs had won the World Series.

And then, do you remember how Kyle Schwarber murdered Gerrit Cole’s soul?

Maybe Gerrit Cole is as glad he’s out of the NL Central as the Cubs are.

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