Chicago Bears Head Coach Matt Nagy Has COVID| Bad For Him, Good For Justin FIelds?
The only game they’ll be favored in is against the winless Lions. Chicago did make the playoffs twice in a three-year span and haven’t had a losing season under Nagy, but the numbers definitely don’t tell the entire story.
NFL Insider Benjamin Albright said on “Sports Talk Chicago” that he thinks Nagy is “100 percent gone at the end of the season. “From my conversations with people,” Albright said, “the Bears have already started doing backgrounds on potential replacements.”
Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll is mentioned specifically as the “leader in the clubhouse,” per Albright. The Bears should probably cut ties with anyone currently involved in designing plays for Fields. But it’s possible that Daboll would infuse more innovation with Nagy out of the way.
Nagy and GM Ryan Pace Have Wasted A Top-Caliber Defense
Nagy was hired prior to the 2018 season with the belief that he would enhance the Bears’ offense. That hasn’t been the case. The offense is ranked dead last in the league. Bad quarterback play by Mitchell Trubisky — whom GM Pace egregiously moved up to draft No. 2 overall in 2017 with future superstars Deshaun Watson and Patrick Mahomes on the board — set the franchise back years.
The offensive line, receivers and offensive innovation have been stagnant. Suspect moves by Pace are an issue, but the real culprit has been Nagy and his lack of creativity and failure to develop the quarterbacks entrusted to his care.
Nagy Hasn’t Had Much Success Developing QBs
Nagy hasn’t been able to develop quarterbacks at a high level. Even if you count an already-polished Alex “Air Less Expected” Smith when he was in K.C., Smith never really developed into much more than what he always was; someone who doesn’t take risks in the passing game. That’s not development, it’s what’s referred to as “Captain Checkdown.”
So whay did Nagy get the job?
Probably friendships and relationships more than anything. When Nagy was under Andy Reid in Kansas City, Nagy spent his time game-planning during the week but never called plays on Sunday. Andy Reid did the heavy lifting as far as play-calling and QB development.
What Would Brian Daboll As The Next Head Coach Mean?
Daboll has won everywhere and developed QBs as well. In 2017 he was the offensive coordinator for the Alabama Crimson Tide and helped lead them to a national championship behind a run-first QB in Jalen Hurts and an elite-passing true freshman in Tua Tagovailoa.
After his one-year run helping Nick Saban win his fifth title, Daboll returned to the NFL and was tasked with fixing the erratic Josh Allen in Buffalo. He succeeded. Allen has blossomed into an MVP candidate (he finished second in 2020).
Daboll would do wonders with Fields if hired, as the rookie possesses the same dual-threat ability that Allen does, and he’s more athletic.
If the #Bears are in fact interested in Brian Daboll to be their next head coach, I think Justin Fields would be a great fit for Daboll’s scheme.
There would be plenty of YAC opportunities for receivers that aren’t in this current offense, too.
— Jacob Infante (@jacobinfante24) November 5, 2021
In a league where teams pass the ball 60 percent of the time and run 40 percent, the Chicago Bears are the only franchise to never have a 4,000-yard passer. With Fields that can change, but the change at the top needs to happen first.
