Super Bowl Head Coach Doug Pederson Sees Similarities in His Past and Matt Nagy’s Future

The Chicago Bears went out on a limb in hiring Matt Nagy – a 39-year-old first-time head coach with just two years of experience as an offensive coordinator and just five games as a play-caller – to be the team’s next head coach.

But ask the people who’ve worked with him and they’ll probably make you feel good about the hire – that is, if you’re not already there. The latest person to heap praise on the Bears’ new head coach is Philadelphia Eagles Head Coach Doug Pederson, who clearly sees better days on the horizon for the Bears’ organization with Nagy in charge.

“They’re going to do some good things,” Pederson said, via Larry Mayer of ChicagoBears.com. “It’s just a matter of getting them right now on the same page much like I was a year ago and just believing what Matt is saying. He’s going to do really well there.”

For what it’s worth, Pederson saw Mitch Trubisky as  Carson Wentz 2.0. So if he saw that and is seeing similarities with his own situation and the one Nagy is entering, perhaps the Nagy will one day soon see himself where Pederson is – on the brink of winning a Super Bowl for a title-starved football city.

Fittingly enough, Pederson already has first-hand experience with what Nagy is going through and will go through in his first season as a head coach. Pederson is two seasons into his career as a head coach, so it wasn’t all that long ago when he was a transitioning from a career as an assistant to leading his own ship. Nagy is entering the same boat, albeit with less experience as an assistant coach.

Nagy is being tasked with putting the Bears back on course and responsible for developing a young, up-and-coming quarterback in Mitch Trubisky. Pederson has been there and done that with Carson Wentz, who would have been in the running for the NFL’s MVP award had it not been for a season-ending knee injury.

Pederson sees great things in the Nagy’s future with the Bears, citing his ability to connect with players, gather input from players and coaches alike, and game-planning as strengths. These are all positive traits to have in a head coach and he’ll need all of them working together to revive a franchise that has lost 10+ games in each of the last four seasons.

Nagy’s coaching relationship with Pederson dates back to 2008 when both were working under Andy Reid. There aren’t too many other people who would be in a position to give a stronger endorsement than what Pederson has given. Hopefully, Pederson’s observations are on point and the Bears’ ascent to the top of the NFC will begin with the right hire – just like it was with the Eagles.

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— The Ten-Yard Line (@TheTenYardLine) February 2, 2018