NEWSLETTER
Hiring an offensive-leaning head coach doesn’t mean Matt Nagy will focus solely on what’s happening on that side of the ball – in fact, the Bears head coach said as much the other day. But he’s expanded on those comments a bit more here lately, with some more specifics into his thought-process.
Dan Pompei of The Athletic went one-on-one with Nagy, who offered up a window into his new life as a head coach. As expected, things have changed for the former Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator. Nagy explained how he has expanded his focus from just the offensive side of the ball, delegating power to Offensive Coordinator Mark Helfrich and Quarterbacks Coach Dave Ragone in order to coach up Mitch Trubisky while he handles other head coaching responsibilities.
There’s more to Nagy being a head coach than splitting up duties and commanding the ship. He quizzes his players on Bears history because he believes there’s value in knowing the past so the players living in the present can blaze their own paths and create their own traditions moving forward. Nagy even has to go out of his way and give props to defensive players who make good plays, even if they come at the expense of his prized pupil under center. And while it must certainly be awkward for an offensive coach to dap a defensive player for forcing his offense into a mistake, that’s just a part of the gig Nagy must embrace now as a head coach.
While Nagy continues to a grasp on the entirety of his new job, there is still the matter of the full offensive installation that is currently taking place. Nagy says the offense he’ll run in Chicago will be “70 to 80 percent similar” to the one he ran in Kansas City. There will be changes, of course, including the incorporation of plays that Nagy liked, but Andy Reid didn’t. I suppose that’s one of the perks of running your own show.
It’s a whole new world for Nagy, who has a new set of responsibilities in addition to getting the offense in gear. For a full-scope look, you’ll want to give this a read.
