Bears and Rams’ Coaching Hires Proving to Be the New Standard and Other Bullets
If this isn’t the No. 1 hit of the holiday season, then just cancel it altogether:
@WaddleandSilvy @AdamAAbdalla pic.twitter.com/ispOMlU0fo
— Jesse Weiler (@JesseWeiler) December 5, 2018
- On this date in 2017, Kansas City Chiefs Offensive Coordinator Matt Nagy popped up for the first time as a possible candidate to replace John Fox as head coach. Nagy’s name emerged on the rumor mill shortly after he was handed play-calling duties from Andy Reid and his team put up 31 points. Talk about making a good first impression.
- A year later, Nagy has led the Chicago Bears to an 8-4 record that has them atop the NFC North and other teams in search of a coach are looking to find the next branch off the Reid tree. Time flies.
- Rams Head Coach Sean McVay is the face and voice of modern football. SOUND ON:
I want a coach with this type of attention to detail. Full scouting report on the Bears defense. Literally all 11 starters.. pic.twitter.com/MPYPkh3gR1
— Dustin Fox (@DustinFox37) December 5, 2018
- Holy smokes, that’s impressive. McVay has long been lauded for his big brain and he shows it off in an impressive way by naming every important Bears defender and what they bring to the table. In that snap shot, you can see why the talk now is that teams need to find a coach like McVay. But you can also see there are too few coaches like him.
- If you wonder why the Bears shifted gears away from John Fox, you don’t have to look much further than McVay. And if you look at Matt Nagy, you can see the similarities in the two being younger, innovative, and personable coaches. For once, it’s nice to see the Bears being ahead of the curve than stuck in the past.
- Got hops?
https://www.instagram.com/p/BrBwD9Rlqji/
- As much as I love the improved passing game, I’d like to see more of this from the Bears offense:
Tackle trap ! Giants selling out to stop the run. The guy Leno is pulling for blitzes Whitehair takes him. Massie guy try’s to go up and under beautiful footwork to pick him up Massie ends up taking two. Leno free to lead Howard downfield. Love it ! pic.twitter.com/vphNP9Htha
— Olin kreutz (@olin_kreutz) December 4, 2018
- We’ve only touched upon our concerns with Bryan Witzmann, whose performance at right guard hasn’t been what we’ve wanted it to be. But the Bears can’t do anything about it at this point other than continue to work with him to get him in a better spot to do damage. Until Kyle Long returns from injury, guys like Charles Leno Jr., Cody Whitehair, and Bobby Massie – the team’s best linemen – are going to have to lead the way (literally and figuratively).
- No surprise to see Eddie Jackson here:
The top graded safeties in the NFL so far this season. pic.twitter.com/sYGWJJA4Zu
— Pro Football Focus (@PFF) December 5, 2018
- This is a fun fact:
https://twitter.com/heykayadams/status/1070425959474573333
- Over at Bleacher Report, Dan Pompei pens a profile on Chargers rookie safety Derwin James – who you’ll note is PFF’s second-highest-graded safety. The Florida State product is transforming the Chargers defense into something special and his versatility has been key. James has played every position on the Chargers defense except inside linebacker and nose tackle, which gives you an idea of how talented he is.
- It was a year ago at this time we were writing about James declaring for the NFL Draft and ear-marking him as a potential fit. And back in April, James popped up as a potential No. 8 overall pick option for the Bears. So while we love what Roquan Smith is doing at inside linebacker, James has the look of the type of game-changing safety modern defenses need to thrive.
- Here is a list of defensive playmakers that shows Kyle Fuller having as much of an impact as Aaron Donald, Von Miller, J.J. Watt, and the aforementioned James:
Updated list of defenders who are blowing up opposing pass games.#LARams #BeRedSeeRed #DaBears #GoBills #FightForEachOther #BroncosCountry #Jets #FinsUp #Texans #GoSaints #Browns pic.twitter.com/DIGXr34Adu
— NFL Matchup on ESPN (@NFLMatchup) December 5, 2018
- Anybody thirsty:
Former Bear Otis Wilson irked by local brewery's Oatis Wilson IPA limited release.
“It’s a play on words, obviously,” said Todd Randall, owner of 350 Brewing.https://t.co/aZE0Un376s pic.twitter.com/0CW1BLsnfa
— Chicago Sports (@ChicagoSports) December 5, 2018