It’s time for a change — but what will happen at Halas Hall? Brad Biggs’ 10 thoughts after the Bears lost their final game to finish 6-11.
1. This was the Bears’ first losing season since 2017, and the two NFC North rivals appear to be in similar positions.
The Bears played hard for Nagy down the stretch. They had a 14-0 lead in this game before the Vikings dominated the second half. The offense was 5 of 15 on third down and 1 of 6 on fourth down, and that won’t get it done most weeks. It’s no surprise the offense was to blame, and there were breakdowns on defense too. The Bears celebrated complementary football when they experienced it over the last four years, but it was fleeting the last three years.
Injuries hit the Bears hard this season. They’ve been without some of their top players for extended periods, a list that includes pass rusher Khalil Mack, defensive lineman Akiem Hicks, free safety Eddie Jackson, wide receiver Allen Robinson and quarterbacks Andy Dalton and Justin Fields. Like every other team, there were a rash of COVID-19 issues in the second half of the season. Again, this doesn’t absolve Nagy and his staff.
Nagy reacted after the 2019 season by making wholesale changes to his offensive coaching staff. Wide receivers coach Mike Furrey — who played a role in developing only one player successfully in Darnell Mooney — is the only original position coach still with the team. Coaching changes, new personnel, shifts in emphasis — none of it worked.
“There’s so much when you look at different teams and where they’re at, whether it’s different positions, how they work together in all three phases, whatever that is,” Nagy said. “It’s a team game. So we know we want to be better offensively. We know it hasn’t been what we wanted it to be. But that’s what you need to do as a coach is try to find answers. You get together with personnel and you figure out where you’re weak, position-wise. Schematically, that’s part of your question too.
So you had offensive coaches who want to throw the ball having to shift their philosophy and construct a passing game based off running the ball. It just didn’t fit well and was too often messy with a rookie quarterback in Fields. 2. While Matt Nagy’s future has been clear for the final half of the season, the status of general manager Ryan Pace has been more uncertain.
Column: Buzz around the NFL is Chicago Bears GM Ryan Pace will stay — possibly with a promotion — while coach Matt Nagy will be fired » “There is significant contribution from the last two draft classes,” Pace said. “The talent from that young core just continues to expand as they get play time and they get opportunities. When I look at that young core we’re talking about, they all love football, they all love the process, the preparation. They’re all extremely passionate and prideful. They’re all high-end football IQ and they are competitive in everything they do. They all hate losing.
Pace talks about building through the draft, and the Bears are without first- and fourth-round picks this year. They own second- and third-round picks, two in Round 5 and one in Round 6. It will be challenging to make a big impact with this draft class. There’s a level of irony to Pace talking about building through the draft when he has been so quick to deal away draft capital.
“I like the quarterback environment that he was in this year as a rookie, the coaches around him, but I think really significant is the two veteran, accomplished players around him with Andy Dalton and Nick Foles. You are always going to be yourself as a player, but I think he picked up different things from their game, just with the preparation habits and study habits, and those things will help him long term.
Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh yells during warmups before the Orange Bowl against Georgia on Dec. 31, 2021. A new cycle of firing — and hiring — has started in the NFL. Here’s the latest news, including with the Denver Broncos firing coach Vic Fangio. » 6. When the Bears launch into their coaching search, they will have tons of questions to work through as they vet candidates.
Matt Nagy’s time with the Chicago Bears: A look back at the career highs — and lows — for the coach » “I want to find a coordinator that can come in and be best suited for Justin Fields’ skill set. I’m not going to try to make him Peyton Manning or Troy Aikman. I’m going to make Justin Fields Justin Fields. Just like Greg Roman has done. Those quarterbacks he’s had to work with , he’s tailored offenses around them and he’s done a really nice job doing that. You have to have the offense structured around the quarterback. Even if it’s a college coordinator, I am all for it.
“You need to know exactly what you are able to do from a staffing standpoint with every function of the football operation side of things,” the first executive said, “because you can’t come into a situation where you are forced to keep any single individual, and certainly you can’t be told you have to keep everybody.
“I think the issue with the Bears is probably even more widespread than football. It’s culture that impacts the entire building, and that doesn’t have to be done overnight but the GM has to be able to have an influence on the entire culture of the building. A strong GM candidate coming in there needs to feel comfortable that they’re going to be able to do that. That’s going to be based on how they feel the conversation goes with George, with Ted , whoever else they are meeting with.
“My next question would be what role am I going to have in the coaching search? You want it to be somebody you are comfortable with. You don’t want it to be an arranged marriage with some cat you don’t know at all. I’m not saying you have to have ties with the coach, but you have to be comfortable ego-wise. If I am with somebody, I don’t need choice of the 53-man roster. That’s the biggest overblown crock of that I have ever heard.
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