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Matt Nagy has a bad habit of making things worse for the Bears.
He did it again on Monday, about 12 hours after it looked like the Bears couldn’t sink lower than they did in a blowout loss at Lambeau Field by delivering 20 minutes of straightforward bluster about “personal pride” and the Bears having to “wake up our tails” as if those were the real issues.
It was a speech that would have framed well in a high school football movie.
“All of these guys, they study, they work hard, they train,” Nagy said when challenged to explain his “personal pride” line. “But guys – if you catch 10 balls after practice, go catch 20. If you’re a guy who watches three hours of video in a night, go watch four. If you are not getting enough sleep, get more sleep.
“It’s for everyone, so I’m by no means implying that they don’t. I’m just saying do more.
Do more. But also rest more. Just somehow, inexplicably, get better.
It was the surest sign yet that Nagy is completely at a loss for answers.
And it got worse.
Nagy continued his defense for a brutal start against the Packers and an overall dismal night in which he allowed 41 points – his maximum since 2016 – and never blew so much on Aaron Rodgers. It was accurate and it echoed what star linebacker Khalil Mack said on Sunday, but it showed a staggering lack of self-awareness.
This defense has kept Nagy employed. He’s won seven incredible games in which his team scored 20 points or less, the most in the NFL during his time as a coach.
The offense under Nagy has been so inept that it requires the defense to be nearly perfect every week. His side of the ball – Nagy led the attack while still allowing defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano to be self-sufficient as the defense head coach – continually makes that job harder as the second worst third team in the NFL .
And this defense, which clearly does not lack “personal pride,” kept its collective mouth shut as Nagy’s helpless offensive brought them down.
It would have been a good time for Nagy to let go rather than start her ‘soul-searching’ by blowing up the defense for poor opening possession which led to what appeared to be an insurmountable 6-0 first quarter deficit and eventually pushed Packers to a 27-3 lead before halftime.
“It’s not who we are as a defender,” Nagy said. “It can’t happen. And our defensive guys know it. You need to be able to stop them and not allow 16 first tries in 36 games, 5 of 6 on third downs and three touchdowns.
“They have to understand where we’re coming from with this and how we feed off of it as a defense. They’ve done a hell of a job all year round, but yesterday wasn’t where we needed to be.
True. But are you sure you want to go?
“See, here’s what you need to understand: These guys know how badly my back is as a player,” Nagy said. “It’s not new to them. They know how they played. They understand.
“This is not a blame game. But what I’m saying is our defense understands and knows how important and important they are to this team. And so …”
Stopped. It is not a safe path.
Nagy went on to make it clear that he had no intention of naming a player or the defense in general, but he also used the deficit as an excuse because Trubisky had to play a ‘return game’ all night. , which considerably limits the play-call. Again, these are verifiable facts, but it’s bad.
Nagy sometimes danced around the truth about injuries and the quarterback’s play, but he obviously felt it was a good time to let his defense speak.
Here’s a truth about Nagy’s attack: He ranks in the bottom third of the league in all important stats over his entire tenure. He’s significantly behind Marc Trestman and is hit and miss when it comes to outperforming dismal production under John Fox.
How can a coach who was hired on the basis of his offensive talent keep his job with these numbers?
The answer: with elite defense to cover it.
And Nagy should remember that the season, and probably his time as a head coach, moves on to the end.
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