Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy was not a happy man following Saturday’s training camp practice. In his words, the team looked “sloppy” throughout the action. There were a lot of balls ending up on the ground, bad snaps, missed assignments and just a lot of mistakes. At one point he got so fed up with the #1 offense that he kicked them off the field before their allotted number of reps was over.
With a full-contact practice slated for Sunday, Nagy knew something had to be done. He had to find a way to get the attention of his players. To remind them why they’re working so hard and putting up with the heat and the pain. If they wouldn’t buy the message from him, then maybe they’d listen to somebody who’s one of them.
Somebody who wore the Bears uniform for over a decade and became one of the greatest players in NFL history. Nagy brought the team together and had them listen to the entire Hall of Fame speech made by linebacker Brian Urlacher. He felt that it conveyed every good message about what’s required to become great.
Matt Nagy trumpeted Urlacher’s work ethic and competitiveness as keys to greatness
Urlacher spoke about many things but among the two that resonated most were his burning desire to compete and win against the best and keeping a firm reminder that football wasn’t his life, merely part of it. Combine that mentality with talent and a great work ethic? You get a gold jacket in the Hall of Fame. Nagy rammed this home to his guys after the video concluded.
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Did it resonate at all?
It seems that way. All reports out of the Sunday practice including from Nagy himself were the team put on its best effort and performance of training camp. Both the offense and defense looked sharp during drills, trading shots back and forth without too many glaring mistakes. The man leading the charge? None other than quarterback Mitch Trubisky who delivered some impressive passes and set the tone throughout the morning.
Beautiful catch and throw to @TreyBurton8!#BearDown pic.twitter.com/ZPgTjHXhJe
— Greg Braggs Jr. (@GBraggsJr) August 5, 2018
Mitch drops it in to Dion Sims! pic.twitter.com/jnPS7Qq2oN
— Greg Braggs Jr. (@GBraggsJr) August 5, 2018
Is it any coincidence that Trubisky was front row and center to watch the Urlacher video the day before? He wasn’t the only one who seemed affected by it. Other team leaders began to bring the juice as well. Akiem Hicks was dominant throughout the period almost to the point of being unblockable. Danny Trevathan was active in coverage and Eddie Jackson had an interception.
It’s amazing to see that Urlacher has been retired for half a decade now and he’s still able to inspire Bears players to elevate their game. A firm reminder of why the man is a first ballot Hall of Famer. Nagy was certainly appreciative. He was all smiles after practice and the first thing he did was offer an extra congratulations to the former linebacker for his accomplishment.
