It would be easy for the Chicago Bears to feel pretty good about themselves going into 2019. Why shouldn’t they? This is a relatively young group that went 12-4 last year, won the NFC North and came a missed field goal away from knocking off the defending Super Bowl champions in the playoffs. Now they appear even deeper on the roster and have stayed healthy thus far. It’s not hard to feel optimistic about where this team is headed. Head coach Matt Nagy is no different.
However, people know that few things can sink a team faster than overconfidence. Don’t take an opponent seriously at the wrong time and it can drastically alter a season. It’s okay to believe in the ability of one’s self and one’s teammates, but don’t start thinking beating NFL opponents can be done on cruise control. Much better teams have died by that thinking.
Nagy understands this better than most. This is a guy who lost both of his opportunities in championship games as a player in the Arena League. Then he watched some outstanding teams in Philadelphia and Kansas City squander prime opportunities to reach and win the Super Bowl. He knows how difficult it can be getting there without egos getting inflated.
That may explain why he’s using a rather brutal tactic to make sure his players stay humble. Tarik Cohen revealed what that is during an interview with Mad Dog Sports Radio.
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Matt Nagy is using a tactic that is tried and true for coaches
Crushing losses like that can be demoralizing for a team. However, if utilized correctly they can also become supreme motivators the next year. Nagy is hardly the first coach to take advantage of this. A famous example came in 1968. Ohio State blasted rival Michigan 50-14 in their annual showdown. Buckeyes head coach Woody Hayes only made matters worse when he had his offense go for a two-point conversion when the game was already out of hand.
The next year Michigan got a new head coach in Bo Schembechler. He knew his team hadn’t beaten Ohio State in a long time. He needed a way to get them fired up. So he had players wear tape on their helmets that read “50-14” so everybody was reminded of what happened and what they were working so hard to avenge.
Michigan not only defeated their rival 24-12, but they also robbed the Buckeyes of a national championship bid.
This sort of motivation style has come in handy for many great coaches since then. It may keep emotional wounds raw for players, but it increases their desire to make sure they never have to suffer another one like it. Credit Nagy for understanding the value of such psychology.
