Matt Nagy is the reigning NFL Coach of the Year. He took a 5-11 team and turned them into a 12-4 winner of the NFC North championship. The first division title in eight years for the Chicago Bears. He even got Mitch Trubisky to become the first quarterback in 33 years to play in a Pro Bowl. All things considered, the guy did a phenomenal job in his first year running the show.
That doesn’t mean he’s been entirely immune from criticism. One of his decisions this 2019 offseason has met with a lot of questions and concerns from the media and even former coaches like Jeff Fisher. It involves him showing the players replay footage of their playoff loss to Philadelphia, specifically the infamous double-doink missed field goal by Cody Parkey.
The typical belief in sports is it’s simply best to move on from a tough loss as quickly as possible. Not for Nagy. He believes it’s a priceless learning opportunity for a young team, and he seized it. So when Robert Klemko of the MMQB asked him about it, he had no regrets.
“Just twice. We watched it at the very first meeting and the last meeting. I want them to remember the hurt. Understand that this year is a new year, but don’t forget what it felt like when we came off that field and how we were in the locker room. I don’t think you’re doing the right thing if you don’t use that as a coaching tool, as a reference, you know?
There are so many examples of teams that have had bad things happen to them and come back the next year and do well because of that adversity and experience. I want them to come back here ready. I don’t want them to hang onto that stuff but I want them to use it.”
Matt Nagy proving again he doesn’t fear to buck trends
There are plenty of head coaches who, when asked, admitted they had never personally watched a tough loss in a big game after it happened. Let alone had the guts to show it to the team. That makes Nagy somewhat unique, and perhaps onto something. Several coaches who admitted to avoiding that are ones who failed to ever survive and surpass that loss.
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Nagy has made it clear he doesn’t want that loss to stick with his young team. He’s taking the psychological approach recommended after big fights between friends or family. The longer it goes unaddressed and unconfronted, the more the emotional wounds fester and it can lead to irreparable damage to relationships. However, if it’s talked over quickly then fences can be mended and people look to the future.
That is what the Bears head coach is striving for.
