The 2018 Chicago Bears preseason may involve a 1-2 record, but don’t be fooled. When one looks closer, there are plenty of positives to get on board with. There’s no question the offense is deeper and more talented than it was a year ago. Mitch Trubisky is making progress as a professional quarterback. On the other side, the defense doesn’t appear to have lost much from their top 10 form last season.
This is before their #1 pick Roquan Smith has even seen the field. The same goes for speedster Taylor Gabriel on offense. So yeah, plenty to be excited about. Yet there’s one aspect that hasn’t got much press of late that should be addressed. Something that Bears fans can often take for granted: game management by the head coach.
Thus far Matt Nagy, a 39-year old who was a coordinator for just two years, has handled that part of his job with remarkable precision. Through three weeks he has yet to make any glaring errors in regards to in-game decisions. Saturday against Denver was the most recent and telling example.
Example #1: Penalties
One of the underrated qualities of a head coach is having a keen understanding of NFL penalties and the potential impact of accepting or declining them. It’s all based on the situation. Sometimes that 10-yard holding call might not actually be the best idea because it allows the opponent to keep an extra down rather than it being 4th down.
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Nagy remains spotless on this through three games. He knew which penalties to accept and which to decline and never made the wrong call on any of them. Rather impressive considering how many were called in that span.
Example #2: Tempo
There were two instances where Nagy’s understanding of offensive tempo showed itself. In the second quarter, Trubisky seemed to complete a pass to Tarik Cohen on 3rd and 11 that looked like it came up short. The officials though gave it a first down. Not waiting for a call, Nagy had them rush to the line to get a play off. This forced Denver into a split-second decision on whether to challenge.
Though they did and ultimately won the call, there will be future instances where that ends up in the Bears’ favor, forcing an opponent to lose both a challenge and a timeout. The second instance came in the fourth quarter.
The Bears were down 23-10 but were driving deep in Denver territory. On 3rd and 1 from the four-yard line, they suddenly ran a quick no-huddle play. Though the run call was stuffed for a loss, the Broncos were called for having too many men on the field. That gave the Bears a first down and they scored two plays later.
Example #3: Challenge
It took three games but Nagy got his first opportunity to challenge as a head coach in this game. Early in the third quarter, Denver had the ball. On 2nd and 6 they appeared to complete a pass along the sideline for 13 yards and a first down. It looked like the receiver got his toes in but further review showed his left heel may have landed out of bounds.
Nagy threw the red flag. Booth review confirmed the receiver was out and the call was reversed, resulting in 3rd and 6. Sadly the good call was wasted on the next play when the Bears gave up a 27-yard completion for a first down. The challenge didn’t lead to a positive result, but it was still the right call and that’s what matters.
