The Chicago Bears saw their road back to contention clearly at the start of 2017. It was watching what the Los Angeles Rams were doing out west. They scrapped the old methods of Jeff Fisher and revamped their entire roster around young, innovative head coach Sean McVay. His job was simple. Appoint somebody to run the defense and then craft an offensive system that could get the most out of young quarterback Jared Goff.
He succeeded beyond the wildest imaginations of even those who hired him. The Rams had the #1 offense that year, went 10-6 and made the playoffs for the first time in over a decade. Bears GM Ryan Pace now knew what he had to do. So after going 5-11, he fired head coach John Fox and brought in Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy. His mission? The same as McVay.
Craft a system around quarterback Mitch Trubisky and appoint somebody who could run the defense. Sure enough, almost like clockwork, the Bears immediately turned things around. The offense improved almost overnight, won 12 games and made the playoffs for the first time since 2010. Meanwhile, they got to watch the Rams, the team they were trying to emulate, reach the Super Bowl.
It seemed like all they had to do was take notes and follow the plan. Except that is no longer the case.
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Chicago Bears must now part ways from Rams blueprint and chart own path
If there’s one thing that remains true in the NFL, it’s that the Super Bowl remains the true test of whether the template for building a team is proven. The Rams made it there playing great offense and competent defense. They ran the ball well and kept things simple for their young quarterback. So what would happen when they inevitably ran into an opponent who could take away their biggest strengths?
They fell flat on their faces.
Goff looked uncomfortable the entire game. Every time his team needed him to step up, he couldn’t do it. Everything McVay tries to do against the Patriots defense was prepared for and he didn’t have any answers to counter them. Goff had 229 passing yards and an interception. The offense ran the ball for 62 yards and scored three points.
It felt like the Rams lost their aggressiveness and swagger. The moment was too big for them. This may be the last and most valuable lesson of all for the Bears to learn. After doing exactly as L.A. has done the past two years, the final step is finding a way to the Super Bowl and then doing what they didn’t do.
Nagy isn’t going to get to the top being McVay. Trubisky won’t get to the top being Goff. Now more than ever they must embrace the motto they’ve established since way back last January.
“Be you.”