Matt Nagy has remained steadfast in his stance that Mitch Trubisky is the starting quarterback for the Chicago Bears. This despite the 25-year old’s obvious struggles with just nine TD passes in 10 games and leading an offense that is 30th in the NFL. Nagy remains adamant that the problems are not exclusive to Trubisky, but it’s obvious enough that many of them are tied to the issues at quarterback. Regardless of what happens over the final six games, it’s clear a decision will be looming in 2020.
Do the Bears look to find a replacement for Trubisky?
Nagy is not the first head coach to face such a situation. He’ll be entering his third year. He has a roster good enough to make the playoffs but a weakness under center. Does he gamble on Trubisky one more time or does he make a change? One man who understands this quandary quite well is Steve Mariucci. Most know the man as an analyst on NFL Network these days but before that, he was a successful head coach in the league for several years.
Like Nagy, he inherited a top 5 quarterback when he took over the Detroit Lions back in 2003. His name was Joey Harrington. It was hoped that Mariucci could help elevate the young passer into a credible starter given his extensive background coaching quarterbacks. Sound familiar? Their first season did not go well. The Lions went 5-11 and Harrington threw 17 touchdowns to 22 interceptions.
Mariucci was forced into a decision. Does he give Harrington another shot or push to find a new quarterback? Mariucci chose the latter. This despite entering the 2004 draft with the 7th overall pick and Ben Roethlisberger being on the board. The Lions went 6-10 the next season. Mariucci was finally fired 11 games into the 2005 season. Of course not before his team passed on another young QB in the draft named Aaron Rodgers.
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Matt Nagy can’t afford another disappointing year
Keep in mind that Mariucci coached the likes of Steve Young in San Francisco. So he knew what good quarterbacks are supposed to look like. The fact he didn’t push harder for a change away from Harrington falls at his own feet and is a big reason he was never a head coach again after leaving Detroit. That’s what such a decision can do to the career of a coach. Matt Nagy is supposed to be a quarterback guru. What does it say about his “expertise” if he carries on this charade with Trubisky for another year?
Everything will be on the line next spring for Nagy. Not only the fate of the Bears’ 2020 season but also his job. Coaches are supposed to know about motivation and the Xs and Os. However, they’re also required to make the hard decisions when they need to be made. If he doesn’t press for change at quarterback, then he’ll likely travel the same road Mariucci did all those years ago. Either back to the assistant circuit or into an analyst studio. Never to run his own team again.
