Watching the Kansas City Chiefs win the Super Bowl must’ve felt like torture for Chicago Bears fans. Mostly because the quarterback they did it with in Patrick Mahomes was right in their grasp and Ryan Pace passed on him. That is the cruel reality this fanbase has dealt with for too long. Other organizations enjoy quarterback superstardom but not them. They’re stuck in purgatory with Mitch Trubisky. However, there might be a silver lining to all this, and Chiefs head coach Andy Reid is the key.
It’s no secret that Bears head coach Matt Nagy looks up to Reid like no other. It’s a mentor-student relationship. Nagy gives Reid all the credit for paving his way to the NFL and helping him realize a dream of running his own team. The two text each other all the time, Nagy constantly seeking advice on what he must do to get better. It is this part of the relationship that is key. Nagy wants to get where Reid is now at. On the doorstep of Canton and finally hoisting a Super Bowl trophy.
How did it happen? There are several reasons, but none more key than one decision Reid made in 2017. That was to leave the comfortable waters of Alex Smith at quarterback and take a monumental swing for the fences by trading up to draft Mahomes. The rest is history. Seeing those two realize their mission might just be the final nudge Nagy needs to really press GM Ryan Pace on making a change at quarterback.
Andy Reid proves one can’t be afraid of change
Reid has always been a guy who doesn’t fear being aggressive at quarterback. He drafted Donovan McNabb in 1999 when few expected him to. Then in 2009, he signed Michael Vick fresh out of prison to guard against McNabb’s possible decline. Upon getting to Kansas City, he trades for Smith then a few years later goes after Mahomes. Whenever he sensed things weren’t progressing at the position, he made a change.
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That might be the final lesson Nagy needs to learn. He’s had two years to experience Trubisky at this point. It hasn’t gotten better. It got worse. He’s nowhere close to Mahomes’ level or even Smith’s for that matter. The Bears have a good enough roster to win a Super Bowl, but not good enough to carry an inadequate quarterback to one. This isn’t 1985. The days of dominant defense doing it by themselves are over.
There will be several notable QBs available via free agency or the trade market in March. The Bears have more than enough flexibility to go get one. All they need is the conviction to do so. That will have to come from the top. Nothing will move unless Nagy gives it the needed push.
