The singular buzzword of the entire 2021 season from the Chicago Bears was collaboration. George McCaskey insisted that head coach Matt Nagy and GM Ryan Pace were in lockstep as to what must be done to get the team over the hump. Most importantly they’d do it together. It was nauseating to hear them hammer that same word home over and over. So imagine the ironic twist that both men seem to have gone into business for themselves over the past few weeks.
Remember right before the Baltimore Ravens game last month how Pace seemed to really talk up all the young talent on the Bears roster while never once mentioning Nagy? Then his good friend and former teammate Tony Romo talked up that same talent on the broadcast? It was hard not to feel like the GM was trying to distance himself from his head coach who was clearly a sinking ship by then.
Survival mode activated.
Now it seems Nagy is out for revenge. That is the only way to help explain some of his most recent roster decisions leading up to the game against the Seattle Seahawks. Follow this logic. Justin Fields practiced on Wednesday in a limited fashion with an ankle injury. Then he didn’t practice at all over the next two days. Did the injury worsen? Not according to Nagy. It was merely the team being “cautious.” Yet for some reason, the kid remains a game-time decision to be Nick Foles’ backup. What?
It gets better though. Larry Borom spent some time on the COVID list but has since returned. One would think he should reclaim his spot as the starting right tackle. Three more games are valuable reps for him going into next year. Instead, Nagy decides to bench him in favor of Germain Ifedi. A guy who will be a free agent next March and literally has nothing to gain from playing.
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I don't get Matt Nagy saying Justin Fields is a game-time decision as backup.
No such thing as an "emergency" option for the Bears now. You can't have an actual emergency when the game doesn't matter. Draw straws to see who plays QB rather than risk anything with Fields' health.
— Jason Lieser (@JasonLieser) December 24, 2021
https://t.co/Q8c5UrykRV pic.twitter.com/HElojokMHg
— Kevin Fishbain (@kfishbain) December 24, 2021
Why not get a look at the rookie? I don't understand this. https://t.co/ogDKWTX3VJ
— Patrick Finley (@patrickfinley) December 24, 2021
Anyone awake at Halas ?? https://t.co/DwMb4ydWCL
— Olin kreutz (@olin_kreutz) December 24, 2021
This feels like Matt Nagy refusing to do Pace any favors
By playing the younger guys and making them look presentable, it increases the odds that the GM might be able to keep his job. Something that certain insiders have insisted is a possibility. One can imagine how that looks from Nagy’s perspective. Why would he actively try to save the job of the guy who seemingly abandoned him during the darkest period of their partnership? Thus he decides to take a stand.
If it’s every man for himself, then don’t expect any favors from him. Matt Nagy will sit all the young guys he can afford to and let Pace try to plead his own case without extra help. Start Foles and Ifedi and try to win the game. The GM kicked out the door with him would be poetic justice. Remember this isn’t the first time Pace has distanced himself from a head coach before.
Everybody remembers what happened with John Fox back in 2017.
It feels like there is a genuine rift behind closed doors at Halas Hall. Both men are just too good at keeping a lid on it to let things spill over into the public. At least until the season is over. One can make a safe assumption some wild details might emerge about this entire situation in the coming weeks.
