If the Philadelphia Eagles proved anything this year, it’s that stocking up on good players is only half the equation. A stocked up coaching staff is equally important. Their formula involved two keys: an experienced mind running the defense and loads of offensive coaches with QB backgrounds. It would seem the Chicago Bears and head coach Matt Nagy have taken these lessons to heart. Their moves up to this point reflect as much.
On the defensive side, they were able to retain Vic Fangio. He’s one of the best in the NFL at what he does. His unit just finished in the top 10 this past season. Keeping him around was a no-brainer. The trickier part for Nagy was the construction of his offensive staff. Following the lead of his former colleague, Doug Pederson, he went heavy on the QB specialists.
Mark Helfrich was brought out of the analyst studio after a year off to become offensive coordinator. He was one of the masterminds behind Marcus Mariota’s rise at Oregon. Dave Ragone, a former NFL quarterback himself, was retained as quarterbacks coach. Nagy though knew something more was needed. So he reached out to an old friend.
Bears and Matt Nagy lure Brad Childress out of retirement
His retirement is short lived: #Bears are expected to hire Brad Childress as an offensive consultant, source said. Nagy and Childress are very close, so it's not exactly a surprise.
— Adam Caplan (@caplannfl) February 5, 2018
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Most Bears fans will remember Brad Childress as the former head coach of the Minnesota Vikings. He spent five seasons with them, got them to the playoffs twice and reached the NFC championship game in 2009. A decent run of success but hardly what one would call memorable. In that context, this may not look like a credible addition. Truth be told though it’s an excellent move from Mitch Trubisky’s perspective.
People can say a lot of things about Childress. What they can’t say is he doesn’t know how to coach quarterbacks. The man has been doing that job since 1985. His first major stint in the NFL came in 1999 with the Philadelphia Eagles. There as QB coach and then offensive coordinator he turned Donovan McNabb into a start. McNabb had the best season of his career under Childress in 2004 when the Eagles reached the Super Bowl.
A few years later he helped Brett Favre, at 40-years old, deliver the best season of his Hall of Fame career. Favre threw for 4,200 yards, 33 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. As if that weren’t enough, Childress rejoined Andy Reid in Kansas City where he helped Nagy transform Alex Smith into a three-time Pro Bowler. The guy has chops at this stuff.
Having his voice in the room helping with Trubisky can only be a good thing. This offensive staff is only loaded with intelligence. It also strikes a careful balance of youth and experience. Nagy and Helfrich are the young bucks thinking towards new ideas. Now Childress is there to provide them direction on what has or hasn’t worked in the past. It’s a well-constructed and inspired group.
