Matt Nagy is feeling something he never has before. The true helplessness of a team in freefall combined with the knowledge that if he can’t pull them out of it, he’s very likely out of a job. The Chicago Bears have lost four straight. Offensively they rank 31st across the more, second-worst in the entire NFL. This same offense Nagy brought with him from Kansas City. It is an all-around bad look for the head coach. Some fear he is about to lose the locker room. Cordarrelle Patterson disagrees.
The wide receiver has been one of the few bright spots on this team. Not only is he still the best kick returner in the NFL, but he also has 242 yards of total offense. The Bears have gotten him heavily involved in every way possible. It just hasn’t been enough. Patterson seems to have caught wind of just how bad things are getting for his head coach.
That may explain why he posted this on Twitter.
Say what you wanna say. I stand with Coach Nagy forever!!!✊🏿
— cordarrelle patterson (@ceeflashpee84) November 18, 2020
It was completely unprompted and out of nowhere. A noteworthy vocal show of support. Perhaps also a sign that despite all the struggles Nagy remains in firm control of the locker room. Nobody can the man isn’t trying. He is. When the offense started to struggle back in September, he switched to Nick Foles at quarterback hoping for a spark.
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That worked for a time but soon the injuries started to pile up and the execution got worse. When things looked bleak, Nagy made the toughest decision yet to give up play-calling duties. Something he loves. Offensive coordinator Bill Lazor took over last week against Minnesota. The result? Six points and 149 total yards. One can only imagine how helpless the head coach must feel right now.
Is this sentiment of Cordarrelle Patterson echoed?
While it’s great the veteran wide receiver is showing support like this, it does raise the important question. Do others in the locker room share the same belief, or is he one among a dwindling few. There is a serious concern in the media that the team is in danger of becoming divided. Mostly between the defense, which has continued to be outstanding, and the offense. Eddie Jackson seemed to vent some of that anger after the Vikings loss.
These guys aren’t dumb. They understand football better than anybody. They know Nagy was brought in to fix the offense. Instead of doing that, it’s only gotten worse since he arrived. After finishing 29th last year, it’s dropped even further. If he couldn’t even do what he was hired for, then what’s the point of having him on the payroll? People keep talking about his winning record but a lot of that comes courtesy of the defense, which he has no direct hand in.
So where is his value?
Cordarrelle Patterson reflects that with this statement. Nagy remains a vocal leader who can relate to his players. The truth is this part of his job was never in question. It’s always been evident the man could motivate. Is that enough to convince Bears ownership to give him another chance in 2021? Based on the latest rumors, that is feeling less and less likely. This may explain why Patterson felt a need to say anything at all.
