Matt Nagy was hired to affect change with the Chicago Bears. First and foremost was winning more football games. With a 20-12 record through two seasons, he’s on the right track. Second was finding a way to install a consistently productive offense. Something that has been the Achilles heel of this franchise going back several decades.
Like any logical thinker, Nagy felt the best way to do that was to develop the quarterback. That position makes the world go round in the NFL. Teams that have a good QB tend to win games. The head coach was absolutely right to try gearing his offense around Mitch Trubisky. The kid had the talent and want-to in order to make the system work. Yet after two seasons, it just hasn’t clicked.
Trubisky has struggled to master the scheme. Reading defenses remains a problem and he just can’t throw accurately even when his receivers are wide open. This is a big reason the Bears decided to trade for Nick Foles. His strengths are in those areas for the most part. Yet even if he were to overtake Trubisky in the upcoming competition, it doesn’t guarantee the passing attack will suddenly morph into what Nagy had with the Kansas City Chiefs.
In fact the signs continue to point towards Nagy making a conversion Bears fans have called for going back over a year. Something he has resisted due to either stubbornness or philosophical reasons. A full commitment to running the football.
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Matt Nagy must play Bears football until he finds his QB
If there is one thing in the Super Bowl era that Bears offense was good at, it was the ground attack. Their list of great running backs proves that much. Gale Sayers. Walter Payton. Neal Anderson. Thomas Jones. Matt Forte. Jordan Howard. All carried the banner forward. They even traded up to get David Montgomery last season. Yet Nagy refused to feature him enough.
Why will that change this year? Let’s start with the QB situation. If Trubisky holds onto his job, history shows that he is at his best when the Bears consistently run the football. It allows him to take advantage via bootlegs and play action. He was 5-1 last season when he handed off to Montgomery at least 15 times. The only loss came due to a missed field goal attempt by Eddy Pineiro in the final seconds against the Chargers. He was 6-1 the year before under the same guidelines. The only loss being that huge Week 1 collapse in Green Bay.
Trubisky can win games when he’s not the featured guy in the offense.
So what about Foles? Even if he wins the competition, it doesn’t mean the passing game will be suddenly great. This guy will have barely had a month to prepare for the season with no minicamps, OTAs, or preseason to develop a connection with his receivers. Throw in the fact that he’s not the most mobile guy in the world standing behind an offensive line that was a bit leaky last season? It makes sense to run the ball, putting less pressure on him as he continues trying to master the system.
Last but not least is the coaching changes.
While most people are focused on John DeFilippo as a big sign the team is trying to overhaul their passing game, they cannot and should not overlook the hires of Bill Lazor as offensive coordinator and Juan Castillo as offensive line coach. One thing that proved consistent with both men during there careers is how effective they are at crafting productive running games. Not in terms of total yardage but more yards per attempt.
In four seasons as an offensive coordinator with Miami and Cincinnati, Lazor’s offense ranked top 10 in rushing yards per attempt three times. Between 1997 and 2010 with the Philadelphia Eagles, Castillo helped his offense finish top 10 in yards per attempt 11 times. Hiring those two was not an accident.
It’s a clear sign Nagy plans to get the running game pointed in the right direction.
