Add Another Bears Assistant Questioning Matt Nagy’s QB Management
Matt Nagy isn’t just hearing it from fans and media. It seems his own coaching staff has found opportunities to quietly criticize his methods this year. Especially when it comes to his handling of the quarterbacks. Bill Lazor hinted in an interview back in September that he felt Justin Fields probably should’ve started from the outset rather than going with Nagy’s plan to ride with Andy Dalton.
This doesn’t even take into account the fact that Fields wasn’t given any snaps with the first offense in training camp. While he may have thought that was helping him develop, the truth is far different. All it did was ensure the rookie had zero chemistry with the Bears’ starters if and when he was elevated to the starting job. Sure enough, Dalton injured his knee against Cincinnati and the scenario Nagy never thought would happen did.
Lazor may not be the only one frustrated by that either.
Tight ends coach Clancy Barrone had his chance to talk to the media for the first time in weeks. He was asked about the encouraging progress of Cole Kmet over the past few games and why it took him this long to get going. While he tried to wiggle around the question by saying a variety of factors were in play, he couldn’t help but take a carefully worded dig at how the quarterback situation was handled.
“A lot of that growth process is having time on task with the same quarterback. This is一 and is for a lot of people in this offense一 it’s their fourth starting quarterback in 20-something weeks… That’s also a major part, trying to get that chemistry between tight end and quarterback and that’s really true for all of them, not just Cole.”
It is difficult not to wonder where Kmet and this offense might be right now if Nagy had just done the right thing and started Fields immediately. Gotten the growing pains out of the way. Perhaps instead of playing as well as he has against San Francisco and Pittsburgh, he might’ve been doing it against the Packers and Buccaneers. Back when the season was still very much salvageable.
The Matt Nagy marriage to his K.C. roots may be what sinks him
Everything he’s tried to do in regards to bringing that Chiefs model to Chicago has failed. He has stubbornly worked to install that offensive scheme with the Bears. This despite clear evidence he neither had the true expertise nor personnel to run it. Then when he finally got the young quarterback he coveted, Nagy again adhered to the Kansas City approach. Sit the kid behind a proven veteran.
He failed to realize that Dalton was not Alex Smith and Fields is not Patrick Mahomes. Dalton didn’t have multiple years of experience in this offense. Fields already had significant knowledge of how to run pro-style schemes. Matt Nagy didn’t care. He had a plan, even if that plan was nothing more than a copy and paste job of one that worked out well with his former team.
How ironic.
That strict adherence to the Chiefs approach may end up being what gets the head coach fired. He should count himself lucky that Fields was able to come along as quickly as he has. That might be the only thing that can save this coaching staff now. It isn’t likely going to be their final record with the Bears 3-6 and facing another brutal stretch of games against mostly playoff contenders.