When the Chicago Bears hired Matt Nagy as head coach in 2018, the expectation was Nagy would turn the Bears into an offensive powerhouse. With the 2021 season just three weeks away, Nagy has yet to officially name a starting quarterback and has drawn criticism for not letting rookie quarterback Justin Fields take consistent reps with the first team.
On Wednesday, prior to practice, Nagy detailed why Chicago’s offense should be better heading into 2021. After two years of mediocre play where the Bears offense ranked near the bottom of the NFL in every category, Nagy has how staked his hope in veteran Andy Dalton and Fields to elevate Chicago’s offense.
“Probably just the way we’ve been practicing,†Nagy said via the Bears official YouTube channel. “The tempo, where we’ve been just talking through schematics or where we know we want to be. We’ve got some guys that have been on this team for two, three, four years and they know the offense as well as I do — where that wasn’t the case two or three years ago. When you have that and you have a guy like Andy and these quarterbacks that come in and understand it, that’s where it gives me confidence.”
Having confidence in players is a necessity for any NFL head coach. The Bears do have continuity at key positions such as offensive line, wide receiver, tight end, and running back. Continuity doesn’t exist at the most important position: Quarterback, where Dalton and Fields were both acquired this offseason. Veteran Nick Foles is the only returning quarterback from last season still on the roster but the former Super Bowl MVP isn’t expected to play a big role in 2021.
As the Bears season opener draws closer, Nagy knows that while his seat isn’t necessarily hot, the Bears 2021 season cannot be reminiscent of the 2020 season. Should history repeat itself, Nagy’s seat will get warmer as the weather turns colder in the Windy City due to his inability to unlock the potential that the offense has.