Matt Nagy Needs an Offensive Solution and This Guy Would Bring It
Matt Nagy is under the gun. While Mitch Trubisky is proving to not be the quarterback everybody hoped, Nagy’s inability to still keep the offense at least modestly efficient with such solid talent available doesn’t bode well for his supposed expertise. Defenses have figured out a way to play the Chicago Bears and Nagy’s staff still haven’t found an effective way to counter it. They refuse to run the ball with any consistency and even when they try, most of them are stopped for minimal gain.
The scheme isn’t working and lots of notable experts including former players are speaking out against it. They see no common sense with the system and it’s not allowing the players to find any sort of rhythm. By the sound of it, the Bears are starting to look too much like a classic college offense. One that’s not overly interested in running the ball and just wants to chuck it 40-45 times a game.
These statements would seem to point a finger squarely in one direction. Right at offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich. He was hired to bring his unique viewpoints and expertise to the Bears system. The problem was his knowledge was based solely on what had worked for him at Oregon for several years. An offense that is looking more and more like what the Bears are running each week.
It feels like this unit desperately needs a more traditional and experienced approach. In-season offensive coordinator changes are rare, but not unheard of. If Nagy wanted to get his player’s attention this would do it. The question is who would be his answer?
Matt Nagy could trust somebody like Jay Gruden
Nagy needs somebody who has done this job before. Somebody who had success at the NFL level and also can speak quarterback. One such man happens to be currently on the free agent market. Jay Gruden recently concluded his time as head coach of the Washington Redskins after seven seasons. Though his run ultimately ended in failure, he had a good deal of offensive success during that time period. Not to mention his three years as an offensive coordinator in Cincinnati prior to that.
Both Andy Dalton and Kirk Cousins reached the Pro Bowl under his tutelage. He’s been in the NFL since 2002 and won a Super Bowl as an assistant in Tampa Bay. Not only is he a former quarterback himself, but he also coached them extensively. He’s learned how to run professional offenses from his brother Jon who is the current head coach in Oakland. During his time running offenses, his groups have finished 12th or higher in points scored four times.
If the Bears want a guy who knows how to have offensive success in the NFL, they can do a lot worse. Whether they have the capacity to make such a bold change? That is the big question that only Nagy can answer.