Is Matt Nagy's Ego Being Put Ahead of the Team Again?
Matt Nagy continues to show a fundamental lack of knowledge about his team.
He refuses to acknowledge the strength of his team and play to it. Nagy says some things which sound good at first, but indicate either his ego or just his desires to play a certain way have taken the place of logic.
"When you have this defense that we have, the way they're playing and the level they're playing at against these offenses we're seeing, they're doing a great job of keeping up in every game," Nagy said. "So now it's the offense's job to step up and to score more touchdowns—however that comes. If it's off of turnovers from the defense, if it's off of field position from special teams."
Certainly he's right on all counts, but he should have quite while he was ahead because he was just building up to what amounted to a punch line.
"When you get that opportunity in the red zone, touchdowns need to happen, and if that means you need to be a little bit more aggressive in certain areas, then you need to do that, but three points aren't winning games," Nagy said.
Once again Nagy shows he doesn't realize what kind defense he's had. The Bears are playing offense at a level so low it's a joke around the NFL now.
Yet his defense is so good, and also the special teams have been as well, that they're able to stay in games.
So instead of taking three points when possible, he's going to get greedy.
Three points won't win games?
If they had kicked a field goal with 2 1/2 minutes left against the Vikings from 52 yards, they trail by three and not six and on their final possession still stand a fighting chance. Trying to score a touchdown in 44 seconds like they had to do was virtually impossible given their lack of timeouts.
Against the Saints in a 26-23 overtime loss, three points obviously would have made a difference. The Bears had a fourth-and-five at the Saints 35 and went for it but failed. Making a long field goal then would have meant all the difference in the game.
After they failed to get the first down, they gave the Saints field position and they drove for a touchdown to take a 10-point lead.
Sure, Santos could miss the 53- or 54-yarder, but ask yourself which are you betting on right now, Santos to make field goals of 55 yards or less, or Nagy's offense to score a touchdown?
Santos has made 14 straight. In that same game, he hit a 51-yarder into the wind to force overtime. They didn't have a bonafide kicker for the first two years Nagy was coach and he lost a playoff game because of it and he still doesn't have confidence in the kicker.
By not showing confidence in the kicker, he also shows no confidence in the defense. He feels he has to stake them to that extra four points.
Sure, that's nice but at this time it just is not part of the makeup of this team and the defense and special teams success are.
It's why you play to the strength, you take kicking points and field position and you treat the offense as if it's best off when it is leaving the field so the kicking team can come on and try a field goal.
The Bears have allowed the second-fewest rushing touchdowns (6) and the third-fewest passing touchdowns (12), and their defense needs every sure point it can manage.
Players talk plenty about scoring on defense. Khalil Mack wasn't happy about failing to take his interception back for a touchdown against the Vikings.
Still, they got three points out of it and it helped their defense not facing a 7-3 halftime deficit or worse.
It's been a constant of Nagy's to disdain the longer field-goal try in favor of trying to extend drives for more points. When he had a defense but no kicker, he had a strong argument.
Now, the Bears have the kicker who can at least give the defense something to work with and still no offense. The percentage play is the long field goal with a kicker who is 17 for 19 on the year and has shown he can make long kicks.
It's time Nagy shows a realistic approach to what this team has available, or start wondering what his next team's offensive makeup is.
Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven
