Absence of Matt Nagy Could Tell on Sunday
These are hectic times for Bears coaches and players even as they say it is not.
At least, it's more hectic than in other weeks.
Even as linebacker Caleb Johnson came off the reserve/COVID-19 list Thursday, another unidentified staff member tested positive.
With Bears coach Matt Nagy working remotely and away from the team while battling the illness himself, special teams coordinator Chris Tabor is running daily operations at Halas Hall and trying to also do his own job.
"At the end of the day, we've had our meetings, we're gonna have our walk-through just like what we always did and we're gonna have our practice just like what we always do," Tabor said. "With regards to getting the meat and potatoes done, that hasn't changed. Everything to me is normal."
The Bears first announced the media would be allowed back in at Halas Hall Thursday for a regular work-day schedule minus Nagy, who wouldn't have spoken to media on this day anyway.
Then they moved it back to Zoom press conference access and changed the practice schedule a bit because of another COVID-19 case. The Zoom meetings, the Zoom press conferences and schedule changes seem more disruptive when it comes to getting ready for a game.
"There's a distinct process that you have to go through and, you know, has our day changed today a little bit? Yes," Tabor said "But that's really no big deal. We just go from walk-through right into practice instead of having a little break in there."
Tabor insisted the scheduling changes or other situations to occur since the outbreak of the illness should impact the game, barring the actual missing players.
"I mean everybody that shows up in the building should be ready for an honest day's work and should be prepared," Tabor said. "So, I think the focus will be perfectly fine.
"I think it sharpens you a little bit. I don't look at it as a negative, I actually look at it as a positive."
Tabor feels having Nagy away from the practice facility isn't much different.
"I talk to coach all the time, every day. He's in all the meetings," Tabor said. "I just don’t see him physically."
He also thinks it's not detracting from coaching special teams, although he does have the help of assistant special teams coach Brian Ginn.
"With regards to how we're prepping for special teams, I've stayed in my same routine, same process," Tabor said. "If something else comes across my desk that I need to execute for coach, then I will do that."
Players are experiencing something similar, although they're definitely noticing Tabor.
"There's no drop-off really," running back Khalil Herbert said. "I feel like we're a self-running machine. It's the same thing.
"I feel like coach Tabes does a good job getting us going. It's like he runs the whole practice like it's special teams. He's screaming, getting everybody going."
The one real difference for Tabor could come Sunday when the Bears play the 49ers, if Nagy is still sidelined by COVID. Tabor will be the man calling shots when it comes to strategic decisions like going for it on fourth down.
It's not a role totally foreign to him, but it's been a while. In 2001 he was head coach at NAIA school Culver-Stockton. They set a school scoring and yardage record, while ranking 17th in NAIA in defense.
"Well that was a long time ago, I appreciate you asking," Tabor said. "It was a winning season (6-5). I had just got done, we got let go at the University of Missouri as a staff and I went to be a small college head coach.
"I worked for a great head coach at the university of Missouri by the name of Larry Smith, a legend and he told me go be a head coach, you'll learn things I can't ever teach you and he was exactly right. I learned things from learning how to line the field too ordering the equipment to leading a team and handling different situations and it was a great experience. So I got a little taste of that and you know if something ever happens down the road you always feel like you've been prepared by what's happened in the past."
So in terms of making decisions on when to gamble or to call for replay challenges, Tabor feels as qualified as anyone.
"With regards to that other stuff, if that ever came up, you've always been preparing yourself your whole life to do that," he said. "So I've watched a lot of football games and have thought about those types of things."
Maybe the assistant impacted greatest beyond Tabor is Bill Lazor, the offensive coordinator. And the player impacted most by Nagy not being around is quarterback Justin Fields.
Like Tabor, Lazor doubts there will be a huge impact because they've both been talking to Nagy.
"So I think Justin will continue to feel Matt's presence," Lazor said. "Is it exactly the same? No. But Matt's been involved in all the game planning. He's been involved in the player meetings.
"So last year, unfortunately, prepped all of us for when these things have to happen. None of us enjoy being back on virtual meetings when we have to but at least we know how to do it and we’ve dealt with it before. The mindset we've talked about the whole team or offensively I should say is we're professionals regardless of the situation we were put in. We have a goal which is to win the game this week; we can't let anything get in the way.
"And I think you know I don't think any of you would be surprised at least from observation that that’s exactly how Justin's approaching it and so is coach Nagy."
The greatest way the team has been affected is by player availability from COVID-19 or getting over it.
Johnson returned for special teams and backup linebacker duty on Thursday.
Tackle Larry Borom is being watched at practice for a possible first start as a replacement for injured Germain Ifedi and for Elijah Wilkinson, who is on the reserve/COVID-19 list. Borom is over a high ankle sprain.
"For the coaches, it's just a matter of how in sync he is with the timing, of things adjusting, hearing calls, making changes, the basic things," Lazor said. "If they just line up and play I think we know what his ability level is and we feel great about it.
"The hard part is you get to this point in the season and the defense is doing more. We've put in a lot more adjustments to different defensive looks, can he hear those calls from James Daniels and quickly make the adjustment and see the defense change? Is he up to speed in that sense? Because doing it and having adjustments happen quickly is a lot different in person than just standing watching at practice."
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