Did this in a rush so if the numbers are off that is why In the Second Half I have Chiefs had the ball for 3 possesions Hunt 5 carries for 17 yards Smith 10 Attempts 5 Completions for 33 yards and was sacked twice Smith also had 3 rushes for 11 yards (whether by design or scrambling who knows)
Yea. I do like that he comes out of the Reid tree. Shurmur was the guy I wanted. He also grew up under Reid. Oh well..
Some time to digest, no time like the present for thoughts 1) Even though some of the dumber people will think this was done too quickly, two things. 1--the more I look at the hire coming today, the more I think Pace has had his eyes on this guy for a lot longer than people expected. And second, the bears aren't the only team looking for an offensive minded head coach. I don't think this was knee jerk reaction the way our steelers guest above does. This isn't like HR for some company, where you sift through a resume, invite him/her into an interview and then background check. This is the NFL. HC jobs are only 32. Pace probably was talking to people familiar with this guy/his circle and asking questions for some time, meaning the interview was the end of the process, not the beginning like when we saw 2nd interviews last go around. There just has to be some kind of rooting out of people before formal interviews are requested. I wouldn't be surprised if Pace knew this was his guy week by 4. 2) Nagy and McDaniels were the 2 offensive guys, along with Shurmur (though I was far from interested in him.) And while Pace did lip service in last week's presser about not only targeting offensive guys only, but also considering defensive guys--I didn't buy it. It just didn't make sense for a great defensive playcaller to bring a bright offensive mind--just to see said bright offensive mind leave after a year to be somebody else's head coach. I thought the new coach was going to be an offensive guy, as did many of us. It had to be. 3) I'm giving Nagy the benefit of the doubt. Kansas City's offense was pretty sharp this year, and until Kelce went down and I think it was Ev who brought up that the Chef's defense in the 2nd half couldn't get off the field this past weekend. I'm excited about that potential in the NFC North. I'm excited to see what playmakers come and develop here. But I'm also not oblivious. While its perfectly reasonable to be optimistic, This could go to juicebox levels of bad if this guy can't command a locker room. In that case the house will be cleaned out in 2 years, although I'll probably have a new team if it gets that bad. Now obviously you hope Pace did his homework, because he's all in on this hire. 4) Mongo brought up Reid's coaching tree. And Andy Reid has said on numerous occasions he thinks Nagy is the best candidate he's developed for coach. Over a lot of pretty damn qualified candidates who have proven something in this league. 5) I'm curious who from KC he's bringing here. The Chefs (yes, I know I'm misspelling the name, but blame that candy bar company from ruining it for me with that stupid commercial years ago.) They have a lot of decent free agents and they're going to be cash strapped. They're walking into this offseason with only 4.8 mil in cap space (before cuts), and guys like Benny Logan, Albert Wilson, D'Anthony Thomas, Kevin Pierre-Louis and Anthony Sherman probably wont be in the plans. Their Justin Houston and Eric Berry extensions eat up a lot of their cap. And if they cut Alex Smith's 20 million dollar per year? 17 mil in dead money, so they only save 3 mil. Now things change if they deal Alex Smith, which it looks like they will try to do. Sadly though, the Fullback, Sherman (who I get FBs don't get much love these days--but this guy is one of the better ones out there and he's still young) is probably the best offensive piece. Albert Wilson is another slot WR that wont offer more than Inman and Wright, plus "playmaking smurf" title is already taken by Cohen. Rasheid Davis made me never want more than just one. D'Anthony Thomas is a hell of a ST threat, not much for offensive playcalling. Pierre-Louis and Logan would make this defense ferocious and upgrade 2 positions, DLine (Logan has experience playing 5 tech and 0 tech) and Edge. Upgrade Unrein and Bummar/McPhee/Acho/whatever else is after Leonard Floyd and Willie Young? Uhhh....yes please. 6) Can he bring Justin Houston with him? 7) Eric Ekholm from Yahoo sports goes on AM 670 periodically, and he brought up something curious today talking with Bernstein and Goff as I was driving home from work. A topic we'll all want to continue to discuss he chimed in on. Coordinators. Matt Patricia is being strongly considered for the Lions job, and Ekholm insinuated Nagy and Patricia have mutual people in their circles of people they know in the football world. He said there was a chance the bears and lions could get into bidding wars for coordinators. Which could provide his first test as head coach. You want a guy on your coaching staff? Convince him (obviously if Ekholm's assumptions are indeed correct) that the lions offense/defense/special teams aren't better off. 8) Speaking of coaching staff, while I don't doubt Nagy's offensive mind, who is going to call plays on this defense? We may get to find out tomorrow when he's introduced. If this is when Pace wants to let us all know Fangio or a better option is on the way, again, I'm fine with that. 9) No, seriously--can he bring Justin Houston with him? A lot of us old timers seem to be cautiously optimistic. For obvious good reason. Pace needs this hire to keep his job. I'm just kind of hoping he pays attention and can manage a game and have more trusting people in his ears than his predecessor. I want to see this succeed. But this team was 5-11 in 2017, and not everybody can be the rams and flip the script after one year and a coaching change. Although he can't be worse than John Fox......or Jeff Fisher.
There’s a rumor out there right now that the Packers will try to pursue Vic Fangio to fill their DC opening. Hopefully Nagy and the Bears can retain him. To me this is extremely important.
I have gotten over my initial disappointment but I can’t help but smell something fishy when it comes to this hire. 1. The Bears blocked the Bengals from interviewing Fangio even though he can do so at his own free will tomorrow if I am not mistaken. 2. Of all the people Pace interviewed Nagy was the only guy he could hire as the rest are still part of teams in the playoffs other than Fangio himself. 3. If I am not mistaken the Colts were the only other team to interview Nagy. Now maybe PatG is right and Pace did his homework and Nagy was the favorite from the beginning. He nailed the interview and there really was no reason to wait. The quick hire gives Nagy first shot at retaining Vic before he hits the market and prevents other teams from stealing his guy. But I can’t help but smell a slight whiff of desperation. I am probably just thinking about it too much.
I hope that both he and the Bears new coach keep him as defensive coordinator. I thought that it was he more than anyone else who kept the BEars respectable this season.
Only 1 other team interviewed him so its not like there was a line of teams they were rushing to beat by hiring him on the quick and its not like he was the 3rd or 4th guy offered the position after other coaches had turned you down. I would think they got the guy they wanted and that nothing was done out of desperation but that is only one mans opinion.
Look at it this way, if the Bears thought Nagy was their guy as patg suggested why wait? Let him come in get his feet on the ground while the pool of candidates for coaches is still long. The fact that the Bears blocked Fangio means they hold him in high regard and would like to retain him, and by getting Nagy the nod early could likely help that cause. I'm not sure where Fangio's head is at though. It just seems to me if you're going shopping for coaches you want to go a super center and not a 7 Eleven. Face you don't go into a season with a roster incapable of making an impact.
Yeah at this moment in time it smells a lot more like strategy than it does desperation. But it is the Bears...so......
I would've said strategy over desperation right now, but thats not what bothers me. When the Bears refused the Bungles request re Fangio.....if they had decided to go another way or were resigned to losing him there was no reason to reject that request. So that told us the Bears wanted to retain him. Looking at the speed the Bears moved on this..... it seems quite a coincidence that they got Nagy done a day before Vic became a FA, thus giving themselves a chance to resign him before he hit the market. Now, i'm a known Fangio fan and i want him to stay on as DC, but i must say,what im not on board with is the DC position dictating how and when you fulfill the HC position. And this situation could look like the Bears signed Nagy cos he was about the only one immediately available, so that they could then also try to keep Fangio. IF thats why they did this then that isn't just ass backwards, its an extremely risky way of going about building your coaching staff. Seems like a possible recipe for disaster.
David Kaplan and others on twitter are saying the Bears moved fast because the Colts were ready to go all in on Nagy.
David Kaplan and others on twitter are saying the Bears moved fast because the Colts were ready to go all in on Nagy. As reasons/strategies go that sounds MUCH better! I'll go with that. I had hoped to wake up this morning to the news that the Bears had worked thru the night and agreed an extension with Fangio. Hasn't happened. It appears their effort to stop him testing the waters elsewhere has failed.
Anyone catch Nagy's PC today? I didn't think there was a whole lot to learn about things going forward other than Nagy (maybe?)seemed quite non committal when asked about Fangio. Perhaps they think they're gonna lose him. But he seemed like a genuine, likeable person, pulling for him shouldn't be hard at all which makes a nice change. So i didn't immediately hate the hire, and his manner when speaking to the press didn't make me want to punch him in the face. If nothing else Nagy is way ahead of Fox at this stage.
Nagy to me seemed like he thinks he might not be able to get Fangio back. And that sucks. Outside of that he seemed like someone comfortable answering questions and giving a statement....a far cry from the awkwardness that took place every time the last two coaches took to the press room.
I'm still watching this, am about 5 minutes in and I see the same thing, I see the genuineness. But I cant tell if it just rubs me the right way because of his positive energy, seemingly intelligence/competence, and a guy who was upfront about everything. Ev brings up a key thing here, which was John Fox and his approach to the media/fans. These two are night and day. Fox wouldn't give any real answers when he wanted to, he played dumb, and treated everybody like they were idiots, press especially. And its tough, because the press doesn't help themselves some days, and they do ask some fucking stupid questions--like when Cam Newton pissed off every feminist and Dannon, his former sponsor this year when he made the comment about women asking him about receivers running routes. Now--Cam Newton is an asshole and he answered the question like an asshole, and deserved the fallout he got--but I'll give him this, listen to the question he just got asked. The reporter asked him about Funchess doing Madden/video game style "trucking" defenders, and while I get what she was going for--she showed why the media/society has shitty priorities being that we've become a 'click on the headline and comment on whatever social media page' society when we used to be truly objective people. Exhibit A: Lavar fucking Ball and his shitty family that needs to go away--but that's a can of worms I'm not opening in a sports forum. But Fox treated everybody like shit. He was the antithesis of transparent. Pace didn't help any being the least visible as he can. So fans just got shit on for 3 years, and it turned many of us jaded. This guy comes in and answers questions and seems competent, talking about honesty and admitting mistakes. I'm giving him a shot. That being said, pretty sure Vic Fangio is gone. Loved his response to the "3-4 or 4-3 defensive scheme" question. He brought up sub-defense with an even front happening. That transcends "scheme". That's how while we see offenses in the NFL progressing and evolving, this is how defense is doing it. We see tons of team run exotic defensive fronts. Now we believe in the traditional scheme, but that you can bring 4 guys, including 2 linemen a linebacker, and someone else and you make a play--scheme doesn't matter as much as pundits think. Like that he's calling plays. Like when he brought up how he thinks ahead, how he plans ahead when he makes a 2nd and 10 call and to be immediately prepped for 3rd and 10 and 3rd and 4 alike. I question whether Frodo did that. I also question if Frodo knew what was going on half the time though....
He's positive, upbeat, and open, which is vastly different from the last several coaches we've had. Of course he's on cloud 9 right now so his treatment of the media may change when things aren't going well. He may have won this press conference and good first impressions are important. But we only care if he wins football games. As far as Fangio leaving, I know I'm alone in this position but I don't think it hurts that much. Pace still needs to fill in holes on front 7 and secondary. Mel Tucker was god awful, but he was also coaching a defense that had lost all its stars to injuries or age, and was stuck with bums like Shame, Cunte and David Bass. Don't forget until this season Kyle Fuller's best was under Tucker in 2014. If Pace can add a pass rusher, LB depth and improve CB, I trust that a competent DC can be brought in still improve the unit overall. Either way, it all hinges on Trub's development/progress or lack thereof.
