Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy: Out

Patrick: Back in the December 20 issue (We Wish You Joy), Russ broke it down for the people and spoke about the Bears’ Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy. A few weeks later and they’re gone. Fellas?

Russ: So, the Bears finally fired both of them and, oh, what a relief it is. I mean, when Coach Matt Nagy first came to town, I thought we were going somewhere—especially when the Bears went 12-4 that first year, beat Green Bay and made the playoffs. Almost won that, too, but our kicker missed a last-second field goal that would’ve done it.

Don: Yeah, that was bad…

Russ: It was very disappointing, but the future still looked good. Unfortunately, the next three years were a disaster.

John: Even though they made the playoffs last year, the dismissals were easily the right thing to do. Let’s face it, the Bears weren’t going in the right direction with either Pace or Nagy, what with the bad draft and free-agency moves by the general manager Ryan Pace, to the bad play-calling by Coach Nagy; plus, there was no excitement or realistic expectations of the Bears taking the next step forward. They were 1-7 versus the Green Bay Packers. With that sort of record versus your archrival, you’re either not right for the job, or the job isn’t right for you. Whatever way it swings, it’s time to go.

Don: Look, I don’t know how the Bears decide who to hire and fire, but I do know when a coach uses one quarterback against another to prove a point to the team, the that’s telling me there’s something wrong with the team’s unity. A team is unable to be a team without a certain level of understanding. Also, to me, it seems as if they, the Bears, were looking for a white answer to the long-discussed question of “Is a black man smart enough to run a pro offense?” Not the proper focus, in my opinion. I feel Nagy to be a college coach—not a pro one.

Patrick: For me, it demonstrates that no matter how talented one’s players are, without good and strong leadership— which must include trust from the players toward the coaches and managers—nothing good will come from it in terms of winning and losing. While our Bears need bolstering on the offensive line, as well as some seasoning of Justin Fields, the play-calling was absolutely horrible. Mind you, many of those plays, if run by any Tom Brady-led team, would result in positive yardage; however, the Bears' execution simply did not lead to much of that. We weren’t technically savvy enough to make those plays work, so we needed to do other things. Perhaps let Justin Fields transition properly by “college-ing” it up. Go back to school, so to speak.

Russ: Give him free rein. He ran a highly-lauded Ohio State team for two seasons after transferring from Georgia. Give him that offensive line he needs. Shoot, if he played with Dallas, he’d be able to call his mom and dad and still have time to complete a pass.

Patrick: Hilarious. And agreed. All right, so any ideas for replacements for head coach?

John: I like Jim Harbaugh. He has history and a track record for turning around teams.

Russ: I’m going with Jim Harbaugh as well.

Patrick: Heard we’re looking at the Buffalo Bills for a head coach: ex-Bear Defensive Coordinator Leslie Frazier or Offensive Coordinator Brian Daboll. Wouldn’t be mad at either. Don?

Don: Simply put: Change is good. Bring in the fresh.

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