NEWSLETTER
The mystery of who was calling plays for the Bears’ offense in their 24-14 win against the Lions didn’t have some unforeseen plot twist.
And if you were paying attention to clues throughout the week, it wouldn’t have come as a surprise to you either:
Bears head coach Matt Nagy: “In regards to play calling, Bill (Lazor) did a great job.”
There you go.
— Kevin Fishbain (@kfishbain) October 3, 2021
Offensive Coordinator Bill Lazor was calling plays in Sunday’s Bears win. Not that we couldn’t tell by watching the game, but Nagy confirming it was a nice touch. There was rhyme, reason, and rhythm with play calls. Execution was more crisp than it had been in previous weeks. We saw balance with the script. And most importantly, we saw the offense’s best players touch the ball early and often.
And yet, Nagy still found a way to clunk it up:
Matt Nagy acknowledged that Bill Lazor called the plays today.
Also emphasized: "Ultimately it goes through me."
Nagy finished his presser by saying he won't answer another question about who's calling plays this year.
— Dan Wiederer (@danwiederer) October 3, 2021
What an unnecessary add on from a coach who should know better. After all, it’s not like Andy Reid was taking credit for play-calls when he gave them to Nagy at the end of 2017. But that’s not why you’re reading this post.
Your team beat a divisional rival at home. The offense you installed moved the ball and put up points. Your prized first-round QB made throws that make it easier to dream on said offense working moving forward. The offensive coordinator you hired made a collection of plays gathered from over the years of being an Andy Reid understudy look like something more than abstract art. What else do you want as a coach? Save for some injuries, everything you could’ve wanted to play out did so on Sunday afternoon. So … why frame it as “it goes through me” for no good reason?
The best coaches are strong leaders who put their egos aside for the good of the team’s success. Football’s best coaches are often delegators who empower the coaches who work for them. Building up the confidence of those working with you is what the best bosses do, no matter the field or industry. But instead, a simple congratulatory message had to come with a caveat and a side of word salad for no good reason.
Then again, answering a simple question by taking the longest and most circuitous route possible is totally on brand for Nagy:
The question was did you delegate play calls, and you get 164 words of whatever this means. This is my life. pic.twitter.com/p5E81cXxvW
— Jason Lieser (@JasonLieser) October 3, 2021
I’d grovel more about Nagy bemoaning the dark cloud when the silver lining is hitting him in the face. But that would be uncalled for at this moment. To the victors go the spoils. And Bill Lazor should be getting more than a hearty pat on the back for his efforts calling plays.
