Matt Nagy said the Bears took precious time out of their days during the week to show clips of Saints DB C.J. Gardner-Johnson in order to reinforce that’s he’s a huge instigator and to warn players not to take the bait. Anthony Miller didn’t get the memo.
— Jeff Dickerson (@DickersonESPN) January 11, 2021
Chicago Bears coach Matt Nagy was, well, frustrated that another one of his wide receivers got themselves thrown out of a game with the New Orleans Saints after losing their cool. This time it was Anthony Miller, who watched Saints safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson irritate his teammate Javon Wims just a few months ago into tossing a punch at the defensive back, hurting his team by both getting ejected and yielding previous penalty yards.
Nagy told ESPN’s Jeff Dickerson after the game that the Bears offense devoted time this week specifically studying Gardner-Johnson’s on-field disruptions to prepare the receiving corps for what they were up against. He didn’t want to see his players create a mistake in a big playoff game, and it happened anyway. So it’s understandable that he’d be heated about it following the 21-9 loss.
It’s also kind of hilarious that the Bears put so much energy into keeping Gardner-Johnson from goading them (which didn’t work, which makes it more entertaining). Gardner-Johnson is a legendary trash talker just two years into his NFL career, joining the ranks of other NFC South icons like Steve Smith and Roddy White. It’s great to have one of those elite chirpers in black and gold for once. Here’s hoping he avoids hurting his own team by taking it too far occasionally, though.
