Bears coach Matt Nagy made his name as a creative play-caller. But his call to not play anyone of consequence this preseason might have the most lasting impact on the NFL.
As Nagy — and more and more coaches — continue to sit their starters in exhibition games, the NFL is becoming increasingly likely to re-evaluate its preseason schedule when the Collective Bargaining Agreement expires after next season.
Coaches used to give their starters a token number of preseason snaps and hold their respective breaths. Last year, Nagy took the unusual step of sitting all his starters in the league’s third full week of games, the typical dress rehearsal for the regular season.
This year, he’s skipped the charade altogether.
Fourteen healthy Bears regulars have yet to play in a preseason game this year— and that’s not counting quarterback Mitch Trubisky, who handed the ball off three times in the opener, or guard Kyle Long, who was left home for fighting but would have sat out nonetheless. Safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, linebacker Roquan Smith and defensive linemen Eddie Goldman and Bilal Nichols played five downs in Week 1 and not again.
It’s fair to wonder whether NFL owners would be willing to concede two August home gate receipts when they sit down with the NFL Players Association. But even they have to admit the silly season is getting ridiculous.
“As an NFLPA rep, I really do think you’re going to see this league transitioning into what we’re sorta doing, what a lot of other teams are doing — joint practices where you practice back and forth, and not playing in the game,” quarterback Chase Daniel said after Friday night’s 32-13 loss to the Giants at MetLife Stadium. “Because there are so many injuries.”
Daniel listed the latest casualties: Jets inside linebacker Avery Williamson, who tore his ACL in Thursday’s exhibition game, and Eagles quarterbacks Nate Sudfeld and Cody Kessler, who suffered a broken wrist and concussion, respectively, in back-to-back preseason contests.
“Let’s be honest: that’s the reason they’re holding [players] out, right?” Daniel said. “We lost [outside linebacker Leonard Floyd] and we lost [tight end] Adam Shaheen last year in the preseason, and they were out for a few weeks. Shaheen, really, his ankle was never the same. That’s a costly starter at tight end for us.”
The NFL doesn’t have a preseason problem. It has a class problem.
The top third of the Bears roster is too valuable to risk losing in a game that doesn’t matter. The bottom third is mostly camp fodder. Stuck in between are 30 or so players that, every year, have to prove something to land on the 53-man roster. But they’re replaceable.
The Bears’ preseason games, then, are more akin to minor-league contests.
“We have 90 guys — only 53 make the squad,” said Daniel, who starred as an undrafted rookie during Redskins’ 2009 preseason games. “Those 37 other guys, they’re needing a chance to play. Now you have the AAF, the XFL — these things never last. We really don’t have a farm system. …
“So I think the preseason, it’s necessary, at least some, so you can get the guys some film and get these guys some snaps.”
Kyle Long suspended, Mitch Trubisky scratched, kicker battle flips again. Plenty to talk about with Patrick Finley & Jason Lieser, live from MetLife Stadium after the Bears lose to the Giants, 32-13. https://t.co/SUsEVX7RWV
— Sun-Times Sports (@suntimes_sports) August 17, 2019
He agrees with Nagy’s strategy.
“Obviously the pros of it are, you’re keeping your guys out, you’re keeping them healthy,” Daniel said. “But the cons: listen, I was an undrafted free agent. I really made a lot of hay in the preseason. … There’s a lot of guys here that want these games, that want this opportunity to put it on film. Because you’re not only trying out for the Bears, you’re trying out for 31 other teams. …
“I see both sides of it. It will definitely be some interesting discussions in the next few years.”
After the first preseason game, someone asked cornerback Prince Amukamara how many preseason games were too many.
“One. … ” he said, to laughter. “It depends on the person. Rookies for sure. You need to get in there and put your toe in the water. You need to feel it.”
But do you, really?
Last week, Nagy changed the Bears’ Wednesday morning practice to a night practice game. The same Bears’ starters that sat out Friday night saw live 60 snaps with “thud” contact instead of tackling. The coaching staff controlling every situation presented in practice.
The risks were more controlled than an exhibition game, but it wasn’t 100 percent safe. Guard Cody Whitehair hurt his finger, but the Bears think he’ll return soon. By contrast, the Bears’ most notable exhibition ding was swing tackle Rashaad Coward leaving Friday night with an elbow injury.
Long, of course, swung a helmet at teammate Jalen Dalton during the scrimmage. Despite apologizing to his teammates, he was kept home from the Giants game.
Fighting and punting on preseason games, though, might be related.
“I think you see the altercations in practice because guys are literally sick and tired of hitting the same people over and over,” Daniel said. “They want to hit somebody else, and coach won’t let them play. …
“Their juices are flowing. They’re competitive, too.”
Only two-and-a-half weeks until the opener.
“I need to do what’s best for us …” Nagy said. “Sept. 5 is an important day for us.”
