Last season, the Bears from worst-to-first with a 12-4 record, an NFC North championship and the team’s first playoff berth in nearly a decade.
But for Matt Nagy, it’s not enough. Not even close.
In his first year as Bears head coach, Nagy created a winning culture with a team that had been stuck in the NFC North basement for several years. Sprinkle in a new coach and some new additions, and this team believed they could be great. And they were.
“The belief in who we are started cultivating,” Nagy told fans Sunday at a training camp kickoff event in Decatur. “I believe it did, too, with the fans in the city. I think the belief started creeping in.
“We got to a point where we won the NFC North, but that wasn’t good enough. We were still hungry. We wanted that trophy. It was a sour taste at the end, but I promise you we’re not stopping until we get it.”
Nagy has used that playoff loss to the Eagles as motivation for his team. He wants them to feel the hurt and to use that as fuel heading into a 2019 season ripe with expectations.
While it’s difficult to go from worst-to-first, it’s also difficult to maintain that success the following season, as many teams have learned the hard way. So the key will be sustaining that success through the culture Nagy has in place.
With the defending Coach of the Year heading into his second season as Bears coach, there’s certainly a pressure to keep his team motivated and at the top of the NFL.
But much like having a year of experience has helped the offense become more confident, Nagy’s experience in his first year as a head coach has made him more confident and comfortable, despite the added pressure.
“The biggest thing is that I know all 90 of these players,’’ Nagy said. ‘‘As the year went on, I knew these guys’ backgrounds personally. And you let them know that you care about who they are as a person, and you build that relationship.
“I really know the hot buttons on all of our players. And they know mine, too.”
