For all of the disappointment that came with the 2019 season, Bears general manager Ryan Pace’s faith in head coach Matt Nagy hasn’t wavered in the slightest.
In fact, his confidence in him has grown. That after a decline from 12-4 to 8-8 in Nagy’s second season.
“Things are easy when you go 12-4,” Pace said. “For me this season, when you go through adversity for players and staff, it reveals a lot of things. And this season gives me even more confidence and conviction in him as our head coach for what we went through and how he handled it. Extreme confidence in him as our head coach, extreme confidence in him as our play-caller, and extreme confidence in him righting the ship and getting us back on the track we want to be on.”
While Pace’s belief in Nagy as a head coach is understandable — his leadership and the culture he’s developed is impressive — it’s been his failures on the offensive side of the ball that have been most concerning. The Bears offense was one of the worst in the NFL this season, and quarterback Mitchell Trubisky didn’t make the strides he was expected to make in his second year with Nagy.
This offseason is critical in fixing the offensive deficiencies that plagued the Bears in 2019 — including quarterback play, the run game, offensive line play, tight end production and play-calling. It’s a challenge that Pace and Nagy will take on together.
“We are all in this together, so it’s improvement in him and I together,” Pace said. “When you go through these adverse moments, it strengthens our relationship. So together it’s a, ‘What do we need to do to improve our team? What can I do more to help him?’ — that’s going to be part of the process.”
