When Matt Nagy and Andy Reid meet at Soldier Field on Sunday night, it won’t be the first time these former colleagues have met on opposing sidelines.
Their first meeting came back in 2018 in the third preseason game. Nagy opted to rest his starters while Reid played his starters well into the third quarter.
Nagy got the best of his mentor in that contest — as the Bears’ second team had their way with the Chiefs. But you can’t put much stock into preseason, which is why the real test will come Sunday night in Chicago’s regular-season home finale.
It’s the classic student versus teacher story. Nagy, who studied under Reid, facing off against his mentor. Both are incredibly similar — both in coaching style and offensive philosophy — so it’ll be a matter of who can outsmart the other. And, just as you’d expect, there’s nothing but respect between the two coaches. Even as they’re headed in different directions in the next couple of games.
While Reid will prepare his team for another playoff run, Nagy has to deal with the repercussions of a disappointing season and missing the playoffs after winning the NFC North just a season earlier.
“[Nagy] is so mentally tough,” Reid said. “He tries to get the best out of his guys. The guys know that. And so, he’ll be fine. …
“He’s not going to hang his head. You know how he is. I mean, he just keeps going. He’s going to try to fix the issues and go with it. And that’s how he rolls. That’s the sign, I think, of a good coach.”
Nagy admits that, during difficult times like these, Reid is the person he goes to for some assistance.
“He’s just a calming presence,” Nagy said. “He’s somebody that I trust as a friend, as a mentor. The amount of trust that I have for him and the experience — the life experiences and the coaching experiences that he’s been through, and the experiences we’ve been through together for so many years — he’s taught me to be who I am as a coach. And taught me to be myself as a human being.
“And so when those times arise, where you need a little bit of advice from somebody whose been through something, he’s the guy I go to.”
When the Bears and Chiefs kick things off on Sunday Night Football, Nagy and Reid will be standing on opposing sidelines. And we’ll see exactly if the student has what it takes to best his mentor.
