It was Matt Nagy's day at Halas Hall on Tuesday as the 16th head coach in Bears history was introduced, so the focus was clearly on his energy and authentic delivery.
By late afternoon, when he had stopped sharing his story of a personal rise from I-AA quarterback to Arena League star, coaching intern for the Eagles and then assistant under Andy Reid in Philadelphia and Kansas City, it was pedal to the metal in efforts to put together a coaching staff.
If the Bears are optimistic about retaining defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, they did a good job of masking it. The plan was for Nagy to meet with holdovers from John Fox's staff and gauge whether or not there are fits moving forward. Yes, the Bears would like Fangio to remain, but he's a free agent and will choose his path.
With Nagy running the offense, he needs a proven man with experience to take charge of things on the other side of the ball.
"We all are aware of that situation and that's a very important hire for me, but there's a lot of things that go into that decision," Nagy said. "Vic and I have talked. We understand the situation. ... We're going to attack that full steam ahead and we're going to make a clear decision about what's best for Vic and what's best for this organization."
Fangio's contract has expired as well as the grace period at the end of the season that gave the Bears exclusive negotiating rights. He's free to speak with anyone and sift through potential job offers. Fangio's decision on the Bears is likely going to come down to two factors.
First _ and it's always first _ is money. It is believed he earned north of $2 million in 2017 in the final season of a three-year contract and might have been the second-highest-paid coordinator in the NFL. The Bears might have to go beyond that to keep him in place.
Second, how does Fangio perceive the eight-day coaching search that concluded Monday morning when the team announced Nagy as the new coach? Fangio received the first interview, and sources say one of his primary questions for the team was if it was a serious interview or a courtesy extended by Pace in an effort to appease Fangio and keep him interested in staying with a new head coach? The Bears assured Fangio it was a real interview.
Fangio has been down a similar path in the past when Jim Harbaugh bolted San Francisco and the 49ers selected defensive line coach Jim Tomsula, who worked under Fangio, as the team's next coach in 2015. He considered his interview at that time to be only a courtesy, and while he deserves credit for taking the high road, there's no question Fangio felt snubbed, to put it mildly.
Does Fangio feel snubbed again after the 39-year-old Nagy, who is 20 years his junior and was a coordinator with five games of experience calling plays, was chosen over him? That's a question that needs to be answered, and ultimately Fangio's decision will provide great insight when all is settled. The Packers are expected to be interested in him. Fangio is also a possibility to follow Pat Shurmur if the Vikings offensive coordinator is hired as a head coach.
"You know that I have a ton of respect for Vic and we're talking to Vic right now," Pace said. "We thought, let this play out. Matt's just getting his feet set and after that, his first priority is going to be our existing staff and then attacking the coaching candidates."
The Tribune reported Monday night that the Bears would likely pursue Gus Bradley in the event they cannot retain Fangio. Bradley is in a similar situation to Fangio as his contract with the Chargers just expired. The Chargers would like to keep Bradley, and the Seahawks have interest in him. ESPN reported Tuesday that the Packers are also interested in Bradley.
The Bears could also make a run at a man they just met. Vikings defensive coordinator George Edwards, who was interviewed for the head coaching position on Thursday, is in the final year of his contract. When the Vikings season ends, he'll be a free agent absent a new deal. The Bears liked Edwards enough to include him in the mix for an interview, and Pace can share notes from that interview with Nagy to determine if he is a possible fit.
Although Vikings coach Mike Zimmer calls the defensive plays, Edwards was a defensive coordinator with the Bills from 2010 to 2011 and in 2003 with the Redskins, so he has ample experience and would bring a wealth of knowledge about the NFC North.
If Bradley winds up back in Seattle, that could mean Kris Richard does not return as defensive coordinator. Richard interviewed for the Colts head coaching job and he'd be another coordinator with experience on the market.
How long the Bears will wait to see how things play out with Fangio remains to be seen. Pace has a track record for being decisive. Nagy didn't sound married to a 3-4 defense but said there are a lot of hurdles to clear first before you get down to nuances like what type of front the defense will be in with base personnel on the field.
"That's something we're really going to start hammering out right here," Nagy said. "We don't know that just yet. It's a valid question, because there are benefits to both. One thing to keep in mind is, everyone keeps talking about 3-4 or 4-3, but 60 percent of the game is played in sub defenses. It sounds good, but a lot of times you go back and you study tape ... and there are teams now where they play sub defenses, they had a nickel in the whole game. You want to be careful not to put too much emphasis on that."
