We are joined by guest Patrick Sheldon, a site expert for FanSided’s DaWindyCity.com, who will argue the case against Nagy and Trubisky.
The case AGAINST Nagy:
A tiger rarely changes its stripes, and Matt Nagy has shown you who he is as a play-caller for three years. As news emerged he was taking a more active role in those duties recently, you could see some of his old tendencies starting to reappear. When you couple his reticence to change with his failure to identify the correct offensive line configuration, and other questionable personnel decisions, keeping Nagy next year may simply be postponing the inevitable.
The case FOR Nagy:
Press the ALT-CRTL-DEL and reset the year. Covid has played havoc with the entire 2020 season, and should perhaps bear an asterisk in the record books. Not to diminish the hard work and success of teams that did make the playoffs, and the one who will eventually win the Super Bowl. Players like Eddie Goldman opted out taking a major chunk out of the Bear defense. That coupled with Akiem Hicks’ injury is likely the fuse that lit the six game skid. But the team turned their fortunes around and finished winning three of the final four. It should not be forgotten that Tarik Cohen was lost for the season, further hampering the offense. That said, this team has always bought into Matt Nagy’s enthusiasm and leadership, both publicly and privately. A respected leader of men will always get the most out of his players.
The case AGAINST Mitch Trubisky:
Mitch Trubisky has shown the league who he is in 50 career starts, which is a below-average quarterback who can be effective against lower-end teams when his deficiencies are effectively hidden. However, when asked to play from the pocket or against teams with a winning record, he is near the bottom of the league in terms of effectiveness. The most common argument for keeping Mitch next year has been that the Bears will not find anyone better, though it’s hard to imagine there is a dearth of quarterbacks who can throw the ball within ten yards of the line of scrimmage on half-field reads.
The case FOR Mitch Trubisky:
Do not blame Mitch if Ryan Pace inexplicably traded up to draft him at number two. Sure, Bears fans would love to re-write history and have Patrick Mahomes under center. Mitch’s career record is 29-21, with 64 touchdowns and 37 interceptions. Drew Brees, his opponent Sunday played in only one game his rookie season. In the four subsequent years, he won 30 games, while losing 28, and tossing 79 TD’s and 53 INT’s. At the same time it’s painfully clear that this team hasn’t always geared the game plan to Turbisky’s strengths as a pass AND run threat. The anemic offensive line the Bears have fielded for most of the past four years couldn’t protect Aaron Rogers. Build the offensive line. Upgrade the wide receiver corps, and wait for Tarik Cohen’s return. Turbisky can be resigned for a lot less than Mahomes dollars.
The real problem is Ryan Pace:
It’s painful to say that, because Pace has been cordial, nice, enthusiastic about this team. But that’s not the job of a general manager. He should be tough, unforgiving, and skilled at finding that diamond in the rough, not making the two-foot putt with a lottery pick. For every Darnell Mooney and David Montgomery, there is a Kevin White or Leonard Floyd (who actually had a good season in Los Angeles.) The man who made the deal for Khalil Mack, also cut Robbie Gould loose over money. It took five years for the Bears to find his replacement. It’s time to find that ruthless GM who can finally put the pieces in place for this team to return to it’s former glory.
Find Patrick Sheldon at https://dawindycity.com/author/psheldon/, and follow him on Twitter at @P_Shels.