Former Chicago Bears Coach Matt Nagy Dives Back Into It With Kansas City Chiefs

Previous to final season, recently-fired head coach Doug Pederson attended the Chicago Bears’ coaching camp whereas the group was beneath Matt Nagy’s watch.

It gave Pederson a low-key solution to stay concerned in soccer for a number of days earlier than taking the yr off from official NFL teaching duties.

When his head teaching tenure with the Bears ended, Nagy thought of taking time away from the sport like Pederson, his former teaching colleague on the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs.

“However ultimately,” Nagy stated, “soccer’s in my coronary heart. It’s in my blood.”

So Nagy returned to Kansas Metropolis, the place he served on head coach Andy Reid’s offensive workers from 2013 to 2017. His new title is senior assistant and quarterback coach.

“It’s good to have him again,” Reid stated. “He’s good for the quarterback room. He’s been there and executed that earlier than. He has a whole lot of expertise beneath his belt.”

Nagy led the Bears to a 12-4 file throughout his first season in 2018 however by no means completed with a profitable file after that, going 34-31 total.

“Loads of my failures that I’ve had, I’ve tried to make use of to the very best of my capability to be higher,” Nagy stated. “It actually permits you to develop.”

Nagy’s time with the Bears was priceless. He stated he not solely guided particular groups, offense and protection, but additionally discovered find out how to higher cope with gamers, reply to wins or losses and even deal with the media.

“I had 4 years of real-life experiences,” Nagy stated. “You have got highs and lows and also you be taught and you’ve got so many various hats that you simply placed on in that point.”

Nagy’s fundamental position with the Chiefs will likely be working with the quarterbacks — a task beforehand dealt with by Mike Kafka earlier than he turned the New York Giants offensive coordinator.

In Kansas Metropolis, Nagy has been reunited with Patrick Mahomes, who was a rookie throughout Nagy’s closing yr as Chiefs offensive coordinator.

“To return again 4 or 5 years later and see in that room how a lot Patrick has grown, it’s wonderful,” Nagy stated. “It provides me chills to speak about it as a result of I additionally know his ceiling is even greater, and that’s thrilling for all of us.”

Nagy wasn’t stunned that Mahomes responded with a 50-touchdown, MVP season in his first season as starter. He then had a firsthand look the next season when Mahomes guided the Chiefs to a 26-3 win towards Nagy’s Bears in 2019 en path to profitable Tremendous Bowl LIV.

“He’s simply such a particular participant,” Nagy stated. “I’m so excited to be in that room with him.”

Understandably, Nagy endured criticism for his lack of ability to develop quarterback Mitch Trubisky, who was drafted forward of Mahomes within the 2017 NFL Draft.

However the 2018 NFL Coach of the 12 months does have a whole lot of expertise teaching and taking part in the place.

An All-American at Delaware, he threw passes to Chiefs common supervisor Brett Veach, a large receiver on the Blue Hens. Nagy then quarterbacked 4 groups within the Area Soccer League earlier than becoming a member of Reid’s Philadelphia Eagles teaching workers.

Reid is infamous for placing in grueling hours, one thing that’s typically required of an NFL head coach.

The time constraints on Nagy received’t be fairly as demanding as they have been when he had that position with the Bears.

“My son the opposite day was saying, ‘Dad, it’s loopy. You bought a bit of bit extra free time,’” Nagy stated. “I’m embracing that. It’s enjoyable.”

Nagy appears reenergized by becoming a member of the Chiefs. That group has received six straight AFC West titles, and its objectives stay as lofty as ever.

“I simply need to do all the pieces I can to assist us,” Nagy stated, “and do all the pieces I can to be nice.”