Bernstein: Matt Nagy's First Impression Matters, For Now
By Dan Bernstein --
670TheScore.com senior columnist
(670 The Score) We won't have the results of a Bears game for more than seven months, until then relying on statements more than outcomes to judge the progress we expect.
New coach Matt Nagy will speak at length this afternoon and is expected to outline his plan for leading the Bears not just back to relevance or competitiveness but to a Super Bowl title. He needs to say exactly that, too, because it's the point of the entire exercise.
And after three years of John Fox's stubborn and blustering obfuscation that accomplished nothing tangible, some openness could begin to rebuild trust among fans hardened into cynicism by the combination of Fox's disdain for providing reasonable answers and seasons of double-digit losses. Some sunlight would disinfect things, and both Nagy and general manager Ryan Pace can take advantage of this reboot with the kind of transparency that has been exemplified by other, much more successful Chicago pro sports franchises.
Treat us like we know what's going on here, because we do.
Some of us have been alive long enough to have spanned 11 of the 16 Bears head coaches, aware enough to remember games led by nine of them and on the job to cover six of them professionally. This is an all-too-common exercise for a franchise that likes to brag about its great heritage.
What's more, Nagy is being brought in specifically as a communicator in a way others weren't. We're told that he will be able to teach his offense to Mitchell Trubisky and others quickly enough to bring that sclerotic side of the ball up to modern speed, and good teachers are good talkers. If he's bumbling or standoffish out of the gate it, will inspire only wariness and doubt about the reputation that earned him this shot. Let's hear the same guy so many connected to him have been describing in the last 24 hours.
Nagy's staff decisions and Pace's calls in free agency and the draft will be the first real actions that define this next era of Bears football, but today we have them at their word.
Dan Bernstein is a co-host of 670 The Score's "Bernstein and Goff Show" in afternoon drive. You can follow him on Twitter @dan_bernstein and read more of his columns here.
