Matt Nagy will make a notable change to help jump-start the Bears’ offense Monday night. The third-year Chicago head coach is handing off play-calling responsibilities to offensive coordinator Bill Lazor.
Lazor is in his first season with the Bears, coming over after a season at Penn State. Previously, Lazor served as Bengals OC. He called Cincinnati’s plays from 2017-18. Nagy did not say Lazor would keep the play-calling reins beyond Week 10, however. The Bears HC will reassess during the team’s Week 11 bye.
The Bears have lost three straight and are careening toward slinking out of the NFC playoff race despite starting 5-1. Chicago holds a minus-12 point differential and ranks 28th in offensive DVOA. The team’s switch to Nick Foles has not made a major difference, and the Bears’ defense has been tasked with carrying a low-end offense — as it did last season when Mitchell Trubisky declined considerably.
In Lazor’s two seasons running the Bengals’ offense, they ranked 22nd and 21st in DVOA. The second mark came in just one spot behind Nagy’s first Bears offense, which went to the playoffs after the team won the NFC North that season.
The 2018 NFL Coach of the Year, Nagy came to the Bears after enjoying the opportunity to call the Chiefs’ plays for part of the 2017 season. But he will turn to Lazor, whom the Dolphins employed for barely a season as their OC from 2014-15, to help stop the Bears’ skid this week.
Gonna be interesting!!
No it’s not.
BE YOU!
Thank you. Nagy is a good head coach. He had minimal play calling experience when he came from KC to the Bears. He just isn’t a good play caller. I’m not sure Lazor will be any better, but it’s a start.
With that offensive line what difference does it make?
It doesn’t. I think is a way for Nagy to save face and his job by handing over the reigns. This OL is basically what 2020 is, hot garbage. We’ll see if Pace addresses it in the draft or off season.
Well he has no choice now. Incredibly, he ignored it last offseason. Even after having the worst draft whiff ever, Trubisky. No faith in Pace.
You never have as many picks as you have holes, but the Bears badly needed help on the O-line, and almost completely ignored it.
Nagy might as well burn those colored charts he’s always hiding behind.