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Something Bears fans have learned over the years is that it can always get worse. As was the case in Chicago’s brutal 26-6 defeat by Cleveland on Sunday, where the Bears offense turned in a historically terrible outing to the tune of 47 yards.
But the worst thing was Matt Nagy’s usage of rookie quarterback Justin Fields, who was put in harm’s way with an almost dangerous game plan that had him under constant duress and sacked nine times.
While Fields had his share of struggles, Nagy never gave Fields a chance with his game plan, which felt tailored to Andy Dalton, and five-man protection with no help for their offensive line on most of Fields’ drop backs.
NFL media ripped into Nagy for his terrible game plan and usage of Fields. But perhaps the best criticism comes from ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky who said Nagy’s game plan “was the worst I’ve ever seen in my life” and “was either negligence or intentional.”
While it’s likely the former, as you’d like to believe Nagy wouldn’t intentionally throw his handpicked quarterback to the wolves, it was still enough to be a fireable offense in Orlovsky’s and a lot of others’ eyes.
.@danorlovsky7 and Rex Ryan absolutely unleashed on the Bears’ head coach 😳
“The Chicago Bears should fire Matt Nagy today. Because yesterday’s game plan, which was the worst one I’ve ever seen in my life, was either negligence or intentional!” pic.twitter.com/SnWhQjNYme
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) September 27, 2021
Despite Nagy showing up nearly an hour late to his Monday press conference, he still remains employed as the Bears’ head coach, which means he remains a detriment to Fields’ development.
The Bears have never fired a head coach mid-season. But we’re coming up on a stretch that could be brutal and result in another six-game losing streak. So Nagy is officially on the hot seat.