Rumor: Bears to Fire Nagy after Thanksgiving

[Stinger226]

This is an odd situation . You think it could be real then George speaks out , none of it is true? I think Nagy is gone, but maybe not until the end of the yr. Like AZ said, it seems Pace may not be going anywhere. With the new stadium on the horizon, maybe Pace heads that moves up the ladder and hires a GM and new coach.

[Mongo3451]

1 hour ago, Stinger226 said:

This is an odd situation . You think it could be real then George speaks out , none of it is true? I think Nagy is gone, but maybe not until the end of the yr. Like AZ said, it seems Pace may not be going anywhere. With the new stadium on the horizon, maybe Pace heads that moves up the ladder and hires a GM and new coach.

You are right, this is an odd situation.  The vibe I'm getting from the whole deal is that the family just got embarrassed by another grand screwup that they can't keep info in house.  Now, they scramble to save face by denial.  I wouldn't be surprised if it buys Nagy another week or two just so they can say we told you so.  This is all just dysfunctional...

[Alaskan Grizzly]

The writing was on the wall a few weeks ago it appears…

 

[AZ54]

On 11/24/2021 at 6:57 PM, Alaskan Grizzly said:

The writing was on the wall a few weeks ago it appears…

 

If true I commend George.  He wants (should want) a full accounting of Nagy and how he'll perform with his new QB.   This is an indisputable NFL QB talent/prospect and there are no more excuses for Nagy on the QB situation holding back his offense.   The worst thing would be to let Nagy go through this season 8-8 with Dalton as QB and us not knowing.  George should want to know if Nagy is the right guy to develop Fields.  

[DABEARSDABOMB]

17 hours ago, AZ54 said:

If true I commend George.  He wants (should want) a full accounting of Nagy and how he'll perform with his new QB.   This is an indisputable NFL QB talent/prospect and there are no more excuses for Nagy on the QB situation holding back his offense.   The worst thing would be to let Nagy go through this season 8-8 with Dalton as QB and us not knowing.  George should want to know if Nagy is the right guy to develop Fields.  

I get it - but I don't like it.  I still think Fields would have benefited from a bit more time on the bench - but I get how Dalton's injury forced the timeline to accelerate and I also get the point that McCaskey wants to see some of Fields, but its a long season and they could have accomplished that in a different manner. That said - I think FIelds has the right mentality to manage through lumps / early struggles and game action is still most critical to development.  

[BearFan PHX]

2 hours ago, DABEARSDABOMB said:

I get it - but I don't like it.  I still think Fields would have benefited from a bit more time on the bench - but I get how Dalton's injury forced the timeline to accelerate and I also get the point that McCaskey wants to see some of Fields, but its a long season and they could have accomplished that in a different manner. That said - I think FIelds has the right mentality to manage through lumps / early struggles and game action is still most critical to development.  

I agree. Fields knows they are clowns. He will wait it out, until either a better coach/GM/front office shows up, of he plays through his rookie deal and goes to a good team.

Meanwhile, if this is true, it shows George meddling where he shouldnt. Whether you agree with the decision or not, you dont move forward by having a wrong coach who is forced into a few right moves by ownership. ANd thats the most positive way to view it, thats if you 100% agree with the decision. If you dont, its even worse.

SELL THE TEAM.

[AZ54]

1 hour ago, BearFan NYC said:

I agree. Fields knows they are clowns. He will wait it out, until either a better coach/GM/front office shows up, of he plays through his rookie deal and goes to a good team.

Meanwhile, if this is true, it shows George meddling where he shouldnt. Whether you agree with the decision or not, you dont move forward by having a wrong coach who is forced into a few right moves by ownership. ANd thats the most positive way to view it, thats if you 100% agree with the decision. If you dont, its even worse.

SELL THE TEAM.

He’s going to meddle as soon as he fires the coach and /or GM.  It is interesting that some advocate for new ownership as if someone spending $3B isn’t going to meddle with their investment.  We have to hope they are better at meddling.  People who have made that much money usually didn’t do it by sitting on the sidelines and they aren’t likely to change just because it’s a sports team.   

[BearFan PHX]

56 minutes ago, AZ54 said:

He’s going to meddle as soon as he fires the coach and /or GM.  It is interesting that some advocate for new ownership as if someone spending $3B isn’t going to meddle with their investment.  We have to hope they are better at meddling.  People who have made that much money usually didn’t do it by sitting on the sidelines and they aren’t likely to change just because it’s a sports team.   

I agree 100%, Im just saying these people are awful at it, at least most billionaire owners had to succeed at something to get that way before buying the team and meddling.

[Mongo3451]

Here's what pisses me off.  The brass got caught with their pants down with the leak to the reporter.  Then, they let the rumor run rampant by not squashing it immediately.  Then, they make a statement to the team saying the rumor is inaccurate, thus muddying the water even more.  This all just so they can save face by firing Nagy on their terms.  Our ownership is clearly hurting their own team by delaying the inevitable.  If they simply would have admitted their mistake, they would be more respected by the fan base and the team would be better off with more time to prepare for a new coach.  We are simply the commoners that they think they are fooling...?

[BearFan PHX]

5 hours ago, Mongo3451 said:

Here's what pisses me off.  The brass got caught with their pants down with the leak to the reporter.  Then, they let the rumor run rampant by not squashing it immediately.  Then, they make a statement to the team saying the rumor is inaccurate, thus muddying the water even more.  This all just so they can save face by firing Nagy on their terms.  Our ownership is clearly hurting their own team by delaying the inevitable.  If they simply would have admitted their mistake, they would be more respected by the fan base and the team would be better off with more time to prepare for a new coach.  We are simply the commoners that they think they are fooling...?

amen. plus, what if they HAD fired Nagy? So what?

They are woefully over their heads and always have been.

[Pixote]

Are we sure this was a legitimate "leak" of an action the brass had actually decided to make?

Or, was it a beat reporter reporting an unsubstantiated rumor which began on an assumption or possibly even invented by same reporter?

I suspect it was the latter. I don't think the Bears have ever fired a HC mid-season. (and there have been HCs far worse than Nagy)

That being said, I actually would prefer they did fire Nagy before Week 16 (assuming Pace remains GM) so that we can interview candidates during weeks 17 & 18 (a nice change in NFL procedures that I'd like to see the Bears take advantage of.) If the Bears decide to also release Pace, then we need to wait and allow the new GM to make his own hire of a HC. Personally, I've got mixed reviews of Pace. Unless it was a GM candidate that is a sure winner (Is there such a thing?) then we might be better off keeping Pace. There are a lot worse in the front offices around the league.

 

 

[Mongo3451]

24 minutes ago, Pixote said:

Are we sure this was a legitimate "leak" of an action the brass had actually decided to make?

Or, was it a beat reporter reporting an unsubstantiated rumor which began on an assumption or possibly even invented by same reporter?

I suspect it was the latter. I don't think the Bears have ever fired a HC mid-season. (and there have been HCs far worse than Nagy)

That being said, I actually would prefer they did fire Nagy before Week 16 (assuming Pace remains GM) so that we can interview candidates during weeks 17 & 18 (a nice change in NFL procedures that I'd like to see the Bears take advantage of.) If the Bears decide to also release Pace, then we need to wait and allow the new GM to make his own hire of a HC. Personally, I've got mixed reviews of Pace. Unless it was a GM candidate that is a sure winner (Is there such a thing?) then we might be better off keeping Pace. There are a lot worse in the front offices around the league.

 

 

I'm almost certain it's true.  The reporter is one of the most respected in Chicago and has a Pulitzer under his belt.  Waddle, Silvey, Jurko and Defalco on ESPN 1000 all believe it and vouch for the guy.  I don't think he needed a rumor piece like other guys might.

[DABEARSDABOMB]

7 hours ago, Mongo3451 said:

Here's what pisses me off.  The brass got caught with their pants down with the leak to the reporter.  Then, they let the rumor run rampant by not squashing it immediately.  Then, they make a statement to the team saying the rumor is inaccurate, thus muddying the water even more.  This all just so they can save face by firing Nagy on their terms.  Our ownership is clearly hurting their own team by delaying the inevitable.  If they simply would have admitted their mistake, they would be more respected by the fan base and the team would be better off with more time to prepare for a new coach.  We are simply the commoners that they think they are fooling...?

I don't think that a report going out a day early changes the ownership's plans. I think there was zero truth to the rumor and the Bears just bungled it. If there was truth - they would have just went out and made the announcement the next day and actually accelerated the move.  Once you have decided to let someone go, they aren't going to go, oh wait, I'm not going to do it now that a report leaked - you just accelerate it and get done.  

[DABEARSDABOMB]

1 hour ago, Pixote said:

Are we sure this was a legitimate "leak" of an action the brass had actually decided to make?

Or, was it a beat reporter reporting an unsubstantiated rumor which began on an assumption or possibly even invented by same reporter?

I suspect it was the latter. I don't think the Bears have ever fired a HC mid-season. (and there have been HCs far worse than Nagy)

That being said, I actually would prefer they did fire Nagy before Week 16 (assuming Pace remains GM) so that we can interview candidates during weeks 17 & 18 (a nice change in NFL procedures that I'd like to see the Bears take advantage of.) If the Bears decide to also release Pace, then we need to wait and allow the new GM to make his own hire of a HC. Personally, I've got mixed reviews of Pace. Unless it was a GM candidate that is a sure winner (Is there such a thing?) then we might be better off keeping Pace. There are a lot worse in the front offices around the league.

 

 

I am with you 100%. I think it was a bad scoop, a bad rumor from somewhere, I don't know, but I don't believe the Bears had any intention of letting go of Nagy or had formally made that decision. Maybe in there mind George was like - if we get routed by Detroit on Turkey day that is it - but that is very different than the report and I could at least plausbily understand that. 

But I expect Nagy will be here through Week 15 - at that point, either he has literally won out or Fields is on a huge hot streak and we are going - nope, keep him, or they are in same place as today and he is probably gone at that point so they can officially get a head start.  Bears have literally zero history of axing guys sooner and I also will say - I don't like Nagy as a HC, but the guy handled a really bad situation WITH A TON of class this past week.  

[DABEARSDABOMB]

51 minutes ago, Mongo3451 said:

I'm almost certain it's true.  The reporter is one of the most respected in Chicago and has a Pulitzer under his belt.  Waddle, Silvey, Jurko and Defalco on ESPN 1000 all believe it and vouch for the guy.  I don't think he needed a rumor piece like other guys might.

People get crazy - maybe he just got awful advice and took a bad report. And sometimes someone super respected goes off the deep end at some point.  What he wasn't is a pulitzer prize winning SPORTS reporter.  HE was a non sports journalist wading into sports...and he got burned.  

[DABEARSDABOMB]

1 hour ago, Pixote said:

Are we sure this was a legitimate "leak" of an action the brass had actually decided to make?

Or, was it a beat reporter reporting an unsubstantiated rumor which began on an assumption or possibly even invented by same reporter?

I suspect it was the latter. I don't think the Bears have ever fired a HC mid-season. (and there have been HCs far worse than Nagy)

That being said, I actually would prefer they did fire Nagy before Week 16 (assuming Pace remains GM) so that we can interview candidates during weeks 17 & 18 (a nice change in NFL procedures that I'd like to see the Bears take advantage of.) If the Bears decide to also release Pace, then we need to wait and allow the new GM to make his own hire of a HC. Personally, I've got mixed reviews of Pace. Unless it was a GM candidate that is a sure winner (Is there such a thing?) then we might be better off keeping Pace. There are a lot worse in the front offices around the league.

 

 

One other point - I think you are right - if they are going to get rid of Pace - than they may actually wait on removing Nagy until the end of the season, unless they are looking at switching the dynamics and hiring the coach first and letting the coach have more say in who the GM / front man will be. I still think Pace will be back and I kind of buy into the rationale of him moving up a level and them promoting from within (Champ Kelly - who is pretty darn well respected in league circles).  

[Alaskan Grizzly]

1 hour ago, DABEARSDABOMB said:

(Champ Kelly - who is pretty darn well respected in league circles).  

I second this.  I see that he has been a candidate on other teams' radar for GM; Jets in 2019 and Falcons and Broncos last year: 

"Champ Kelly, Bears assistant director of player personnel: He’s gotten a bunch of looks for GM jobs in recent years, including with the Jets in 2019. They took a long, hard look at him before hiring Joe Douglas. Kelly has experience in pro and college scouting. But the Bears haven’t been very successful since Kelly arrived with GM Ryan Pace in 2015 — one winning season, two playoff trips, zero postseason wins. Kelly was in the mix for the Falcons’ and Broncos’ GM jobs this past offseason." 

• NJ.com article about current Giants GM David Gettleman possibly being fired this year and candidates to consider to replace him.

[ASHKUM BEAR]

Maybe it was a set up?  Like a conversation at Halas Hall close to different employees to see if the story leaks.  Maybe each convo had a different twist.  

I wouldn't put it past the beat writers to find out who the lower level employees and feel them out to see if they can get info from them

[adam]

I don't think it was an absolute statement. I bet it was, "IF" the Bears lose to the Lions, Nagy would be fired on Friday. That would've been 6 in a row, to a winless team, on national TV. That would've done it. 

Nagy needs to go, but in his defense, very few teams are going to play well with so many injuries. 

The Bears played without their top defensive player (Mack), another top 4 defensive player out (Hicks), the 2nd best defender leaves the game (Smith), a gaping hole at CB2, the worst Safety group in the NFL which is just on the defense. It is a miracle that they only allowed 14 pts. On offense, you didn't have the rising star QB, the WR1, even if he is having a down year, and you still don't have your gadget back (Cohen) and your top drafted OT. Those are all significant pieces to the team, either out, or in Jackson and ARob's case, severely underperforming.

How would the Packers do without Rodgers, Adams on offense, then 3 of their top 4 defenders out? Very few teams are going to play well. 

[BearFan PHX]

20 hours ago, Pixote said:

If the Bears decide to also release Pace, then we need to wait and allow the new GM to make his own hire of a HC.

Or another scenario, you can fire them both now, and let the new GM have the advantage of week 17 and 18 interviews.

[Mongo3451]

2 hours ago, BearFan NYC said:

Or another scenario, you can fire them both now, and let the new GM have the advantage of week 17 and 18 interviews.

This!

[BearFan PHX]

26 minutes ago, Mongo3451 said:

This!

if we went down this path, then now's the time to do it. The new GM needs time to get to know the situation, do their homework on the roster etc before they can really do the coaching hire the right way.

Then again, you're probably gonna end up with one of the two guys being discussed, and fit the roster to them over the next few years anyway, so while the due dilligence might be extensive, the final decision probably isn't all that hard.

[DABEARSDABOMB]

49 minutes ago, BearFan NYC said:

if we went down this path, then now's the time to do it. The new GM needs time to get to know the situation, do their homework on the roster etc before they can really do the coaching hire the right way.

Then again, you're probably gonna end up with one of the two guys being discussed, and fit the roster to them over the next few years anyway, so while the due dilligence might be extensive, the final decision probably isn't all that hard.

I think the worse case scenario is they do nothing in the front office and Pace stays pat.  It means he'll be under a lot of win now pressure and may be way too short-sited.  To me they either promote him and bring up Champ, extend him (least favorite option - but it at least gives him the security to manage in the long), or you can him and just start fresh.  

I am fine with scenario 1 (promote and leverage Champ) or scenario 3 (new guy).  The one thing I like about scenario 1 - it might be the best path to get the right segregation with a football president established so even if Pace isn't the guy I would pick - it sets the precident for the future.  

A big example I would have is: if a GM is on a super hot seat, would they take the short term pain to move Mack and/or Quinn for assets (while knowing it limits '22 cap flexibility).  The plus is it gives the front office more assets to deploy on the offensive side of the football - helping set the foundation for Fields and his development + it creates a TON of long term cap flexibility (23/24/25).  But I would say in the near term - it certainly doesn't make the team more likely to be a playoff team. 

I want a GM who can make a decision that effectively balances impact on 22 vs. impact on 22-25 type of horizon.  I can live with a HC that is on a shorter tenure, but with GM's, they have to have security to, otherwise they have way too much power to completely mess up a franchise.  

[DABEARSDABOMB]

Just now, DABEARSDABOMB said:

I think the worse case scenario is they do nothing in the front office and Pace stays pat.  It means he'll be under a lot of win now pressure and may be way too short-sited.  To me they either promote him and bring up Champ, extend him (least favorite option - but it at least gives him the security to manage in the long), or you can him and just start fresh.  

I am fine with scenario 1 (promote and leverage Champ) or scenario 3 (new guy).  The one thing I like about scenario 1 - it might be the best path to get the right segregation with a football president established so even if Pace isn't the guy I would pick - it sets the precident for the future.  

A big example I would have is: if a GM is on a super hot seat, would they take the short term pain to move Mack and/or Quinn for assets (while knowing it limits '22 cap flexibility).  The plus is it gives the front office more assets to deploy on the offensive side of the football - helping set the foundation for Fields and his development + it creates a TON of long term cap flexibility (23/24/25).  But I would say in the near term - it certainly doesn't make the team more likely to be a playoff team. 

I want a GM who can make a decision that effectively balances impact on 22 vs. impact on 22-25 type of horizon.  I can live with a HC that is on a shorter tenure, but with GM's, they have to have security to, otherwise they have way too much power to completely mess up a franchise.  

One more point - but as everyone on here knows - I think if Fields proves to be good - this franchise is on the way up and big time and is much closer to being a pretty good football team vs. a terrible team.  But I do think there are some very clear needs that have to be addressed:

- Center (prefer via draft, but type of position you can affordably fill in FA - not sure the candidates out there)

- Wideout - EARLY DRAFT PICK - Mooney has an elite skillset (NOT AN ELITE WIDEOUT but he has speed in spades and is good with a true plus skill that is actually useable).  He is the only one under contract that is worth anything. Even Robinson - as good and productive as he is, his skill is his skill...pure talent and seperation skills are limited and Bears CLEARLY need a massive upgrade at this position to help wideouts. In an ideal world - Arob and Fields would show a connection (my guess is neither play this week and than we have them both back starting next week - would be massive if they can show real chemistry and growth).  In a perfect world - Arob/Fields show that growth and you get Arob and extension, have Mooney continue his upward path and DRAFT another receiver with upside (ideally you have an extra 1st or 2nd from a Mack trade that can be deployed here - so high investment).  You also SIGN a slot type of guy too (no more of these sign random dudes with speed and call them wideouts - get me guys who can get open and play football).  

- DB - EARLY DRAFT PICK - We clearly need to find another good CB.  I suppose they could go FA route here, but I feel like big money FA DB's are risky propositions.  Plus I want more money invested on the offense as to surround our young QB with as much as possible to succeed.  I would actually be okay if they picked up a young DB and went back and grabbed Fuller (who I think would be available at a much cheaper rate and probably hungry and sometimes guys just fit in better in different places).  But this is a clear area of need that has to be addressed and my gut says with a 2nd rounder (I am hoping we can acquire at a minimum a 2nd rounder in a trade - so one can be WR and the other DB).  

- LB - We need to upgrade our speed next to Roquan. I think this is something that could be filled via a combination of mid-range FA signing + mid round draft picks. Playing next to Roquan should make any other LB better and Ogletree has been fine, but reality is Ogletree/Trevathan both are way past their primes and these are not expensive positions and they should be able to upgrade. They also need to PAY ROQUAN. 

- Safety - Ugly position, probably have to see if you can sign a mid-range type guy to make things better and i don't know cap situation with Ejax. They may be stuck one more year with Ejax, hope you can find a mid-range guy. If somehow you trade Mack for a 1st & 2nd - than things get interesting. At that point - I'd prioritize taking a CB, Safety, and WR (in no particular order).  

Note: I AM IGNORING TACKLE AND GUARD.  I want to see what Borom / Jenkins can do plus I will live with Whitehair/Daniels in the interior.  That means extending Daniels. Center is the weak link and than if Borom/Jenkins don't work, that becomes a critical area of need via FA / Draft in '23 (the good news being if you have moved at least Mack, between him being off the books, having a rookie contract QB, having all of your draft picks, plus quite a few other aging vets gone - they will have MASSIVE cap space in 23 to upgrade line and fill other parts).  

[adam]

13 hours ago, DABEARSDABOMB said:

One more point - but as everyone on here knows - I think if Fields proves to be good - this franchise is on the way up and big time and is much closer to being a pretty good football team vs. a terrible team.  But I do think there are some very clear needs that have to be addressed:

- Center (prefer via draft, but type of position you can affordably fill in FA - not sure the candidates out there)

- Wideout - EARLY DRAFT PICK - Mooney has an elite skillset (NOT AN ELITE WIDEOUT but he has speed in spades and is good with a true plus skill that is actually useable).  He is the only one under contract that is worth anything. Even Robinson - as good and productive as he is, his skill is his skill...pure talent and seperation skills are limited and Bears CLEARLY need a massive upgrade at this position to help wideouts. In an ideal world - Arob and Fields would show a connection (my guess is neither play this week and than we have them both back starting next week - would be massive if they can show real chemistry and growth).  In a perfect world - Arob/Fields show that growth and you get Arob and extension, have Mooney continue his upward path and DRAFT another receiver with upside (ideally you have an extra 1st or 2nd from a Mack trade that can be deployed here - so high investment).  You also SIGN a slot type of guy too (no more of these sign random dudes with speed and call them wideouts - get me guys who can get open and play football).  

- DB - EARLY DRAFT PICK - We clearly need to find another good CB.  I suppose they could go FA route here, but I feel like big money FA DB's are risky propositions.  Plus I want more money invested on the offense as to surround our young QB with as much as possible to succeed.  I would actually be okay if they picked up a young DB and went back and grabbed Fuller (who I think would be available at a much cheaper rate and probably hungry and sometimes guys just fit in better in different places).  But this is a clear area of need that has to be addressed and my gut says with a 2nd rounder (I am hoping we can acquire at a minimum a 2nd rounder in a trade - so one can be WR and the other DB).  

- LB - We need to upgrade our speed next to Roquan. I think this is something that could be filled via a combination of mid-range FA signing + mid round draft picks. Playing next to Roquan should make any other LB better and Ogletree has been fine, but reality is Ogletree/Trevathan both are way past their primes and these are not expensive positions and they should be able to upgrade. They also need to PAY ROQUAN. 

- Safety - Ugly position, probably have to see if you can sign a mid-range type guy to make things better and i don't know cap situation with Ejax. They may be stuck one more year with Ejax, hope you can find a mid-range guy. If somehow you trade Mack for a 1st & 2nd - than things get interesting. At that point - I'd prioritize taking a CB, Safety, and WR (in no particular order).  

Note: I AM IGNORING TACKLE AND GUARD.  I want to see what Borom / Jenkins can do plus I will live with Whitehair/Daniels in the interior.  That means extending Daniels. Center is the weak link and than if Borom/Jenkins don't work, that becomes a critical area of need via FA / Draft in '23 (the good news being if you have moved at least Mack, between him being off the books, having a rookie contract QB, having all of your draft picks, plus quite a few other aging vets gone - they will have MASSIVE cap space in 23 to upgrade line and fill other parts).  

Right now CB2 is the biggest hole on the team, however, like you said, the team can't go into next year with Mooney and a ton of vets on 1 yr deals in the WR room. So CB/WR are my first two picks. There are some options at Center, you can draft one, or slide Whitehair or Daniels (after extension) back to Center and draft another Guard. However, is Center a bigger hole than Safety right now? Listening to Olin Kreutz, he doesn't think Mustipher is playing that bad. So I would almost put Safety or ILB ahead of Center. Those are definitely the top 5 needs and should be addressed with a high draft pick or a quality FA signing.