MINNEAPOLIS (670 The Score) -- Matt Nagy the coach often struggled in leading the Bears over the last four seasons during a tenure mired by inconsistencies and which is likely to end with a firing Monday.
Nagy the person stayed the same through it all as a consistently positive presence who constantly believed in silver linings. It’s who Nagy was again Sunday after the Bears unraveled in a 31-17 loss to the Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium in their season finale – a man confident that better days are ahead for himself personally and the franchise that he's set to soon depart.
“Whatever has happened in my four years here, good and bad, there’s a reason for all of it,” Nagy said.
“Let this stuff right here refine you, not define you.”
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That was the postgame message Nagy delivered to the Bears as they gathered in the visiting locker room, one that was filled with disappointment. They didn’t discuss a disastrous second half or the need for improvement after a 6-11 season. Instead, Nagy shared his hope in what’s to come.
Nagy sees promise ahead for the Bears thanks to players like rookie quarterback Justin Fields, ascending receiver Darnell Mooney and star linebacker Roquan Smith. He expressed pride in being part of their growth.
“These players, they’re finally learning how to be good football players,” Nagy said. “But what’s going to take us over the top is having them learn how to be great leaders. Because championship, Super Bowl football teams have great leaders that are great football players. Because when you hit a little bit of a snag and you lose a few, the players are the ones that get you through that because they’re great leaders, they’re high-character people that are great football players, and the more of those that you have, you win a lot of games and then you have an opportunity to get in the dance to win the whole thing. That’s what this team has right now. It’s there. And that’s what I’m selfishly proud of.”
Nagy's current downfall was difficult to imagine during his first season in 2018, when the Bears went 12-4 and won the NFC North title. He was named the AP Coach of the Year and seemed in line to perhaps become a star in the city.
But Nagy lost his touch from that first year, with the Bears going 22-27 in the three seasons since. Through the struggles, Nagy constantly tried to find good in the challenging moments. After kicker Cody Parkey's double-doink miss sealed the Bears' loss to the Eagles in the wild-card round three years ago, Nagy found hope a few months later watching Tiger Woods win the Masters in April 2019. He was in Augusta with his sons and believed the Bears could have a similar comeback story.
Nagy couldn’t write the remarkable script he envisioned. His offense struggled over four seasons and was the greatest failure of his tenure. A defense that was dominant in 2018 steadily declined. There seemed to be more valleys than peaks as the Bears went 34-31 in the regular season and 0-2 in the playoffs under Nagy's watch.
“I know this: Whatever is supposed to happen will happen,” Nagy said Sunday afternoon. “I’m a positive person. I think that it’s about these players right now, and these players have fought their asses off to play hard. They sacrifice their body every day. Everything else will take care of itself how it’s supposed to.”
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago’s sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.