(670 The Score) Bears coach Matt Nagy revealed to his team late Tuesday that its virtual offseason program would be cut short by a week, marking the end to an unprecedented period of preparation for the season during the coronavirus pandemic.
Nagy reached his decision feeling comfortable with how the Bears handled the unique circumstances of an offseason program conducted solely through virtual meetings over programs like Zoom.
"We've really had a phenomenal nine weeks of virtual learning," Nagy said in a teleconference Tuesday. "They've been really, really good, solid weeks. I'm proud of our guys for showing up every day. It's all voluntary, and we've done a lot.
"We feel like we've done everything in our power to handle the mental side and handle the relationship side through a computer."
With the Bears set to break until the scheduled start of training camp in late July, Nagy wants his players to focus on their training for the 2020 season. That has been a challenge for players across the NFL as the pandemic forced the closure of gyms and training facilities around the country.
In the last two months, the Bears made the best of their virtual offseason program. With players and coaches assembled in different time zones across the country, they gathered for position group meetings, worked to install their scheme and even experienced what Nagy called "coffee shop" visits from figures like Peyton Manning, Doc Rivers and more.
"I've mentally gotten a lot stronger through these Zoom meetings," Bears kicker Eddy Pineiro said. "Talking to some guys that they have had come in and talk to us and stuff, so I think in that aspect, me personally it's helped me a lot."
In the wake of George Floyd's death at the hands of police in Minneapolis, the Bears on June 1 designated their allotted two hours of team meeting time for an emotional conversation on issues of racial injustice. Nagy then canceled meetings the next day to observe Blackout Tuesday, a day used to spotlight racial issues in society.
"As a team, there was a level of healing involved in that call and there was a level of us just coming together," defensive lineman Akiem Hicks said. "We just got a little bit tighter. We've had this experience together. It was a positive call in the end, and I think it changed the lives of some of the young men that we have on this team. It changed my perspective on a lot of things."
The goal for Nagy and his coaching staff during the virtual program was to work through a revamped offensive playbook, enhance the mental preparation of each player and foster a closeness within the team.
Veteran safety Tashaun Gipson experienced that when he officially signed with the Bears on May 1 and joined a Zoom meeting with his new team soon after. Gipson found himself looking at a screen filled with dozens and dozens of unrecognizable faces.
"It's super important to try to establish that relationship through those Zoom meetings, the interaction between them," Gipson said. "Reaching out to guys personally and just trying to get a feel for them, let them get a feel for you. Obviously, these are extreme, different circumstances. It's going to be a little different.
"Once we get together, that's when the real jelling is going to be able to happen."'
As restrictions were lifted across the United States, Bears players did their best to make up for lost time on the field. Quarterback Mitchell Trubisky and top receiver Allen Robinson have worked together about four times each week. Trubisky had a weight room installed in the basement of his Chicago-area home.
Pineiro and punter Pat O'Donnell scouted out Moore Park in Miami, which is a comfortable drive from both of their homes in South Florida, and worked together as much as three times a week. Pineiro feels the wide-open park, which includes a football field and goalposts, offers a wind that can help him simulate Soldier Field.
As for the coaching staff, Nagy came to appreciate the ease of being just one click away from entering each position group's meeting. He could mute his microphone and simply listen in before jumping to the next meeting. With his family also home, Nagy often rotated rooms or hoped his four sons were playing video games.
"Whoever designed Fortnite did a really good job of keeping them in there," Nagy joked.
The virtual meetings will continue for Nagy and his coaching staff before they reunite inside Halas Hall for the first time since early March. Included in their plans will be how they make up for lost time on the field when training camp is scheduled to begin in July.
The Bears' virtual offseason experience is nearly complete, with plenty accomplished. The next challenge will be getting back in helmets and pads as the new season looms.
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago's sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.
