This is a tough week for Bears coach Matt Nagy — relatively speaking.
Nagy, a coach who thrives on preparation, was so pressed to design and implement a game plan for the Lions that he didn’t even review the film of the Bears’ victory Sunday against the Vikings. He had less than three days to prepare before heading to Detroit. And his starting quarterback is hurt.
But he still managed to keep things in perspective. He’s preparing for a football game.
‘‘I want to start off, first of all, by giving our thoughts and prayers to the families affected [by the shooting Monday] at Mercy Hospital,’’ Nagy said in his opening remarks at his news conference Tuesday at Halas Hall. ‘‘And then, of course, with the family of the Chicago Police Department police officer. It just puts things in perspective for all of us. And I want everybody to know down there that they’re in our thoughts and prayers.’’
The heartfelt gesture was a nice touch from a coach who has been making all the right moves from the time he was hired in January. And it’s yet another reminder that, although Nagy was hired to tutor and develop quarterback Mitch Trubisky and breathe life into a moribund offense, he’s every bit the coach the Bears were looking for.
Linebacker Roquan Smith is going to have to have one heckuva finish to beat out Nagy for rookie of the year at Halas Hall. Nagy came in with high expectations as a disciple of Chiefs coach Andy Reid — especially after another Reid disciple, Doug Pederson, won the Super Bowl in his second season with the Eagles in February. So far, Nagy has exceeded expectations.
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The Bears’ game Thursday against the Lions is the latest big test. The Bears will be playing the Lions 85 hours after completing their 25-20 victory against the Vikings. It’s their third game in 12 days. And if they complete an unlikely sweep, it’ll be a credit to Nagy, who seems to have such a handle on this head-coaching thing that it’s hard to believe he never has done it before at any level. He just doesn’t look like a rookie.
‘‘Most definitely,’’ said defensive end Akiem Hicks, who has played for Super Bowl winners Sean Payton and Bill Belichick in his seven-year NFL career. ‘‘I can’t say he’s reserved. I would say that he knows how and when to show that type of emotion to get his team in the right spots. And you have to attribute that to his coaching tree. It’s not mystique. Andy Reid does it well, and he’s done it at a high level. So you expect the same from [Nagy].’’
The Bears still have to get the job done against the Lions, but Nagy has taken the lead in putting them in the right frame of mind to do it. This is not how they would set up the schedule. But instead of cursing their fate, they are embracing the challenge.
‘‘This is just what we do,’’ right tackle Bobby Massie said when asked about the challenge of playing a road game three days after beating the Vikings. ‘‘Our mindset is not, ‘Oh, woe is me, we’re tired,’ and all that. Our mindset is, ‘Go out there and get a win.’ It’s part of the job.
‘‘The staff has taken care of us. It’s going to be more mental than physical at this point. So we’ll just go out there and take care of business and get this win.’’
Massie gave Nagy credit for promoting that attitude.
‘‘It does make a difference that they’re smart and putting us in position to do the right thing,’’ Massie said. ‘‘Coach Nagy, he’s great at doing that. That’s what we’re doing right now.’’
