Coach Matt Nagy’s strength and resolve through adversity are two of his defining traits.
“I just appreciate where our guys are at,’’ he said. ‘‘I appreciate where our coaches are at. The meetings we had this morning, just talking through where we’re at and how we have to get this thing fixed.
“And I know it sounds monotonous — trust me, I understand it. I know it’s frustrating for all of us, and it just seems like the same thing over and over. We know that, so we’ve got to get that win.
“And knowing what’s ahead of us and where we’re at, that’s why we’re here — to do that, to work together through tough times. And that’s where I have ultimate belief and trust in the coaches and the players and making sure that we continue to fight.”
That was Nagy . . . last December after a disastrous 34-30 loss to the Lions at Soldier Field — the Bears’ sixth consecutive loss that seemed to mark a rock-bottom moment.
But here he was again Wednesday — introspective, resolute and with the same conviction in himself, his coaches and players as he and his staff pick up the pieces after last week’s humiliating offensive performance in a 26-6 loss to the Browns in Cleveland.
“I think the players understand from my perspective where I come from and how real I am — how hard I am on not just them but myself,” Nagy said. “And that I’m about solutions. I am not about negativity. I am not about anything but trying to do what is best for the Bears at anything — you know what I mean?
“I’d be sitting here lying to y’all if I said it’s been easy. Darn right, it has not been easy. It’s been hard. But when I signed up for this job, I knew there were going to be times that I go through this kind of stuff, and now I’m getting tested to see where I’m at with this.”
Nagy prides himself on his fortitude and inner strength to handle any adversity and any criticism. “You won’t break me,” he once said during a previous bad-loss inquisition. And to his credit, he has yet to crack under the scrutiny.
But how many times can we handle it? In a revealing moment Wednesday, defensive end Akiem Hicks was asked if it wears on him to answer the same questions about issues at Halas Hall he has little or nothing to do with almost every year.
“That’s a tough one,” Hicks said. “I don’t have an answer. I truly don’t have an answer.”
Nagy has run out of answers, as well. All he can do is repeat the old ones.
“I know . . . who I am and who our players are, and I know what we’re about,” Nagy said. “When you see the people that come to bat for you behind the scenes — that’s what gets you through this kind of stuff. That’s what gets you going.
“The criticism is fair. I go back to the game — the more you’re in it, the more you see it, you gotta move on, but you also got to accept it. That’s what I’m going to do moving forward.”
This is another one of those moments for Nagy, just a little earlier this season. To him, there are 14 games to get his offense back on track. To everyone else, there are 14 games left for it to go even further into the abyss.
You can’t blame him for staying positive. But you can blame him for being repetitive. It’s great that he believes in himself, believes in his coaches, believes in his players, feels our pain and accepts the criticism. But we’ve heard all this before. Show us the money. Year 4 is about production, not promises.
