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When it comes to compiling these “best of” NFL lists, it’s all usually based on one man’s opinion, so I don’t get to riled up about them. Occasionally one will pop up that really pisses me off, but I can usually see the subjective reasoning behind them. The real point of these lists are to get a commentary going with fans, so if that’s the end game, then this latest from NFL.com Analyst Elliot Harrison is going to spark some talk amongst Chicago Bears’ fans.
Harrison recently ranked the head coaches in the NFL and he had Chicago’s Matt Nagy in 14th place. Most of the head honchos on the list have had much more success than Nagy, so making an argument for them isn’t very difficult.
Here’s who they have ahead of the proprietor of Club Dub.
1) Bill Belichick, New England Patriots
2) Pete Carroll, Seattle Seahawks
3) Sean Payton, New Orleans Saints
4) Andy Reid, Kansas City Chiefs
5) Doug Pederson, Philadelphia Eagles
6) Sean McVay, Los Angeles Rams
7) John Harbaugh, Baltimore Ravens
8) Anthony Lynn, Los Angeles Chargers
9) Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh Steelers
10) Mike Zimmer, Minnesota Vikings
11) Dan Quinn, Atlanta Falcons
12) Frank Reich, Indianapolis Colts
13) Ron Rivera, Carolina Panthers
And here’s what he said about Nagy at 14.
Matt Nagy more than delivered in his first year as the Bears’ head coach, taking Chicago to the postseason for the first time since the 2010 season. What’s interesting about Nagy is that his side of the ball is offense, and prior to getting hired by the Bears, he was known for his work with quarterbacks in Kansas City. Yet, it was Vic Fangio’s defense that did most of the heavy lifting to get Chicago to the playoffs. A head coach does much more than run one side of the ball, though. In fact, some of them don’t do that at all. They run the office, in some respects. Nagy clearly set a tone in the building, so to speak, which should not be taken lightly. Nor should Nagy’s work with Mitch Trubisky, who showed improvement from Year 1 to Year 2. Why is Reich ahead of Rivera but not Nagy? Well, Nagy has yet to achieve postseason success and had stronger personnel than Reich did in 2018.
Each guy on the list above Nagy has had a taste of postseason success, so I’m fine with this ranking. The only thing that will get Nagy a boost in these head coach rankings is winning in the playoffs.
Are you guys good with Nagy’s placement this year?