A GLADIATOR IN THE ARENA
Nagy was a star in the indoor league, and his experience there translates to the Bears
On the second day of training camp, the Bears’ video staff showed the team footage of a feisty Arena Football League quarterback miked up for an ESPN broadcast. He encouraged his teammates, barked at his opponents and debated his coaches when there were miscommunications. His name was Matt Nagy.
“You could see how intelligent he was as a player, how fierce a competitor he was,” quarterback Mitch Trubisky said. “He was the alpha.”
Before Nagy was named the Bears’ 16th head coach — before he even knew he wanted to coach — he was an AFL star. He finished his six-year career with 374 touchdowns, 55 interceptions and more than 10 miles of passing.
The TV introduction for the 2007 Arena Bowl showed Nagy, helmet off, screaming to the heavens, like the wrestler Goldberg.
“He talks about ‘swag’ and being you — that was him out there,” inside linebacker Danny Trevathan said. “Just to see that, it kind of made me believe he knows what he’s talking about.”
On the tape, Nagy offers encouragement: “Right trips, Zoom
34 — ‘Get ‘em down!’ — Double Post, X Slant on one.” He tells his lineman not to flinch on a hard count — “Get ’em to jump!” — and draws an offside call.
He takes blame for a mistake — “Good conversion! My fault” — and rallies his teammates. He laughs when a defensive lineman hits him.
On fourth-and-goal in the first half, he has a hunch. Nagy tells his coach, “I’ve got the play,” and runs one he calls “T-sneaky” — a fake handoff left, bootleg right and a touchdown pass to a 320-pound offensive lineman.
“I was waiting for that,” he says to the sideline.
With 22 seconds left in the first half, he and his coach debate a play. Their receivers haven’t gotten off a jam all game, but they