Matt Nagy on Bears’ Search for Identity

The Chicago Bears troubles with running the football have finally caught up with head coach Matt Nagy.

Their struggles culminated in a 36 – 25 loss to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. After the game, Matt Nagy admitted that the team is searching for an offensive identity.

Eight weeks in to the NFL season, those are worrying words for Bears fans. 

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Against the Saints, the Bears ran the ball just five times in the first half. If you thought that was bad, they only ran it twice in the whole of the second half.

It was the fewest carries by Chiago in franchise history, according to NFL research.

Matt Nagy is the only coach this season who hasn’t overseen a 300-yard performance yet. When asked why he still calls so many passing plays, he said he knows the Bears need to run the ball more.

“I know we need to run the ball more. I’m not an idiot,” Nagy said Monday. 

“I realize that. … I totally understand that. We need to (run the ball). I never go into a game saying I want to throw the ball 54 times. I would love to go into a game and say I want to run the ball 54 times, but … that just hasn’t happened, so this is what I have to answer to.”

Against New Orleans, the few poor carries Chiago managed lead him to try to open up the game by throwing the ball.

“Now how do you, get it going a little bit,” the coach said. 

“Let’s maybe pass to open up the run game. And so, before you know it we didn’t have a whole lot of plays in the first half, there weren’t a lot of runs, and then we get behind in the second half. But to have seven rushes and two fumbles that’s not good either.”

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“When you go through these struggles like we’re going through identity-wise and having struggles running the football … it’s not where we want to be and it’s unacceptable for all of us,” he said. “We’re definitely searching right now there is no doubt about it.”